The theme of temple Christology in the fourth chapter of John's Gospel in light of the early Jewish understanding of water and Spirit

Abstract

This thesis examines the theme of Temple Christology in the fourth chapter of John's gospel in light of the early Jewish understanding of water and Spirit. This study not only carefully investigates the Jewish tradition of water and Spirit as the normative background for John 4, but also develops Temple Christology by connecting these distinct traditions of water with the Spirit as eschatological life for John's use of the Spirit as the source of new creational life. The evidence shows that the most conventional way of describing water in Second Temple Judaism was the life-giving usage, rejecting the majority assumption that water always symbolizes revelation. It further refutes the limited view of the Spirit as a mere communicative organ inspiring prophecy, showing the Spirit to be a powerful agent for creative and eschatological life. This thesis unfolds John's strong association of water and Spirit with the new creation as he combines these distinct Jewish traditions to produce the image of Spirit as the source of eschatological life. This new creational life is found in the presence of God revealed in the True Temple, who participates in the unique eschatological identity of God by giving the Spirit: True worship has a new Temple; the geographic location has now been replaced by the person of Jesus.