Abstract:
This article is an attempt to explore the theme of ‘humanhood’ in the Fourth Gospel. The most
important questions to be posed at the outset are the following: who is the model human
presented in the gospel as per the Johannine community standards? How can a person acquire
humanhood status according to the Johannine community? The divine and human interaction
in the life and ministry of Jesus dynamically introduces the life ethics and mission aspects of
the Johannine community. According to the Johannine community standards, people can
achieve ‘humanhood’ status exclusively in relation to Jesus. As the community of John
emphasises humanhood in relation to Jesus, a person can overcome all sorts of human-made
boundaries, including the sexual, racial and class-oriented boundaries through the mediation
of Jesus. This further means that the all-inclusive mission of Jesus foregrounds a new criterion
for ‘humanhood’ in the Johannine community context. The article concludes by stating that the
Johannine understanding of humanhood can be considered as a paradigm in the contemporary
global scenario.
CONTRIBUTION : This article contributes to the reader a wider hermeneutical framework and a
new way forward in interpreting the gospel according to John by taking into consideration the
humanhood aspects. As a theological and contextual interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, the
article fits well within the scope of HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies.
Description:
This research is part of the
research project
‘Hermeneutics and Exegesis’,
directed by Prof. Dr Ernest
van Eck, Department of New
Testament Studies and
Related Literature, Faculty of
Theology and Religion,
University of Pretoria.
