Some time in John : tensions between the hour and eternity in John 17

Abstract

This article argues that the references to time in the asides and narrative formulas in the Gospel of John are used by the evangelist to anchor his theological arguments rather than to provide a chronological account of Jesus' ministry. Within the Gospel there are active tensions between the present time and eternity, pre-Easter events and post-Easter reflection, narrative time and chronological sequencing. Since the seventeenth century, questions have been raised on the nature of the Gospel of John due to the references to time, affecting the reading thereof as a history and a unit. Considerations on the study of style in John 17 are used to exemplify the gospel's theological nature and coherent unity.