John and the resistant reader: The Fourth Gospel after Nicea and the Holocaust
TL;DR: In this paper, an archetypal reading of the Fourth Gospel is presented, making possible an encounter with the author's imaginal world, without being put off by the offensive rhetoric.
Abstract: Summary Modern readers of the Fourth Gospel can scarcely ignore the Wirkungsgeschichte of this powerful text. Although its intense polemic against “the Jews” can be understood historically as a not unusual example of intra‐Jewish sectarian animosity, its appropriation by Christians has made a sinister contribution to the Holocaust. Furthermore, although the Fourth Gospel affirms of the disciple everything that it affirms of Jesus, it has served as the starting point for conciliar definitions on christology which have opened up a “divinity gap” between the reader and the central figure in the narrative. An archetypal reading of this text makes possible an encounter with the author's imaginal world, without being put off by the offensive rhetoric.
References
More filters
TL;DR: In this article, Ingarden confronts the structure of the literary text with the ways in which it can be konkretisiert (realized) and argues that the work is more than the text, for the text only takes on life when it is realized and furthermore the realization is by no means independent of the individual disposition of the reader.
Abstract: SHE PHENOMENOLOGICAL THEORY of art lays full stress on the idea that, in considering a literary work, one must take into account not only the actual text but also, and in equal measure, the actions involved in responding to that text Thus Roman Ingarden confronts the structure of the literary text with the ways in which it can be konkretisiert (realized)' The text as such offers different "schematised views"' through which the subject matter of the work can come to light, but the actual bringing to light is an action of Konkretisation If this is so, then the literary work has two poles, which we might call the artistic and the aesthetic: the artistic refers to the text created by the author, and the aesthetic to the realization accomplished by the reader From this polarity it follows that the literary work cannot be completely identical with the text, or with the realization of the text, but in fact must lie halfway between the two The work is more than the text, for the text only takes on life when it is realized, and furthermore the realization is by no means independent of the individual disposition of the reader-though this in turn is acted upon by the different patterns of the text The convergence of text and reader brings the literary work into existence, and this convergence can never be precisely pinpointed, but must always remain virtual, as it is not to be identified either with the reality of the text or with the individual disposition of the reader
693 citations
42 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, le lecteur greco-romain pouvait discerner les rapports de sens entre ces pericopes de structure semblable.
Abstract: L'A. montre que le proces de Jesus devant le Sanhedrin (Marc 14 : 53-65) offre une ressemblance structurale avec quatre autres pericopes marciennes (7 : 31-37| 8 : 22-26| 8 : 27-33 et 15 : 1-5). Ces ressemblances ont ete consciemment voulues par Marc, a l'intention de ses lecteurs, formes, a l'ecole, a la lecture a voix haute, lecture soigneusement preparee a l'avance, voire apres memorisation du texte entier. Ainsi, le lecteur greco-romain pouvait discerner les rapports de sens entre ces pericopes de structure semblable
6 citations
[...]
TL;DR: The New Testament and other world religions: as mentioned in this paper distinguish between what the original author is likely to have thought on the subject of "other religions" and what his readers are likely to understand from these same texts, when they are read in the context of the present ecumenical dialogue between Christianity and the other worlds religions.
Abstract: Background: The New Testament and 'Other Religions'. -In our study of biblical texts, we must distinguish between what the original author is likely to have thought on the subject of 'other religions' -and what his readers are likely to have understood -and what the modern interpreter may infer from these same texts, when they are read in the context of the present ecumenical dialogue between Christianity and the other world religions.
3 citations
TL;DR: The New Testament has been the subject of such intense scrutiny for so many centuries as discussed by the authors, which has led to the question "Can we hope for a contribution truly new, in the sense not merely of providing new insights on particular points of exegesis but of setting new directions which may have an influence beyond the discipline of NT studies?" This question has been raised frequently in the last two decades of our century.
Abstract: Every once in a while, when I happen to mention that I am a student of the New Testament, I am asked how it is possible to say anything new about a book that has been the subject of such intense scrutiny for so many centuries. Considering the yearly volume of scholarly writing in the NT field, such a question might seem naive, and yet it has led me to ask myself about the future of NT studies during the last two decades of our century. Will it be mainly \"more of the same,\" or can we hope for a contribution truly new, in the sense not merely of providing new insights on particular points of exegesis but of setting new directions which may have an influence beyond the discipline of NT studies? Of course, one's hopes and expectations are necessarily affected by one's own particular interest. The NT can be studied for a number of reasons. It can be studied to advance our knowledge of the Greek language during the Greco-Roman period. It can be studied to cast light on the origins of Christianity. Although NT books were not written primarily to document the history of the early Church, methods have been devised for extracting from them precious information on the life, beliefs, and practices of the communities for which these books were written. But my personal interest in the NT is not primarily that of a philologist or of a historian. During the ten years that I have taught the NT, I have also exercised a preaching ministry, and I have had personal experience, in a number of quite different congregations, of the power and efficacy of biblical preaching. And so, while I am fully aware of the importance of philology and history for the responsible use of Scripture, my primary concern is for the religious use of religious texts, and it is this concern which colors both my perception of the accomplishments of NT studies to date and my hopes for the years to come. Thirty-six years have passed since the appearance of the document which has been called the Magna Charta of the Catholic scriptural movement. During these years biblical studies have become established as an autonomous branch of theology, with its own methodology and its own questions. Gone are the days when the role of the biblical scholar in
2 citations