Jo-Ann Brant | Goshen College (original) (raw)

Papers by Jo-Ann Brant

The Journal of Theological Studies, Mar 21, 2019

This is an intriguing book, searching for the 'heartbeat of John's Gospel', to detect its rhythm ... more This is an intriguing book, searching for the 'heartbeat of John's Gospel', to detect its rhythm and feed its strength. It starts with the status quaestionis, returning, as we must always return, to Bultmann, and to his insight that the centre point of Johannine Christology was the sending of the Son. Loader has been at work on the fourth gospel for some forty years now, and hardly misses a trick. In addition, most readers will enormously assisted by his acquaintance with modern German scholarship. He offers a fair and grounded account of Bultmann's view, with all its brilliance, while also reminding us of the weakness of that approach. Of immense importance here is the role of the Paraclete, of course: 'the Paraclete not only brings to memory, but also inspires interpretation. This results in a portrayal of Jesus in which pre-and post-Easter perspectives are merged in the light of Jesus' glory' (p. 16). At the heart of John's Christology, for Loader, are the notions of preexistence and of 'sending'; and he divides the book into two main sections, the 'Structure of Johannine Christology' and, equally important, 'Issues of Johannine Christology'. Commendably, Loader starts always with the text of John, in order to 'listen for the structures and patterns that emerge from the text itself'. The central model for our author is, not as in Bultmann, the 'Revealer Revealed', but the pattern of 'Revealer-Envoy', which, he argues, underlies both discourses and narratives in the gospel. Again and again one profits from Loader's attentiveness to the text, though at times it is not precisely clear what he is saying; and sometimes one would be glad to see a bit more life in the account. That having been said, it would be a brave reader who would argue with him, and occasionally he is enormously perceptive: 'The sending of the disciples and the Spirit is parallel to the sending of the Son, but not independent of it' (p. 144). In Part II, when Loader turns to the issues of Johannine Christology, he helpfully insists that the 'Revealer-Envoy' model has little to do with revealing information, more 'the offer of life in the person of Jesus, an initiative of divine love (p. 145). The Cross in John is seen, of course, as glorification, but also as having in it real suffering and death, though not (Loader is quite strong on this) directly a matter of 'vicarious atonement'; he does accept, however,

Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1997

This paper employs the analytic tools of speech-act theory in order to explore the complexity of ... more This paper employs the analytic tools of speech-act theory in order to explore the complexity of the acts of swearing in Matthew's Gospel. With the assistance of the observations of J.L. Austin, John Searle, Wolfgang Iser and others, the paper examines how the utterance of the prohibition against swearing by Jesus at the beginning of the Gospel alters the rules of speech, how the subsequent narrative oaths are infelicitous, and how in the end, while oaths are counter to God's will, they cannot be used to counter God's will.

The Narrative Self in Early Christianity, 2019

John, Jesus, and History, Volume 3

"Ancient Fiction," published by the "Ancient Fiction and Early Jewish and Christian Narrative Sec... more "Ancient Fiction," published by the "Ancient Fiction and Early Jewish and Christian Narrative Section" at the Society of Biblical Literature, as part of its symposium series, is a collection of fifteen independent papers on Hellenistic, Jewish and Christian narratives in late antiquity. Th e book is divided into three sections. Th e first, "Ancient Graeco-Roman Narrative," is limited, except for one paper on Vergil, to the Greek Novel of late antiquity; the second, "Jewish Narrative," concentrates on Helleno-Jewish compositions written in Greek (3 Maccabees is merited with two separate papers), which the exception of two papers: one on the book of Daniel and the other on the rabbinic composition Seder ʾOlam. Th e papers of the

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2018

This chapter examines the development and trajectories of the study of the Gospel of John as a un... more This chapter examines the development and trajectories of the study of the Gospel of John as a unified narrative, Johannine literary techniques, and how the experience of the reader becomes a significant focus of research. Besides looking at the role of recognition and reversals in the Gospel’s plot and the distinctive features of Johannine characterization, special attention is given to the use of techniques that give the Gospel a dramatic quality. These include such things as the use of direct speech to tell the story and to serve as the main action, Johannine construction of space and time to provide a sense of ‘lived experience’, and the role of irony and suspense as a means of engaging the reader.

Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 1993

is a graduate of McMaster University teaching at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. This work was comp... more is a graduate of McMaster University teaching at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. This work was completed with the aid of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Paul's seemingly egocentric exhortation to imitate him (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6-7) poses two problems for the exegete. First, by holding himself up as an example Paul seems to be contradicting his own command to self-humiliation. Secondly, imitation of Paul strikes the modern interpreter as an inadequate way of going about perfecting oneself in Christ. In the realm of art, imitation is academic, derivative, dull. Given the modern artist's attempt to bring to expression the innovative and even the unique, one is likely to use imitation in a disparaging sense. Artists believe in Ezra Pound's precept, &dquo;make it new.&dquo; Similarly, imitation in the realm of human behaviour is viewed as flattery and an obstacle to selffulfilment. Paul's understanding of imitation clearly differs from this current view. The analogy between art and behaviour is helpful, for just as Aristotle could define art as an imitation (mimesis) of nature, Paul could consider life in Christ a mimesis of the Christian's nature. Scholars who have examined these texts tend to focus upon the object of the mimesis rather than the process or activity in which Paul exhorts his reader to engage. For example, Adele Reinhartz notes that although Hellenistic Greek literature often holds up exemplary figures as objects of imitation, Paul is unique in identifying himself as an appropriate object. 1 Others focus upon 1 Thessalonians 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 11:1 in order to argue that Paul is really talking about imitation of Christ.2 David M. Stanley focusses upon Paul's attempt to lead his readers to share his experi-1 Adele Reinhartz, "On the Meaning of the Pauline Exhortation: 'mimetai mou ginesthe— become imitators of me,' Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 16 (1987): 395. 2 E. J. Tinsley, The Imitation of God in Christ (London: SCM Press, 1960), p. 139. Willis de Boer, The Imitation of Paul (Kampen: University of Amsterdam, 1962), p. 211, claims that imitation serves salvation and leads to direct imitation of Christ.

Critical work on papyri as recorded in the various volumes of the Berichtigungsliste der griechis... more Critical work on papyri as recorded in the various volumes of the Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten (1913-) is indicated with the letters bl. The Philonic works are abbreviated according to the guidelines set out in

The Gospel of John as Genre Mosaic, 2015

Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 1993

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches, 1996

... 419-37; JP Cahill, "Narrative Art in John IV," Religious Studies Bu... more ... 419-37; JP Cahill, "Narrative Art in John IV," Religious Studies Bulletin 2 (1982), pp. 41-48. 32 L. Cartwell, "Immortal Longings in Sermone Humili: A Study of John 4:5-26," SJT36 (1983), pp. ... 55 In Gen. 29:11, Jacob kisses Rachel and weeps aloud. ...

Religious Studies Review, 2006

Religious Studies Review, 2006

The Journal of Theological Studies, Mar 21, 2019

This is an intriguing book, searching for the 'heartbeat of John's Gospel', to detect its rhythm ... more This is an intriguing book, searching for the 'heartbeat of John's Gospel', to detect its rhythm and feed its strength. It starts with the status quaestionis, returning, as we must always return, to Bultmann, and to his insight that the centre point of Johannine Christology was the sending of the Son. Loader has been at work on the fourth gospel for some forty years now, and hardly misses a trick. In addition, most readers will enormously assisted by his acquaintance with modern German scholarship. He offers a fair and grounded account of Bultmann's view, with all its brilliance, while also reminding us of the weakness of that approach. Of immense importance here is the role of the Paraclete, of course: 'the Paraclete not only brings to memory, but also inspires interpretation. This results in a portrayal of Jesus in which pre-and post-Easter perspectives are merged in the light of Jesus' glory' (p. 16). At the heart of John's Christology, for Loader, are the notions of preexistence and of 'sending'; and he divides the book into two main sections, the 'Structure of Johannine Christology' and, equally important, 'Issues of Johannine Christology'. Commendably, Loader starts always with the text of John, in order to 'listen for the structures and patterns that emerge from the text itself'. The central model for our author is, not as in Bultmann, the 'Revealer Revealed', but the pattern of 'Revealer-Envoy', which, he argues, underlies both discourses and narratives in the gospel. Again and again one profits from Loader's attentiveness to the text, though at times it is not precisely clear what he is saying; and sometimes one would be glad to see a bit more life in the account. That having been said, it would be a brave reader who would argue with him, and occasionally he is enormously perceptive: 'The sending of the disciples and the Spirit is parallel to the sending of the Son, but not independent of it' (p. 144). In Part II, when Loader turns to the issues of Johannine Christology, he helpfully insists that the 'Revealer-Envoy' model has little to do with revealing information, more 'the offer of life in the person of Jesus, an initiative of divine love (p. 145). The Cross in John is seen, of course, as glorification, but also as having in it real suffering and death, though not (Loader is quite strong on this) directly a matter of 'vicarious atonement'; he does accept, however,

Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1997

This paper employs the analytic tools of speech-act theory in order to explore the complexity of ... more This paper employs the analytic tools of speech-act theory in order to explore the complexity of the acts of swearing in Matthew's Gospel. With the assistance of the observations of J.L. Austin, John Searle, Wolfgang Iser and others, the paper examines how the utterance of the prohibition against swearing by Jesus at the beginning of the Gospel alters the rules of speech, how the subsequent narrative oaths are infelicitous, and how in the end, while oaths are counter to God's will, they cannot be used to counter God's will.

The Narrative Self in Early Christianity, 2019

John, Jesus, and History, Volume 3

"Ancient Fiction," published by the "Ancient Fiction and Early Jewish and Christian Narrative Sec... more "Ancient Fiction," published by the "Ancient Fiction and Early Jewish and Christian Narrative Section" at the Society of Biblical Literature, as part of its symposium series, is a collection of fifteen independent papers on Hellenistic, Jewish and Christian narratives in late antiquity. Th e book is divided into three sections. Th e first, "Ancient Graeco-Roman Narrative," is limited, except for one paper on Vergil, to the Greek Novel of late antiquity; the second, "Jewish Narrative," concentrates on Helleno-Jewish compositions written in Greek (3 Maccabees is merited with two separate papers), which the exception of two papers: one on the book of Daniel and the other on the rabbinic composition Seder ʾOlam. Th e papers of the

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2018

This chapter examines the development and trajectories of the study of the Gospel of John as a un... more This chapter examines the development and trajectories of the study of the Gospel of John as a unified narrative, Johannine literary techniques, and how the experience of the reader becomes a significant focus of research. Besides looking at the role of recognition and reversals in the Gospel’s plot and the distinctive features of Johannine characterization, special attention is given to the use of techniques that give the Gospel a dramatic quality. These include such things as the use of direct speech to tell the story and to serve as the main action, Johannine construction of space and time to provide a sense of ‘lived experience’, and the role of irony and suspense as a means of engaging the reader.

Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 1993

is a graduate of McMaster University teaching at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. This work was comp... more is a graduate of McMaster University teaching at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. This work was completed with the aid of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Paul's seemingly egocentric exhortation to imitate him (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6-7) poses two problems for the exegete. First, by holding himself up as an example Paul seems to be contradicting his own command to self-humiliation. Secondly, imitation of Paul strikes the modern interpreter as an inadequate way of going about perfecting oneself in Christ. In the realm of art, imitation is academic, derivative, dull. Given the modern artist's attempt to bring to expression the innovative and even the unique, one is likely to use imitation in a disparaging sense. Artists believe in Ezra Pound's precept, &dquo;make it new.&dquo; Similarly, imitation in the realm of human behaviour is viewed as flattery and an obstacle to selffulfilment. Paul's understanding of imitation clearly differs from this current view. The analogy between art and behaviour is helpful, for just as Aristotle could define art as an imitation (mimesis) of nature, Paul could consider life in Christ a mimesis of the Christian's nature. Scholars who have examined these texts tend to focus upon the object of the mimesis rather than the process or activity in which Paul exhorts his reader to engage. For example, Adele Reinhartz notes that although Hellenistic Greek literature often holds up exemplary figures as objects of imitation, Paul is unique in identifying himself as an appropriate object. 1 Others focus upon 1 Thessalonians 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 11:1 in order to argue that Paul is really talking about imitation of Christ.2 David M. Stanley focusses upon Paul's attempt to lead his readers to share his experi-1 Adele Reinhartz, "On the Meaning of the Pauline Exhortation: 'mimetai mou ginesthe— become imitators of me,' Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 16 (1987): 395. 2 E. J. Tinsley, The Imitation of God in Christ (London: SCM Press, 1960), p. 139. Willis de Boer, The Imitation of Paul (Kampen: University of Amsterdam, 1962), p. 211, claims that imitation serves salvation and leads to direct imitation of Christ.

Critical work on papyri as recorded in the various volumes of the Berichtigungsliste der griechis... more Critical work on papyri as recorded in the various volumes of the Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten (1913-) is indicated with the letters bl. The Philonic works are abbreviated according to the guidelines set out in

The Gospel of John as Genre Mosaic, 2015

Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 1993

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches, 1996

... 419-37; JP Cahill, "Narrative Art in John IV," Religious Studies Bu... more ... 419-37; JP Cahill, "Narrative Art in John IV," Religious Studies Bulletin 2 (1982), pp. 41-48. 32 L. Cartwell, "Immortal Longings in Sermone Humili: A Study of John 4:5-26," SJT36 (1983), pp. ... 55 In Gen. 29:11, Jacob kisses Rachel and weeps aloud. ...

Religious Studies Review, 2006

Religious Studies Review, 2006

Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel, 2004

This concluding chapter of Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel loo... more This concluding chapter of Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel looks at the how John draws upon the literary device of confusing marriage and death in order to show how Jesus's death is an exaltation rather than a humiliating or an expiatory death.

Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel, 2004

Over the past century, academics and dramatists have noted that the Gospel of John displays simil... more Over the past century, academics and dramatists have noted that the Gospel of John displays similar characteristics to Greek dramatic literature. Dialogue and Drama presents a detailed and nuanced review. Jo-Ann Brant argues that the fourth evangelist was thoroughly familiar with the conventions of Greek drama and used them to more effectively present the Gospel's plot.

Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel, 2004

Over the past century, academics and dramatists have noted that the Gospel of John displays simil... more Over the past century, academics and dramatists have noted that the Gospel of John displays similar characteristics to Greek dramatic literature. Dialogue and Drama presents a detailed and nuanced review. Jo-Ann Brant argues that the fourth evangelist was thoroughly familiar with the conventions of Greek drama and used them to more effectively present the Gospel's plot.

Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel, 2004

Over the past century, academics and dramatists have noted that the Gospel of John displays simil... more Over the past century, academics and dramatists have noted that the Gospel of John displays similar characteristics to Greek dramatic literature. Dialogue and Drama presents a detailed and nuanced review from Jo-Ann Brant, She argues that the fourth evangelist was thoroughly familiar with the conventions of Greek drama and used them to more effectively present the Gospel's plot.