This course deals with the Gospel of John and the critical themes that form its architectural structure. This course will closely examine the biblical text with special reference to the original Greek. We will identify those themes that are central to the Johannine proclamation of the Gospel and identify and examine the specifics of John’s anthropology and how it affects his understanding of soteriology, ecclesiology, and pneumatology. We will examine the various exegetical approaches that have evolved, including those from the Patristic, medieval, and modern periods. Critical to this study is the examination of John’s use of specific words (faith, light, sent, believe, life, glory, etc.) and his use of parallelisms and chiastic structures. This course will investigate the critical theological themes in John, particularly the role of the Spirit, the relationship of the Son to the Father, the realism of the Eucharistic discourse, the pneumatic and Mariological dimensions of ecclesiology, and the underlying sacramental nature of reality. All of these elements become critical components in the anthropological vision that John presents, which will be unpacked.
Selected Texts
Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John.
Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John.
Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John.
C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel.
Peter F. Ellis, The Genius of John.
Faculty
Joseph C. Atkinson
Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture
S.T.L. and S.T.D. Program Advisor
Registrar
Dr. Atkinson’s work has included foundational research in developing the biblical and theological foundation of the family. He is a primary authority on the concept of the Domestic Church, which explores the ecclesial structure and meaning of the family. He teaches on the biblical structure and meaning of marriage and the family, on the Jewish background of the family, and on the nature and role of covenant.
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