Claiming Ignorance and Intimidating Witnesses: Reading John 9 in Greco-Roman Forensic Context
The interrogation of the man born blind in John 9 is a well-crafted scene that nonetheless presents several difficulties: the nature of the body interrogating him, whether official or unofficial, investigating or judging; the question of the apparent anachronism of an agreement to expel from the syn...
| Published in: | The catholic biblical quarterly |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Catholic Biblical Association of America
[2018]
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| In: |
The catholic biblical quarterly
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bibel. Johannesevangelium 9
/ Antike
/ Prozess
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| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament TB Antiquity XA Law |
| Further subjects: | B
Bible. John
B FORENSIC sciences B Gospel of John B synagogue expulsion B Synagogues B lawsuit motif B Jesus Christ B Knowledge B Questioning in the Bible |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The interrogation of the man born blind in John 9 is a well-crafted scene that nonetheless presents several difficulties: the nature of the body interrogating him, whether official or unofficial, investigating or judging; the question of the apparent anachronism of an agreement to expel from the synagogue anyone who confesses Jesus to be the Christ (9:22); and the density of cognitive assertions that, unlike the rest of the Gospel where variatio is common, consistently use only one verb (οἶδα). Reading John in light of contemporary trial records and literature may heighten our understanding of the nature of the scene. Since the declarative use of (οὐκ) οἶδα is a rhetorical trope used either to assert testimony or to avoid it altogether, John 9 can be read as a pre-trial hearing to assess the potential testimony of the blind man. The expulsion agreement, even in the story’s context (late 20s c.e.) and for any in John’s audience who had not experienced conflict with synagogues, may be read as an intimidation tactic to silence potential witnesses for the defense. |
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| ISSN: | 2163-2529 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The catholic biblical quarterly
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/cbq.2018.0093 |