Rethinking the Ethics of John

“Implicit Ethics” in the Johannine Writings. Kontexte und

Normen neutestamentlicher Ethik / Contexts and Norms of New
Testament Ethics. Volume III
Ed. by Jan G. van der Watt and Ruben Zimmermann

[Die Ethik des Johannes – neu bedacht. Die “implizite Ethik” in johanneischen Schriften.]

Published in English.
Ethics is a neglected eld of research in the Gospel and Letters of John. Judgments about even
the presence of ethics in the Gospel are often negative, and even though ethics is regarded as
one of the two major problem areas focused on in 1 John, the development of a Johannine
ethics from the Letters receive relatively little attention. This book aims at making a positive
contribution and even to stimulating the debate on the presence of ethical material in the
Johannine literature through a series of essays by some leading Johannine scholars. The current
state of research is thoroughly discussed and new developments as well as new possibilities for
further investigation are treated. By utilizing di erent analytical categories and methods (such
as narratology) new areas of research are opened up and new questions are considered.
Therefore, aspects of moral thinking and normative values can be discovered and put together
to the mosaic of an “implicit ethics” in the Johannine Writings. More familiar themes like the law
or deeds in the Gospel are reconsidered in a new light, while the ethical role of the opponents
or the ethical use of Scripture are explored as new avenues for describing the dynamics of
ethics in the Gospel. The ethical nature of the Letters is also considered, focusing not only on
2012. XI, 395 pages. the theological nature of ethics in the Letters, but also on the ethical impact of some rhetorical
WUNT I 291 material in 1 John. The culminative result of these series of essays is to illustrate that the ethical
material in the Gospel is not as absent as was believed by many in the past. The essays not
ISBN 978-3-16-152104-1 only open up a wider spectrum of Johannine ethical material but also invite further exploration
eBook PDF 114,00 € and research in this much neglected area of Johannine studies.
ISBN 978-3-16-151830-0
cloth 114,00 € Survey of contents

Preface
Introduction: Overview of Research
Michael Labahn : “It's Only Love” – Is That All? Limits and Potentials of Johannine “Ethic” – A
Critical Evaluation of Research – Ruben Zimmermann : Is there Ethics in the Gospel of John?
Challenging an outdated consensus

Possible backgrounds for Johannine ethics

Andrew T. Glicksman : Beyond Sophia: The Sapiential Portrayal of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel
and Its Ethical Implications for the Johannine Community – Erik Eynikel : The Qumran
background of Johannine Ethics – Volker Rabens : Johannine Perspectives on Ethical Enabling in
the Context of Stoic and Philonic Ethics

Ethics in the Gospel according to John

William R.G. Loader : The Law and Ethics in John's Gospel – Karl Weyer-Menkho : The
Response of Jesus. Ethics in John by considering Scripture as Work of God – Jan G. van der
Watt : Ethics of/and the opponents of Jesus in John's Gospel – Christos Karakolis : Semeia
Conveying Ethics in the Gospel according to John – Mira Stare : Ethics of life in the Gospel of
John – Hermut Löhr : Ἔργον as an Element of Moral Language in John – Chrys C. Caragounis :
“Abide in me”. The New Mode of Relationship Between Jesus and His Followers as a Basis for
Christian Ethics (John 15) – Glen Lund : The Joys and Dangers of Ethics in John's Gospel – Paul
N. Anderson : Discernment-Oriented Leadership in the Johannine Situation – biding in the Truth

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versus Lesser Alternatives

Ethics in 1 John
Udo Schnelle : Ethical Theology in 1 John – Je rey E. Brickle : Transacting Virtue within a
Disrupted Community: The Negotiation of Ethics in the First Epistle of John – Tom Thatcher :
Cain the Jew the AntiChrist: Collective Memory and the Johannine Ethic of Loving and Hating

Jan G. van der Watt is professor of New Testament Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen,
Netherlands and extra-ordinary professor at the North-West University, South Africa.

Ruben Zimmermann Geboren 1968; 1999 Promotion; 2003 Habilitation; seit 2009 Professor für
Neues Testament an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.

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info@mohr.de
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