Die Johannesevangelie as herinnerings - boek

Abstract

John 21:24-25 reads: “He is the disciple who spoke these things, the one who also wrote them down; and we know that what he said is true. Now, there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose the whole world could not hold the books that would be written”. This autobiographical statement is the starting point of the research presented in this article. It is argued that this (hyperbolic) statement suggests the intended use of John's Gospel within an oral culture. Through the analysis of internal and external evidence (including pointers in the history of the early church) the function of John’s Gospel in an oral culture is defined as “a book of remembrance”. A theory is developed about the specific position and function of John’s Gospel as a book of remembrance - specifically concerning the aspects of "reminding" and "witnessing”.