Creation Imagery In The Gospel Of John

Sosa Siliezar investigates the presence and significance of creation imagery in the Gospel of John. He argues that John has intentionally included only a limited (albeit significant) number of instances of creation imagery and that he has positioned them carefully to highlight their significance. Sosa Siliezar contends that the instances of creation imagery used in varying contexts function collectively in a threefold way that is consonant with John's overall argument. First, John uses them to portray Jesus in close relationship with his Father, existing apart from and prior to the created order. Second, John uses creation imagery to assert the primal and universal significance of Jesus and the message about him, and to privilege him over other important figures in the story of Israel. Third, John uses creation imagery to link past reality with present and future reality, portraying Jesus as the agent of creation whom the reader should regard as the primal agent of revelation and salvation. The book concludes by underscoring how these findings inform our understanding of John's Christology and Johannine dualism.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Apostle John deliberately arranges his gospel to reflect the Creation sequence of Genesis. John portrays the character and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth in a sequence of six discrete elements, each blossoming into the spiritual manifestation of its physical counterpart in the natural creation We address three questions: - Does John's Gospel really reflect the Creation pattern? - If so, what do we gain from seeing Jesus this way? - How does this pattern assist someone's discipleship?

This book gathers together a selection of essays and articles by the author that have as their main focus the Gospel of John. They explore the symbolism of the text and the way it communicates key Johannine themes, using a narrative critical approach, with attention to the theology emerging from the literary structures. The contents employ but also seek to move beyond critical methodology to a perspective that takes seriously feminist studies, as well as Eastern Orthodox theological emphasis on the integrity of creation.

Was Mary Magdalene really mistaken when she took the Risen Lord to be a 'gardener' working near the tomb where Christ was laid after the crucifixion? In this compelling volume, Anthony M. Moore persuasively argues that Jesus must be recognised, at atheological level, as the Gardener: the Creator-God Himself. The author skilfully examines the strong evidence available to the reader that the narrative material of the Book of Signs (John 2-12), together with the 'High Priestly Prayer' of John 17, is deliberately infused with the fundamental theme of creation. The first sentence of the Gospel, 'in the beginning', meaningfully echoes the start of Genesis, and sets the tone for what is to come. 'Creation indicators', or leitmotifs, which link the signs narratives in the Fourth Gospel to the sequence of the days of creation, are unpicked in this volume in a careful survey of the placement of particular nouns and verbs within the narratives and how often they occur. Upon these foundations, the author builds his strikingly original thesis: that each miraculous 'sign' of John 2-12 corresponds to a day of creation, and that, subtly but unmistakably, John intends to reveal Jesus as the Creator in all His glory. A book that offers a novel and enlightening way of reading John's Gospel, 'Signs of Salvation' will interest any reader seeking a deeper understanding of a fundamental truth about Christ's nature: He is the God of creation, at one with and participating in the creative work of the Father.

What kind of book is the Bible? Is it a rulebook or a guidebook for moral living? Is it a history book or a book filled with fascinating (and sometimes fantastic) stories? Did humans write the Bible or did God somehow speak a perfect message that the authors transcribed? Many people have asked these questions about the nature of this beautiful, odd, comforting, disturbing book the church calls its “Holy Scripture.” Charlotte Vaughan Coyle shares her own journey to make sense of the Bible in this read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year project. She discovered that the crucial work of asking hard questions and even arguing with the Bible revealed the Scriptures to be a symphony of polyphonic voices, a work of art that paints an alternative vision of reality, a complex novel-like story unavoidably embedded in its own culture and time, and yet able to give witness to the God beyond history who has acted (and continues to act) within history. With the heart of a pastor and the passion of a preacher, Rev. Coyle invites seekers and students (both churched and un-churched) to strap on their scuba gear and join her for a deeper dive beneath the surface of this immense, colorful, mysterious world of the Bible.

The essays in this volume, which span four decades, represent sustained reflection on the historical setting, narrative devices, and theology of the Gospel of John. Methodologically, the essays develop a narrative-critical approach to the Gospel, producing insights that have implications for historical and theological issues. Thematically, many of the essays explore the Gospel's ecclesiology, especilly its vision for the church and its mission. As a collection, this volume provides an introduction to the Fourth Gospel, analyses of major issues (including John's anti-Judaism, relationship to 1 John, irony, imagery, creation ethics, evil, and eschatology), and in-depth exploration of key texts, especially John 1:1-18, 2:20; 4:35-38; 5:1-18; 5:21-30; 10:1-18; 12:12-15; 13:1-20; 19:16-30; 20:19-23; and chapter 21.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

The T&T Clark Handbook of the Doctrine of Creation provides an expansive range of resources introducing the doctrine of creation as understood in Christian traditions. It offers an examination of: how the Bible and various Christian traditions have imagined creation; how the doctrine of creation informs and is informed by various dogmatic commitments; and how the doctrine of creation relates to a range of human concerns and activities. The Handbook represents a celebration of, fascination with, bewilderment at, lament about, and hope for all that is, and serves as a scholarly, innovative, and constructive reference for those interested in attending to what Christian belief has to contribute to thinking about and living with the mysterious existence named 'creation'.