The Gospel of John and the Religious Quest. Johannes Nissen

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The Gospel of John and the Religious Quest - Johannes Nissen

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work of theology can be compared to an ellipse with two foci: the existential question, and the Christian answer. For we have a double starting point: on the one hand an analysis of our present condition, on the other the statement of the biblical text. This question-answer correlation may of course result in a simplification, as there is a latent risk we will try to find opportune answers to our questions. Instead the relationship between the text and the interpreter should be seen as a mutual challenge. Sandra Schneiders notes that “for the dialogue between text and reader to be genuine, the text must maintain its identity, its ‘strangeness’, which both gifts and challenges the reader. It must be allowed to say what it says, regardless of whether this is comfortable or assimilable to the reader.”22

      The Gospel of John provides several examples of this interaction between question and answer, such as the concrete dialogues in John 3:1–21 and John 4:1–42; it is also illustrated by the use of the “I am” statements and the basic symbols, as we shall see in chapter 6 of this book.

      The Five Languages of Religion

      Experience and Theological Reflection

      In his description of experience Lönnebo highlights individual experience and mysticism. By contrast I wish to underline collective experience, as well as point out the interaction between practice and theory. This interaction is seen in many New Testament texts, two of which deserve our attention.

      The first is the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13–35), which has three phases: (a) The experience of the disciples saddened at the events of Passover week. (b) The emergence of a stranger who shares his reflection on biblical texts with the disciples, and (c) The turning-point of reflection into the new practice of fellowship at the Eucharistic meal. It is essential that this experience be shared with others, and so the disciples return to Jerusalem and from this city the Christian mission takes its start (Luke 24:44–47).

      Reading the Emmaus story we learn that understanding the Bible is more than just an intellectual exercise. Gesture and action have a similar importance, with the real change occurring at the breaking of the bread. Here Jesus discloses his identity, the eyes of the disciples are opened, and they recognize him. There is a problem, however, when it comes to transmittance and communication; it has to do with the relation between the experiences of the first communities and what is experienced in later generations. We cannot just repeat the first followers’ experience of faith. This problem is reflected already in the New Testament, and it brings us to the second text.

      The passage of 1 John 1:1–4 has four aspects that are expressed in various ways. The first aspect is the experience of the disciples: “what we have heard,” “what we have seen with our eyes”; “what we have looked at and touched with our hands.” The second aspect is the Christ event: “what was from the beginning”; “the word of life”; “the eternal life.” The third aspect is the communication: “we have seen it and testify to it”; “and declare to you.” And finally the fourth aspect which is the goal: “so that you also may have fellowship with us”; “and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

      This introduction to the First Epistle of John gives expression to the foundation of all Christianity, namely the concrete experience of Jesus, the Word that was incarnated. It is a new experience of what life is. At the same time the text poses a specific problem of the relationship between such alien experiences and our own. The experiences of Jesus in the flesh came at a specific time and cannot be repeated. But they can be proclaimed for another group of people who in their specific situation can enjoy fellowship with Christ and other Christians. Here we see how the text must be transmitted in a double sense. It has to be a bridge over the distance in time, and it has to create a new fellowship.

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