The Messiah as creator in the fourth Gospel: The influence of Isaiah’s creation Theology. (Record no. 16748)
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| control field | 20220301063828.0 |
| 007 - PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION FIXED FIELD--GENERAL INFORMATION | |
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| fixed length control field | 180806s2019 SA ||||fo||d| 001 e eng | |
| 040 ## - CATALOGING SOURCE | |
| Transcribing agency | ZA-BrSAT |
| 100 ## - MAIN ENTRY--PERSONAL NAME | |
| 9 (RLIN) | 721 |
| Personal name | Bernard Gerard |
| 245 ## - TITLE STATEMENT | |
| Title | The Messiah as creator in the fourth Gospel: The influence of Isaiah’s creation Theology. |
| 260 ## - PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC. | |
| Place of publication, distribution, etc. | Johannesburg |
| Name of publisher, distributor, etc. | South African Theological Seminary |
| Date of publication, distribution, etc. | December 219 |
| 300 ## - PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION | |
| Extent | 348p |
| Other physical details | |
| Dimensions | A4 |
| Accompanying material | Abstract, TOC |
| 502 ## - DISSERTATION NOTE | |
| Degree type | Master of Theology (Mth) |
| Name of granting institution | South African Theological Seminary |
| Year degree granted | 2019 |
| Supervisors | |
| 520 ## - SUMMARY, ETC. | |
| Summary, etc. | This dissertation seeks to resolve this primary research problem: What influence did the creation theology in Isaiah have on the characterisation of the Messiah’s role as Creator in the Fourth Gospel? This study is a sort of deviation from the general norm of confining the exploration of the theme of creation in the Fourth Gospel to allusions to Genesis 1-2. The resolution of the problem employs exegetical methodology, which includes literary-theological and intertextual analysis. The study explores the current state of scholarship concerning the influence of Isaiah on the Gospel of John, especially with respect to creation theology. The exploration reveals that there is a certain degree of vacuum in the current state of scholarship concerning the influence of Isaiah on the Fourth Gospel with respect to creation theology. This vacuum provides validation for the current research. It also reveals that scholars have employed Isaiah LXX in their analysis of intertextuality between Isaiah and the Gospel. Furthermore, most of the comparative analysis concentrates in Isaiah 40-55 and focuses on Christology. Since the investigation concerns the influence of the creation theology in Isaiah on the Gospel, this study examines the nature of the creation theology found in Isaiah. It looks at the creation language (i.e., the three principal creation verbs [ברא, יצר, עשׂה] and the ‘heaven-earth’ metaphor) and selected creation passages in each of the segments of Isaiah (1-39; 40-55; 56-66). The analysis reveals that the creation language and creation passages are concentrated in Isaiah 40-55 and may suggest that the influence of Isaiah’s creation theology may largely be coming from that segment of Isaiah. The creation language and creation passages exhibit a three-dimensional emphasis of creation—primordial, historical and eschatological. The creation passages, in particular, present variegated ideas which are associated with creation theology. 5In order to highlight the uniqueness of Isaiah’s creation theology, the study also examines the nature of the creation theology found in the rest of the OT and extra-canonical Jewish writings of the Second Temple period. The examination of the creation theology found in the rest of the OT follows through each section of the OT. The creation passages outside Isaiah maintain the creation tradition of Genesis but are more descriptive and mostly in poetry. The creation motif is associated with other theological themes. The examination highlights the uniqueness of Isaiah’s creation theology in that Isaiah presents an advanced conceptualisation of creation and that only in Isaiah can one find a strong connection between the ‘I am’ statements and Yahweh’s identity as Creator. This connection is significant for the Fourth Gospel. In the extra-canonical Jewish writings of the Second Temple period, the examination focuses on selected creation references from the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and the Qumran Literature. The aim is to understand Jewish exposition of the Genesis creation story and to discern how the Second Temple Jewish writings appropriated creation references from the OT, especially Isaiah. The creation references of these writings generally follow many of the OT creation tradition. However, there is a tendency to speculate and use the creation motif in sapiential contexts. The findings here shed interpretative light in the study of the Gospel’s employment of Isaiah’s creation theology. The heart of the study is the analysis of the characterisation of the Messiah’s role as Creator in the Fourth Gospel and the ways in which the characterisation seems to be influenced by the creation theology in Isaiah. The study explores the characterisation of the Messiah’s role as Creator in several areas including the prologue’s depiction of the Word (λόγος), the miraculous signs, the post-resurrection narratives, the ‘I am’ (ἐγώεἰμι) sayings of Jesus, the concept of light and life and the idea of being ‘sent’ for a mission. A synthesis of these areas presents a characterisation framework concisely stated in this manner: the Son, who is also the Word (λόγος), was 6sent by God the Father to the world in order to accomplish the work of new creation. As the Creator-Word, Jesus Christ renews creation. The study argues that the influence of the creation theology in Isaiah on the characterisation of the Messiah’s role as Creator in the Fourth Gospel comes through the theme of the new creation. It is primarily the idea in Isaiah 55:11 that has influenced the characterisation framework of the Messiah as Creator in John’s Gospel. As such, the ‘sending’ of the Son corresponds with the ‘going forth’ of Yahweh’s word from his mouth. The efficacy of the Word’s (Jesus) utterances resonated with the efficacy of Yahweh’s word. The accomplishing of the Word’s (Jesus) works echoed the accomplishing of Yahweh’s will. Jesus, the Creator-Word, seems to embody Yahweh’s will in his works. The Word’s (Jesus) movement resembles the movement of Yahweh’s word in its descending-ascending pattern. The accomplishing of the Father’s work by the Creator-Word seems to fulfil the role of the Isaianic Servant of the Lord. Jesus assumes the role of the one who is the ‘I am’ in Isaiah. Thus, the Messiah’s role as Creator in the Fourth Gospel is prominently influenced by Isaiah’s creation theology. The study ends with scholarly and pastoral implications, which are drawn from considering the influence of the creation theology in Isaiah for understanding the broader theological arguments of the Gospel. The scholarly implications consider the shifts to Isaiah from Genesis for the study of the theme of creation in John’s Gospel, the Isaianic nuance of the Johannine Christology and the creational interpretative perspective in reading the Gospel. The pastoral implications look at the authority and power of the Scripture in the Christian life and the provision of hope, comfort and courage for the troubled ones. |
| 942 ## - ADDED ENTRY ELEMENTS (KOHA) | |
| Source of classification or shelving scheme | Dewey Decimal Classification |
| Koha item type | Thesis |
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