The “Apocalyptic” Gospel and the Apocalypse of John

Understanding the Fourth Gospel as “apocalyptic” Gospel raises questions about its relationship with the book of Revelation. Even though many ancient and modern interpreters do not think John and Revelation share the same author, they do share numerous similarities in vocabulary, syntax, and theological themes and are considered to be related in some way. The reception history of Johannine authorship indicates that Revelation has often been understood to have been written before the Gospel. The Gospel has also been described as being received through divine revelation. Within Byzantine iconography, these two traditions come together in the depiction of John dictating the Gospel in the cave of revelation on the island of Patmos as he receives it directly from heaven. The priority of Revelation and the divine reception of the Gospel are possible explanations for the Gospel’s apocalyptic mode.

The Content of Revelation in Jewish Apocalypses and John

The content of revelation in Jewish apocalypses is often assumed to concern eschatology, but only three of the seven elements that define the content of “apocalypse” concern eschatological aspects. In addition, Jewish apocalypses do not contain every element; however, all Jewish apocalypses include some expectation of the judgment of the wicked and the salvation or redemption of the righteous, but they do so in different ways and with varying combinations of elements from the prototype apocalypse. The Gospel of John, while not containing the popular understandings of apocalyptic eschatology, demonstrates an interest in the fate of the wicked and the righteous in recognizably similar ways. In addition, John’s focus on protology, persecution of the righteous, and especially the existence of otherworldly regions and beings indicates its similarities with the content of Jewish apocalypses.

The Manner of Revelation in Jewish Apocalypses and John

The manner of revelation in Jewish apocalypses addresses the form or framework of an apocalypse. According to the Semeia 14 definition, apocalypses are “revelatory literature with a narrative framework, in which a revelation is mediated by an otherworldly being to a human recipient.” Examples from Jewish apocalypses indicate the various ways in which this framework may be demonstrated. The Gospel of John reflects the three elements of an apocalypse’s form: medium of revelation, otherworldly mediator, and human recipient. The Gospel depicts the visual and auditory revelation of heavenly things, presents Jesus as an otherworldly being who descends from heaven and mediates the heavenly revelation, and portrays a privileged recipient of the revelation in the disciple whom Jesus loved.

Genre, “Apocalypse,” and the Gospel of John

Comparing the Gospel of John with Jewish apocalypses requires some understanding of what an apocalypse is. This chapter discusses contemporary understandings of what genre is and how it is determined by readers and authors. Recent genre studies have shown that humans categorize things in relation to cognitive prototypes (i.e., how closely something relates to a prototypical example). The Semeia 14 definition of “apocalypse” functions as a prototype definition, especially with its underlying “master-paradigm.” The genre of apocalypse should not be determined only by eschatological content but also by its revelatory form, spatial content, and function. The Gospel of John has been noted to share some similarities with Jewish apocalypses, but the most methodologically sound way of comparing John’s apocalyptic characteristics is to compare the Fourth Gospel with the genre of apocalypse.

Interpreting the “Apocalyptic” Gospel with Jewish Apocalypses

If the Gospel of John is an “apocalyptic” Gospel, the relationship between revelation and the Torah in Jewish apocalypses can aid our understanding of the Law of Moses in the Fourth Gospel. While Jewish apocalypses have distinct perspectives on the Torah, they are dependent upon the Hebrew Bible and were read alongside the Hebrew Bible. The revelation that is disclosed in Jewish apocalypses, whether “new” or not, ultimately derives from the God of Israel. Jewish apocalypses engaged in “revelatory exegesis” in which they sought to understand Israel’s Scriptures in light of their present circumstances. The Gospel of John interprets the Hebrew Bible in light of Jesus’s revelation in a similar manner. John claims the authority of Moses and other heroes of Israel in order to legitimate the revelation Jesus discloses. Further Johannine topics, such as imagery, time, and language, may also be explained in terms of the Gospel’s apocalyptic mode.

John’s Gospel as “Apocalyptic” Gospel

This chapter summarizes the conclusions of the previous two chapters and notes that the Gospel of John contains core elements of the Semeia 14 “master-paradigm” of an apocalypse. Even though the Gospel contains similar elements of form, content, and function, it is not an apocalypse. The manner of revelation (i.e., an otherworldly mediator disclosing heavenly revelation to a human recipient) draws attention to John’s similarity to Jewish apocalypses, but ironically, these form elements contain striking differences. For example, John has visual revelation, yet lacks visions, and John’s otherworldly mediator is also a human, is one with God, and is the content of the revelation. The Gospel has multiple human recipients even though the beloved disciple is the privileged recipient of revelation. Although John does not participate in the genre of apocalypse, it is a gospel that is shaped by the genre of apocalypse. It is a gospel with an apocalyptic mode.

Conclusion

The Gospel of John is similar to Jewish apocalypses because it is revelatory literature with a narrative framework in which an otherworldly mediator discloses heavenly revelation to a human recipient. The Gospel of John is a revelatory narration of Jesus’s life. Modern genre theory’s use of prototypes to assess participation in a genre allows for a methodologically sound way to compare the Gospel to Jewish apocalypses. Although it is similar in numerous ways, the Gospel does not participate in the genre of apocalypse. Instead, it participates in the gospel genre, yet is qualified by the genre of apocalypse. This understanding of the Gospel as “apocalyptic” Gospel aids in the interpretation of John’s presentation of the Law of Moses and may have been influenced more specifically by its relationship with the Apocalypse of John. This apocalyptic mode explains John’s distinctiveness from the Synoptic Gospels and its affinities with Jewish apocalyptic tradition.

Introduction

The Gospel of John has long been recognized as being different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The theme of revelation and the portrayal of Jesus as descending from heaven are some of the more obvious and significant differences from the Synoptic Gospels. The theme of revelation is evident in the Gospel’s language and presentation of Jesus as the Revealer, but John’s revelatory perspective is often assumed. Revelation, which is the disclosure of knowledge by divine or supernatural means, is evident in Jesus’s signs, his teaching, the Gospel’s emphasis on sight, and its language of revealing, seeing, and knowing. The background for this revelatory telling of Jesus’s life may be found, not in Gnosticism as Rudolf Bultmann and others have argued, but in early Judaism. More particularly, the revelation portrayed in Jewish apocalypses offers insight into the Gospel’s central focus on the theme and its depiction of Jesus as the one who makes the Father known.

The Function of Revelation in Jewish Apocalypses and John

Apocalypses function to “interpret present, earthly circumstances in light of the supernatural world and the future” and to “influence” belief and behavior “by means of divine authority.” Numerous scholars consider apocalypses to have been written in situations of crisis, but recent studies on Jewish apocalypses indicate that the specific situations can be quite varied and are not always crises. Resistance to oppression from empire or internal religious conflict may be more relevant for some Jewish apocalypses. The Gospel of John shares this function with apocalypses in the cosmological perspective that it provides on the life of Jesus and its emphasis on belief. Even though John has traditionally been considered to lack an ethical perspective, the Gospel does reflect a concern for behavior. The concluding framework elements of apocalypses are also evident in John’s paraenesis, instructions to the recipient, and the narrative conclusion that centers on the writing down of revelation in books.