Gospel of John Manuscript Evidence

Class 5 THE GOSPEL OF JOHN & THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS Gospel of John Manuscript Evidence There are 1,763 manuscripts of John; 17 of these date to the first 300 years of Christian history John 18:37-38 P52 (poxy) Century Manuscript Extent 100s P52 5 verses in chapter 18 P90 12 verses in chapters 18 19 100s 200s P66 nearly all of chapteres 1 14, + fragments 200s P5 48 verses (chapters 1, 16, 20) P22 17 verses (chapters 15 16) P28 11 verses in chapter 6 P39 8 verses in chapter 8 P45 parts of chapters 4, 5, 10, 11 and Matt, Mk, Lk- Acts P75 parts of Luke 3 18, 22; John 1 15 P95 7 verses in chapter 5 P106 14 verses in chapter 1 P107 3 verses in chapter 17 D. C. Parker, An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008) 323-5. Gospel of John Manuscript Evidence There are 1,763 manuscripts of John; 17 of these date to the first 300 years of Christian history John 18:37-38 P52 (poxy) Century Manuscript Extent 200s P108 7 verses in chapters 17 18 P109 6 verses in chapter 21 300s P6 24 verses in chapters 10 11 01 all 03 all D. C. Parker, An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008) 323-5. 1

Outline The Gospel of John ú Comparison of John and Synoptics ú Narrative critical probes Apocrypha & Canon: Definitions Gnostic Gospels & Gnosticism ú The great discoveries: Oxyrhynchus & Nag Hammadi ú Gospel of Thomas ú Gnostic Thought: Origins, Comparison to Orthodox Christianity ú Gospels of Judas, Mary (Magdalen) ú The Gospel of Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code) Comparison of John & Synoptics Brown pp. 364-5 Jesus is conscious of having preexisted with God (John 17:5) the public ministry largely takes place in Jerusalem, not Galilee the kingdom of God motif is largely absent long discourses and dialogues rather than episodic narrative and parables no demonic possessions very few miracles, and those include unique ones (Cana, man born blind, raising of Lazarus) John s passion narrative exhibits only a 15.5% overlap with Mark s passion narrative Comparison of John & Synoptics No shared sources 50 CE Q 60 Mk 70 M? L SQ 80 Matthew Luke 90 John 2

NARRATIVE CRITICAL PROBES Plotting in John Brown s Outline Prologue 1:1-18 The Book of Signs 1:19 12:50 Changes water to wine at Cana 2:1-11 Heals royal official s son at Cana 4:46-54 Heals lame man 5:1-18 Multiplies loaves 6:1-14 Walks on water 6:16-21 bread of life discourse Restores sight to blind man 9:1-41 Raises Lazarus from dead 11:1-57 The Book of Glory 13:1 20:31 Epilogue 21:1-25 John s Prologue An overview of the gospel s unique themes 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 3

John s Prologue An overview of the gospel s unique themes 1:6-9 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. creation/birth Word life and light world in darkness testimony John s Prologue An overview of the gospel s unique themes 1:10-13 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. creation/birth Word life and light world in darkness testimony acceptance/ rejection John s Prologue An overview of the gospel s unique themes 1:14-18 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me. ) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father s heart, who has made him known. creation/birth Word life and light world in darkness testimony acceptance/ rejection 4

John s Narrative Tecnhique Layers of symbolism creation/birth Word life and light world in darkness testimony acceptance/ rejection The Book of Signs Sign #1: Water into Wine at Cana ( 22, John 2:1-11) 2:12-25 Temple cleansing: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 3:1-21 Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. Jesus says, No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 3:22-36: Baptist s testimony to Jesus baptizing 4:1-21: Samaritan woman at the well creation/birth marriage/bridegroom water and wine, my hour Word life and light world in darkness testimony acceptance/ rejection The Book of Glory The Crucifixion ( 344, 347, 349, John 19:25b- 35) and its connection to the sign at Cana 19:26-30 Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, Woman, here is your son. Then he said to the disciple, Here is your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, It is finished. Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. creation/birth marriage/bridegroom water and wine, my hour Word life and light world in darkness testimony acceptance/ rejection 5

The Book of Glory The Crucifixion ( 344, 347, 349, John 19:25b- 35) and its connection to the sign at Cana 19:31-35 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) creation/birth marriage/bridegroom water and wine, my hour Word life and light world in darkness testimony acceptance/ rejection APOCRYPHA & CANON Apocryphal Texts Some Definitions Apocrypha Literally hidden in Greek, it refers to books judged at some point in time to be on the fringes of the canon. Old Testament New Testament One group s apocrypha may be another group s biblical book(s) Septuagint The Greek translation of the Hebrew/ Aramaic scriptures (200 BCE), it includes 7+ books that became apocryphal for Jews and later for Protestants, who followed the Jewish canon; these books are part of Catholic Bibles. 6

Apocryphal Texts Some Examples Canonical NT Gospels Epistles or letters Acts of apostles Apocalypses Examples of Apocryphal Works Egerton Papyrus, Gospel of Peter, Infancy Gospel of of James, Infancy Gospel of Thomas Epistles of Barnabas, Clement, Ignatius Acts of Paul and Thecla, Acts of Andrew, Acts of Peter Apocalypse of Peter, Apocalypse of Paul The Definition of the Canon Definition Time- Frame Criteria a Greek word for a tool of measurement; in scripture studies a list or catalogue of books that measure up to the standards of the church as authoritative texts 4- gospel limit in some communities by 180 CE; earliest canon that matches our NT s is in 367 CE (Athanasius Easter Letter) apostolic, or traceable to one of the apostles in traditional use, or in use from an early period in many churches catholic, or universal in appeal orthodox, or in conformity with emerging mainstream teaching GNOSTIC GOSPELS & GNOSTICISM 7

The Great Discoveries Oxyrhynchus 1895 1930 50,000+ fragmentary Greek mss, some of them Christian Nag Hammadi 1945 13 books with 52 separate tractates 4 th century copies of earlier gnostic works Oxyrhynchus Grenfell Hunt Nag Hammadi Muhammad Ali Samman, who discovered the codices 8

Nag Hammadi Coptic Museum, Cairo The end of the Apocryphon of John and the beginning of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Thomas Manuscript Evidence This gospel survives in 4 witnesses poxy 1 v 3 Greek fragments from separate mss found at Oxyrhynchus (100 200s CE) poxy 654 poxy 655 v A Coptic translation found complete in Codex II from the Nag Hammadi corpus (+ XIII 2; 400 CE) NH II 2-3 9

Gospel of Thomas Date Genre Gospel comparison Content Mid- 100s CE, Syria, though some sayings may go back to the first century Sayings gospel, like Q; almost no narrative material Some sayings are very similar to Q, but there are also unusual sayings Jesus reveals the secret of the disciples origin; the world and human body are viewed negatively; the kingdom is the divine self of the disciple Gospel of Thomas Logion 56 Jesus said, Whoever has come to know the world has discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered a carcass, of that person the world is not worthy. Gospel of Thomas Logion 114 Simon Peter said to them, Make Mary leave us, for females don t deserve life. Jesus said, Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the domain of heaven. 10

A Problem that Gnosticism Addresses How do you account for the presence of evil in the world? Three basic answers Animosity between the gods at creation and ongoing (Mesopotamian mythology) Two Gods one good, one evil (Zoroastrian dualism) One Supreme God with a lesser demiurge who creates this world (Platonic system) A Problem that Gnosticism Addresses How do you account for the presence of evil in the world? Basic Platonic Idea Gnostic Adaptation Orthodox Adaptation Supreme God Demiurge a lesser god who creates this world this world is but a shadow of what is in the mind of the supreme God For gnostics, creation occurs without the permission of the Supreme God (demiurge = OT God) So God does a workaround, implanting humans with a spirit / soul / spark of gnosis (= knowledge of their true nature) Salvation = return to true root; return of spark to light For orthodox Christians, the demiurge is Christ While lesser than the Father, he is of the same nature, so evil does not derive from him Nor is the world God creates evil. It is rather created through the Word/Logos (the demiurge) of God and its darkness is redeemed by him Gospel of Judas Manuscript Evidence The gospel was denounced by Irenaeus of Lyons in 180 CE, and by later heresiologists But we had no actual manuscript of it until a 3 rd - 4 th century ms came to light in 1983 in Geneva. It was published in 2006 as part of a National Geographic special. The work is part of Codex Tcachos, which preserves 3 other works (First Apocalypse of James, Letter of Peter to Philip, and a fragment of the Book of Allogenes unlike the NH tractate of the same name). It most likely was discovered in Egypt. 11

Gospel of Judas Date Genre 130 170 CE Revelatory dialogue / secret instruction Gospel comparison Revelation before arrest through betrayal Content Judas alone recognizes that Jesus is the son of the Supreme God (not the demiurge); Jesus in turn reveals to him the divine and its emanations into this world; Judas frees Jesus from the man who bears [him] Gospel of Judas 34.12 35.6 [The disciples] said, Master, you are the son of our god. Jesus said to them, How is it that you know me? [I] tell you the truth, no generation will know me among the people who are with you. When his disciples heard this, [they] began getting angry and hostile and blaspheming against him in their minds. Jesus recognized that they did not [understand, and he said] to them, Why has your concern produced this hostility? Your god who is within you and [his powers] have become angry within your souls. [Let] any of you who is a [strong enough] person bring forward the perfect human being and stand before my face. They all said, We are strong. Gospel of Judas 35.6-21 But none of their spirits dared to stand before [him], except Judas Iscariot. He was able to stand before him, yet he could not look him in the eye, but he turned his face away. Judas [said] to him, I know who you are and from what place you have come. You have come from the immortal realm of Barbelo, and I am not worthy to pronounce the name of the one who has sent you. Supreme God Demiurge a lesser god who creates this world Humans have the divine in them. Those who know it worship Barbelo; those who don t worship the demiurge 12

Gospel of Judas 39.18 40.26 [The other disciples have a vision of the Jerusalem temple, which Jesus interprets as an allegory of the orthodox church] You are the ones presenting the offerings at the altar you have seen. That is the god you serve.and the cattle brought in are the offerings you have seen they are the multitude you lead astray before that altar. [The ruler of this world] will stand and use my name in this manner, and generations of pious people will cling to him. After him another [man will] come from the child- killers, and another from those who have sex with men, and those who abstain, and the rest of those who are impure and lawless and prone to error, as well as those who say, We are like angels ; they are the stars that bring everything to its end.on the last day they will be put to shame. Supreme God Demiurge a lesser god who creates this world Humans have the divine in them. Those who know it worship Barbelo; those who don t worship the demiurge Gospel of Judas 56.18 57.23 [Jesus final revelation to Judas before Judas turns him in] You will exceed all of [the disciples]. For you will sacrifice the man who bears me. Already your horn has been lifted up, and your anger has flared up, and your star has burned brightly, and your heart has [grown strong]. Look, you have been informed of everything. Lift up your eyes and behold the cloud and the light that is within it and the stars that are circling it. And the star that leads the way is your star. Judas lifted up his eyes and beheld the cloud of light, and he entered it. Supreme God Demiurge a lesser god who creates this world Humans have the divine in them. Those who know it worship Barbelo; those who don t worship the demiurge Gospel of Mary Manuscript Evidence This gospel survives in 3 witnesses, none of them found at Nag Hammadi (but all of them from Egypt) v Papyrus No. 463 in the John Rylands collection at the University of Manchester (from Oxyrhynchus; Greek, early 200s CE) v POxy 3525 (Greek, 200s CE) v a Coptic translation at the beginning of the Berlin Papyrus 8502 (a.k.a. the Akhmim Codex, 400s CE) 13

Gospel of Mary Date Genre Gospel comparison Content 100s CE, Egypt (or Syria?) Revelatory dialogue / secret instruction Entirely set after the resurrection; Q & A and commissioning of disciples; but content of conversation is gnostic Post- resurrection dialogues with disciples about the destiny of matter and the nature of sin (which the Savior says does not exist ); Mary then shares the special revelation Gospel of Mary 7.1-9 [The disciples ask] Will matter then be utterly [destroyed] or not? The Savior replied, Every nature, every modeled form, every creature exists in and with each other. They will dissolve again into their own proper root. For the nature of matter is dissolved into what belongs to its nature. Whoever has ears to hear should hear. Gospel of Mary 7.10-20 Then Peter said to him, You have been explaining every topic to us; tell us one other thing. What is the sin of the world? The Savior replied, There is no such thing as sin; rather, you yourselves are what produces sin when you act in accordance with the nature of adultery, which is called sin. For this reason, the Good came among you, pursuing the good that belongs to every nature. It will set it within its root. 14

Gospel of Mary 17.10 19.5 Andrew responded, addressing the brothers and sisters, Say what you will about the things she has said, but I do not believe that the Savior said these things, for indeed these teachings are strange ideas. Peter responded, bringing up similar concerns. He questioned them about the Savior, Did he, then, speak with a woman in private without our knowing about it? Are we to turn around and listen to her? Did he choose her over us? Gospel of Mary 17.10 19.5 Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what are you imagining? Do you think that I have thought up these things by myself in my heart or that I am telling lies about the Savior? Levi answered, speaking to Peter, Peter, you have always been a wrathful person. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. For if the Savior made her worthy, who are you then for your part to reject her? Assuredly the Savior s knowledge is completely reliable. That is why he loved her more than us. Gospel of Mary 17.10 19.5 Rather, we should be ashamed. We should clothe ourselves with the perfect human, acquire it for ourselves as he commanded us, and announce the good news, not laying down any other rule or law that differs from what the Savior said. After [he said these] things, they started going out [to] teach and to preach. 15

Introducing the ATLA Database This database logs bibliographic information for all articles, essays in books, book titles, book reviews, and media that deal with the topic of religion. It is the most comprehensive database our library has, covering thousands of journals and books each year, including New Testament Abstracts. Think of it as Google for religion. Exercise for Next Class Workbook pp. 94-97 Develop a 1- page research proposal. Include the following elements: a 1-3 sentence statement of your topic or question and your chosen method (or at least what you want to find out about your topic / passage) a bibliography of eight titles in the proper style (see Style Sheet) six titles should be the most relevant ones from your NTA and ATLA exercises there should be one book on method there should be one commentary on your gospel they must ALL be professional, not popular 16