SIEG DER PROTOLOGIE ÜBER DIE ESCHATOLOGIE? SCHÖPFUNG IM JOHANNESEVANGELIUM
THE TRIUMPH OF PROTOLOGY OVER ESCHATOLOGY? CREATION IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the concept of creation in the Gospel of John. Starting from the sharp characterization of the Gospel’s Christology as “the victory of protology over eschatology” and the Evangelist’s silence about a new creation of heaven and earth by Ernst Käsemann (chapt. 1), the two explicit statements on creation in the Johannine prologue are examined in their context: both the old hymn’s claim, that all things came into existence and to life by the Logos (John 1,3f.), and the dualistic reception of this by the fourth Evangelist (Joh 1,9f.) (chapt. 2). This is followed by an analysis of the transfer of protological terms (especially “finishing/accomplishing of the work” and “bestowing of life”) into the narrative of life and work, death and resurrection of Jesus, including the Johannine concepts of time and scripture (chapt. 3+4). By means of an exemplary comparison with the hellenistic-Jewish novel “Joseph and Aseneth” the Johannine “hierarchical” concept of creation and vivification is outlined and contextualized (chapt. 5–6).

• Details
• Contents