Mixed Metaphors: Resolving the "Eschatological Headache" of John 5
Exegetes have long puzzled over the purported clash of eschatologies in John 5:19-30--one framed by an apparent shift between figurative and literal speech in the passage. In this article I argue that the evidence for such a shift--most of it rooted in inconsistencies in the imagery and language of...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2018, Volume: 137, Issue: 3, Pages: 711-732 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Bible. John
B Bible. Gospels B Metaphor B Bible. Johannesevangelium 5 B Eschatology B BIBLICAL teaching on eschatology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Exegetes have long puzzled over the purported clash of eschatologies in John 5:19-30--one framed by an apparent shift between figurative and literal speech in the passage. In this article I argue that the evidence for such a shift--most of it rooted in inconsistencies in the imagery and language of verses 24-25 and 28-29--is weak. Literary-oriented studies of the Fourth Gospel have called attention to the dynamism and fluidity of its imagery. Metaphorical vehicles, once introduced into a given discourse, are often further developed, modified, or altogether reimagined in successive lines--a technique known as "metaphor shifting." I identify this technique as the best explanation for the discrepancies observed between verses 24-25 and 28-29. When the entire passage is read as a continuous stream of shifting and interpenetrating metaphors, it contains no sudden clash of eschatologies and no tensions for the interpreter to resolve. Rather, the passage reads as a coherent and more complete exposition of the gospel's realized eschatology. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.15699/jbl.1373.2018.409291 |