NEW STUDIES IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY 24
Series editor: D. A. Carson
Father, Son and Spirit
THE TRINITY AND JOHN’S GOSPEL
Andreas J. Köstenberger
and
Scott R. Swain
Apollos
InterVarsity Press
DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS 60515
APOLLOS (an imprint of Inter-Varsity Press),
Norton Street, Nottingham NG7 3HR, England
Email: ivp@ivpbooks.com
Website: www.ivpbooks.com
INTERVARSITY PRESS
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515, USA
Website: www.ivpress.com
Email: mail@ivpress.com
© Andreas J. Köstenberger and Scott R. Swain 2008
Andreas J. Köstenberger and Scott R. Swain have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Authors of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or the Copyright Licensing Agency.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. First published in Great Britain in 1979. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton, a division of Hodder Headline Ltd. All rights reserved. ‘niv’ is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.
First published 2008
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
UK ISBN: 978-1-84474-253-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
These data have been requested.
US ISBN: 978-0-8308-2625-4
To the triune God
Revealed in the Scriptures
Believed on in the church
Father, Son and Spirit
Whom we serve with gratitude and gladness
May this volume be
‘to the praise of his glory’
Introduction: John’s Gospel and the church’s doctrine of the Trinity
The approach of the present study
1 John’s Gospel and Jewish monotheism
John’s portrayal of Jesus and Jewish monotheism
The background of John’s portrayal of Jesus’ pre-existence
Christ-devotion and exclusivist Jewish monotheism
Implications for John’s Gospel
6 Father, Son and Spirit in John’s Gospel
PART 3: THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
7 Christology in John’s trinitarian perspective: Jesus’ filial identity
The prologue: John’s initial characterization of Jesus as the Son
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About Father, Son and Spirit: The Trinity and John’s GospelFrom the patristic period until today, John’s Gospel has served as a major source for the church’s knowledge, doctrine, and worship of the triune God. Among all New Testament documents, the Fourth Gospel provides not only the most raw material for the doctrine of the Trinity, but also the most highly developed patterns of reflection on this material—particularly patterns that seek to account in some way for the distinct personhood and divinity of Father, Son, and Spirit without compromising the unity of God. Köstenberger and Swain offer a fresh examination of John’s trinitarian vision. While there have been recent, fine studies on aspects of John’s doctrine of God, it is surprising that none summarizes and synthesizes what John has to say about God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In order to fill this gap, they bridge that divide. They situate John’s trinitarian teaching within the context of Second Temple Jewish monotheism. They examine the Gospel narrative in order to trace the characterization of God as Father, Son, and Spirit, followed by a brief synthesis. They deal more fully with major trinitarian themes in the Fourth Gospel, including its account of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and mission. They discuss the significance of John’s Gospel for the church’s doctrine of the Trinity. They conclude with a brief summary of some practical implications. |
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