Masculinity In The Gospel Of John

1301 Words6 Pages
Ever since some of the earliest gatherings of Catholics such as the Council of Chalcedon in 451 C.E., Jesus has been portrayed as “perfect in Godhead and…perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man.” The Gospel of John played a central role in the development of this ideal with its unflinching glorification of the divinity of Jesus. And while the council probably meant for the confession to speak to the full humanity of Jesus, the English translation “perfect in manhood” describes well enough the relationship between ancient gender ideals and divinity. This is to say, the want to display the true divinity of Jesus, is a desire that shapes the ideal theology of this Gospel, and results in a particularly masculine set of values. The Gospel of John presents an image of Jesus as one who ranks above all others and models the traits that defined ideal masculinity in the first-century world…show more content…
This is to say, the relationship of Jesus as a Son to God as a father is a theme introduced right from the start and continues as a central through line all the way to the narrative’s conclusion. No other Gospel is so jam-packed with references to the Father/Son relationship of Jesus and God share. It refers to God as “Father many more times than the Gospels of Matthew, Mark or Luke. In a similar fashion, John’s Gospel uses “the Son” as a reference to Jesus about nineteen times, compared to just the one instance I was able to find in Mark and Matthew. The saying found in Matthew (11:27) and Luke (10:22) also refers to Jesus as “the Son” in language that very closely resembles that found in the Gospel of John. These frequent occurrences of this kind of father-and-son language (not to mention the particularly masculine leader titles given to Jesus such as Messiah, King of Israel, or rabbi) provide a continual reminder of the masculinity of both Jesus and
Show More
Related

  • Southern Cross The Bible Belt Summary

    1485 Words  | 6 Pages

    Jordan Rudnick John Corrigan REL 2121 October 6, 2015 Southern Cross: The Beginning of the Bible Belt The development of religion in the South is a topic that has been the subject of discussion by scholars over the centuries. Much of the South was an Angelical stronghold at the time of independence and most religious citizens subscribed to the way of the Anglican Church. However, the 18th and 19th centuries represent an era of radical change in religion whereby Baptists and Methodists transformed

    Read More

More about Masculinity In The Gospel Of John

Open Document