Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Author(s): H. L. N. JOUBERT
Source: Neotestamentica , 1968, Vol. 2, THE CHRIST OF JOHN: ESSAYS ON THE
CHRISTOLOGY OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL (1968), pp. 57-69
Published by: New Testament Society of Southern Africa
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of
scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
https://about.jstor.org/terms
New Testament Society of Southern Africa is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend
access to Neotestamentica
57
58
59
First must be noted the opening-word 'Kyrie'. Although it is only after His
resurrection that this term is applied to Jesus as
fully equivalent to the OT Yahweh, yet Sevenster seems to be right
in regarding this Kyrios-verse as one of the first in which "men het belijdend
karakter zal herkennen".22 It is, however, when we come to the words "You have
the words of eternal life" (prj^ara
Ccorçç moyvLov exei<s) and "we have believed and have come to know"
(TT£TTi(TTevKa¡xEv Ken eyvùìKOifxev) that the confession of the Messianity
60
61
62
Zahn draws attention to the fact that Jesus accomplishes this task as 'the Servant of
the Lord'. He says, "Jesus bekamm von seinen Gläubigen nicht wegen seiner sittlichen
Reinheit sondern
als der Knecht Gottes das Attribut der Heiligkeit (AG. 27, 30 V'.36 With this title
(ebed Yahweh, Trms 0eov)t Cullmann says, "we come straight to the heart of NT
christology" chiefly because "the main
thought behind it, vicarious representation , is the principle by which the NT
understands the whole course of Heilsgeschichte".37
This principle of representation of the many by the minority is basic in
sanctification: what God exacted from His creation, i.e.
that it should sanctify Him, it failed to do, and so Jesus sanctifies
Himself for the sake ( wn-ep ) of His believers (Jn. 17 : 19). We quote
63
64
As to our second question, whether 'the Holy One of God' can be styled a truly
messianic title, we cannot be as categorical in
65
66
NOTES
67
34 In Isaiah this title occurs 29 times, but is also found in Jeremiah and
the Psalms.
35 Cranfield, op. cit., p. 270.
36 Op. cit., p. 370.
37 Chris tology, p. 51 ff. It is at present common knowledge that this way
of thinking is typically Hebrew. It is of importance to note that 'Son of
Man', explicitly used by Jesus for Himself in the Jn. 6-discourse, has
this same corporate connotation. Both Servant of Yahweh and Son of
Man are 'societary' figures. T. W. Manson, who elaborated this concept
as regards 'Son of Man' (The Teaching of Jesus,2 1935, p. 211-236) says,
"the Son of Man is the lineal descendant of the Servant of Jehovah and
Jesus by being the Son of Man realises the ideals contained in the picture of the Lord's
Servant" (p. 231).
38 Op. cit., p. 320.
39 The Gospel acc. to John, p. 298. Also Cullmann, p. 71 - 2.
40 A. Schlatter (Der Evangelist Johannes, 1930, p. 245): "Die Heiligung einigt
Jesus mit seinem ganzen inwendigen Leben, mit allem, was er denkt
und tut, mit Gott".
41 Op. cit., p. 103.
42 Op. cit., II, p. 138.
43 On the threefold office of Christ see J. Calvin: Institutes II, XV.
44 Jesus the Messiah, 1949, p. 94 - 120. H. E. W. Turner (Jesus, Master and Lord,2 1954, p.
185-212) calls the three leading ideas in Messiahship: The
Son of David, The Son of Man and The Suffering Servant.
45 Op. cit., p. 491.
68
69