The first letter of John is commonly understood to contain no reference to Jesus's resurrection. Matthew D. Jensen argues that, far from this being absent from the theology of 1 John, the opening verses contain a key reference to the resurrection which undergirds the rest of the text and is bolstered by other explicit references to the resurrection. The book goes on to suggest that the author and the readers of this epistle understand themselves to be the authentic Israel from which faithless Jews had apostatized when they denied that Jesus was 'the Christ' and left the community. Jensen's interpretation calls for a new understanding of the historical context in which 1 John was written, particularly the question of Jesus' identity from the perspective of his fellow Jews. An innovative and provocative study, of interest to scholars and advanced students of New Testament studies, Johannine theology and Jewish history.
• Argues that, contrary to widespread interpretations, Jesus's resurrection is referred to in 1 John • Demonstrates how 1 John fits comfortably alongside other New Testament documents • Offers the new interpretation that 1 John was written for a Jewish audience who were being told that Jesus was not the Christ
Contents
Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. A Reading Method: 1. Methods of reading 1 John 11; 2. Circles and tangents: a reading strategy; Part II. A Reading of 1 John: 3. The resurrected incarnate Christ: 1 John 1:1–5; 4. The claimants: 1 John 1:6–2:11; 5. The historical situation: 1 John 2:15–2:27; 6. The audience: 1 John 2:28–3:24; 7. The confession: 1 John 4:1–6; 8. The resurrection of the crucified Jesus: 1 John 4:7–5:21; Conclusion; Appendix: the structure of 1 John.
Printer friendly version