The Fourth Gospel Analysis

Researching It is more interesting to look for the answers to the two questions about the structure and the literary characterization of the Fourth Gospel.

I. The Structure of the Fourth Gospel: According to Raymond E. Brown and Mark L. Strauss, The Fourth Gospel has a relatively simple: “It begins with a prologue (1:1-18) identifying Jesus as the preexistent “Word” (Logos) – God’s self-revelation – who become a human being to bring grace and truth to humankind. It ends with an epilogue (chap. 21) describing a post-resurrection appearance to the disciples. Jesus’ commissioning of Peter to “feed my sheep,” and the identification of the Beloved Disciple as the author. The main body of the Gospel has two parts, sometimes called the Book of

Strauss, he mentioned the unique content and the unique literary style of the Gospel of John. He said that the Gospel of John is unique among the Gospels. Though written in a simple style and with simple vocabulary like “know, abide, believe, witness, truth, life, light, glory, and the world” carry profound theological truth. John also includes many stories not found in the Synoptics: the miracle of changing water to wine, Jesus’s conversations with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, the raising of Lazarus, Jesus’s washing of the disciple’s feet, Jesus’ high priestly prayer, the account of doubting Thomas, and many others. He also gives a list of many contrasts: light and darkness, truth and falsehood, life and death, above and

Vargas in Word and Witness – an Introduction to the Gospel of John, I am easy to understand because she presents clearly and shortly with simple words about the literary structure of the Gospel of John and the literary stylistic characteristics of the Evangelist. She does not only give us more information from other authors by her researching, but also show us her own view about the Fourth Gospel. According to Niceta, except “a poetic format; misunderstanding; twofold or double meanings; irony; inclusions and transitions; and parentheses or footnotes”, she gives us “some more favorite Johannine literary techniques: repetitions (which may be double or triple) – e.g.,1:1-5; 13:31-35); dramatic dialogue – monologue (14;16); sympolism (1:35-51; 2:1-12; see also the “I am”sayings); spiral thought pattern – see farewell discourses (13-17 on the theme of love, departure, glorification); representative or symbolic figures: e.g., John the witness, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, Peter, the mother of Jesus, Nicodemus, the Samaritan Woman, the man ill for thirty- eight years, the man born blind, Mary and Martha, Judas, the Beloved Disciple, Pilate, Mary Magdalene, and others, and Johannine key words or expression (example: Word – Go and Depart, Light – Believe