Original scientific paper
From the structure to the theology of prologue – chiasmus and the identity of God's children in John 1:1-18
Ivica Čatić
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, The Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek, Đakovo, Croatia
Abstract
Starting from the assumption that the structure and the theology of a biblical text are interdependent, this article raises the problem of structure and theology in the Prologue of John’s Gospel. Despite extensive speculation about the structure, there has been no theological interpretation based on the structure of the text. After outlining the main theories regarding the structure, the author
explores the chiastic structure of the Prologue proposed by R. Alan Culpepper in his article “The Pivot of John’s Prologue”, New Testament Studies 27 (1980), 1-31. After a methodological discussion of different proposals concerning criteria that indicate the presence of chiastic phraseology in the biblical text, the author briefly analyses the principles of Culpepper’s interpretation. The author then endeavors to use these principles to interpret the Prologue as a text that has a chiastic structure. First of all, he confronts a central element of chiasm (H – 1:12b) with the final elements (A, 1:1-2 – A’, 1:18). Then the author takes two by two elements, moving from the middle element (G – G’, F – F’ etc.), and puts these in relation to the core claim of chiasm (John 1:12b). Despite methodological uncertainties and difficulties, this research has shown that it is possible to build a theology of the Prologue based on its chiastic structure and focused – in concordance with the central element of chiasm – on the theme of God’s children (John 1:12b).
Keywords
Bible; New Testament; John’s Gospel; Prologue; chiasm; divine sonship
Hrčak ID:
272273
URI
Publication date:
22.2.2011.
Visits: 406 *