human being a great and mighty event can take place that can be called the rebirth of the higher ego” (ibid., 9). “Then, when the human principle had reached its height in Jesus of Nazareth, his human body having become an expression of his spirit, he was ripe to receive within Himself the Christ at the Baptism of John” (ibid., 18).
83. Tro i tiden, 18–19; Thelle, Buddha og Kristus, 142–52.
84. Tro i tiden, 17.
85. Tro i lære, 25. This is a free translation from the Danish text: “Kristus-forankring gør det muligt at være rummelig.”
86. Ibid., 25.*
87. See also the paragraph “In the Master’s Light” in chapter 7 of this book.
88. Madsen, “Theology in Dialogue,” 267.
89. Ibid., 269.
90. Månsus, Vägen hem och resan vidare, 108–14.
91. Ibid., 255–56.
92. Ibid., 111.
93. Ibid., 113.
94. Cahill, “The Johannine Logos as Center,” 65.
95. According to Dupuis (Toward a Christian Theology, 328) there are several manifestations of the Word in history. But not all of them have the same significance. Incarnation, as compared to enlightenment, has a historical density of its own. In other words, there is a clear distinction between the Word’s “incarnation” in Jesus Christ and the “enlightenment” by the divine Logos of other saving figures.
96. Dunn, Christology in the Making, 243.
97. Note also Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4. See chapter 5 in this book.
4
Rebirth
Historical perspectives
The pattern which is recognizable in the Prologue—a movement from the universal to the specifically Christian—reappears in a number of other episodes throughout the Gospel.98 An obvious example is the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus (3:1–21). The figure of Nicodemus can be interpreted in two ways: On the one hand he symbolizes “man as he is”; cf. the use of “man” (Greek: anthrōpos) in v. 1. On the other hand he is a communal symbolic figure representing those Jews who have some sympathy for Jesus but who nevertheless hesitate to join him.99
The Figure of Nicodemus
a. Nicodemus—a symbol of “man as he is.” The first of these interpretations puts the emphasis on the existential and individual aspect. Nicodemus is described as the thoughtful seeker of truth. He symbolizes “man as he is,” in need of an entirely new origin for his salvation and yet unable to see the possibility of it.100 In this view, Nicodemus’ need, and the transformation that is offered to him, is essentially an inner and individual one.
Two things are characteristic for religious seekers. First, they are living “at night,” a term that has a double meaning. It has a literal aspect denoting the fearfulness and insecurity of Nicodemus, and it has a symbolic aspect denoting his lack of understanding. The discourse in John 3 is held together by an inclusion, beginning with Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night and ending on the theme that people have to leave the darkness and come into the light (vv. 19–21)—probably a reference to 1:5. The note that Nicodemus comes “at night” is repeated in 19:39. This suggests that he does not walk in the light.
Second, a religious seeker will often be content with a “teacher.” In v. 2 Nicodemus addresses Jesus as follows: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God.” A teacher is a person who helps us to a better understanding of our existence and guides us to the way we should follow.
b. Nicodemus as representing a group. Recent studies have opened up the possibility of seeing in Nicodemus something more than just “man as he is.” Various aspects of the text support the interpretation that he occupies the role of a communal symbolic figure. First, Nicodemus speaks to Jesus in the plural, and Jesus likewise addresses him in the plural, e.g., “We know . . .” (3:2), “You people must be born again . . .” (3:7; NRSV: “You must . . .”). In vv.11–12 there is an abrupt switching from the dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus to the writer/reader relationship. Here it is even more evident that the Johannine community is speaking to its opponents, e.g., “We speak of what we know and testify to what we have sent and you do not receive our testimony” (3:11).
Second, most scholars agree that Nicodemus also stands for a specific group, though they disagree on its character. Nicodemus is known from two other scenes: 7:45–52 and 19:38–42. But there are contradictory signals in John’s description. Some interpreters emphasize his characterization as one who comes to Jesus “at night” (3:2 and 19:39). “Nicodemus appears as a man of inadequate faith and inadequate courage, and as such represents a group that the author wishes to characterize in this way.”101
Others think that Nicodemus develops as a character. When he first meets Jesus he is afraid and does not understand at all (3:11), but later we see him speaking up indirectly for Jesus to the Pharisees (7:50). His final appearance might be seen as an illustration of the words of Jesus in 12:33–34: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself . . .” Nicodemus comes forward publicly after the crucifixion to bury Jesus (19:39). He is linked to Joseph of Arimathea, who has been a secret disciple of Jesus “for fear of the Jews,” but who in asking for the body of Jesus, is now making his faith public, 19:38.102
Whether or not Nicodemus represents the “secret Christian Jews” or the “Crypto-Christians,” there is little doubt that we are dealing here with a borderline group. And it is interesting to notice that the stories in John 2:14—4:42 are all about just such socially important groups in the Johannine community: first the unbelieving Jews (2:14–22), then Jews who had some sympathy for Jesus or “secret Christian Jews” (2:23—3:21), then followers of John the Baptist (3:22–26) and finally the Samaritans (4:1–42).
The Dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus
The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus illustrates the interplay between the human religious quest and the response of the Gospel. The dialogue focuses on the meaning of “begetting” from on high, as can be seen from the context. Here we must look at the structure of 3:1–21, which may be divided in two parts.
In the first part it is argued that begetting from above through the Spirit is necessary for entrance into the Kingdom of God—natural birth is insufficient (vv. 2–8). In vv. 2–3
