Abstract:
Based on insights from the history of interpretation, a Synoptic comparison, linguistic considerations, and narrative observations, I argue that the unusual expression in John 19:30 indicates primarily that Jesus has completely died on the cross; it does not refer mainly to the gift of the Holy Spirit. For intratextual reasons, the reference to the spirit may also point proleptically to what unfolds in the last two chapters of the Gospel of John, but this should not be seen as the primary meaning of the expression found in John 19:30.
