Schneiders observes Johannine symbols open hearer-readers to transformation, she explains, “what the symbols of the Fourth Gospel offer is a pathway to divine glory,
272 Lee, Flesh and Glory, 28.
273
Urban, Language and Reality, 415.
274 See Schneiders who points out that Johannine symbols: 1) make the transcendent present (in a
limited mode), 2) reveal by involving the person in a relationship with the transcendent, 3) lead the person into the unknown, 4) leads to a transforming experience, and 5) mediate what is spiritual or mysterious. Schneiders, Written That You May Believe, 67-69.
275
Painter, “Johannine Symbols,” 35. See also Attridge who suggests that John’s genre bending of words is “an effort to force its audience away from words to an encounter with the Word himself
“(emphasis mine). Attridge, “Genre Bending in the Fourth Gospel” 21.
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which is both the location and the means of transformation.”277 The transformative purpose of the Gospel is reflected in 20:31—the author desires hearer-readers to experience the transforming power of eternal life by believing that Jesus is the Son of God (20:31). Those who believe the revelation communicated through transcendent symbols are transformed by the revelation. Transcendent symbols reveal Jesus’ identity as Son of God, which leads to the transformative experience of spiritual realities in his salvific message. Transcendent symbols shape the text and engage hearer-readers both cognitively and intuitively.278 Lee stresses the important role hearer-readers play in embracing the transformation evoked by the text. Lee explains, “Meaning emerges in the interaction between text and reader in which the reader is an active listener, an engaged presence within the borders formed by the symbolic structure of the text” (original
emphasis).279 As symbols are interpreted and conceptualized, transformation occurs in the mind of hearer-readers. Understanding is no longer limited to the cognitive and sensual realm and interpretation shifts to the intuitive realm where insight and revelation lead to symbolic meaning.280
The transformation that results from transcendent symbols occurs at both the interpretative and experiential phases of the hearer-readers’ encounter with the symbols.
277 Schneiders, Written that You May Believe,” 235, 237.
278 Lee, Flesh and Glory, 222.
279
Lee, Flesh and Glory, 235.
280
The cognitive still remains part of the interpretative process. See Schneiders’ insistence that the aim of symbolic interpretation is “not to deny cognitive content but rather, to confirm that the symbol conveys an intelligible yet ineffable sense of presence.” According to her, “It is precisely this sense of presence, participation, and transformation that lies at the heart of Johannine symbolism.” Schneiders,
Written That You May Believe, 21-22. According to Heschel, transcendent symbols serve as a meeting
place for the spiritual and the physical, and for the invisible and the visible. Heschel, Man’s Quest for God, 138.
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In 3:1-21, Jesus’ teaching on the new birth evokes a fresh understanding in the mind of hear-readers regarding requirements for entering the God’s Kingdom. Jesus’ explanation of being “born anew” or “born from above,” transforms the Jewish religious concept entering the Kingdom from obedience to the law to belief in Jesus and his power to grant eternal life. Likewise in Jesus’ symbolic act of raising Lazarus from the dead in 11:1-44, transforms eschatological concept of rising from the dead to understanding that Jesus is himself the embodiment of eternal life, which is available now. Thus, transcendent symbols moves conceptualization of what hearer-readers already know and transforms their understanding to conceive of symbolic meaning and spiritual realities light of Jesus’ mission from the Father.281
As hearer-readers encounter and believe the truth expressed in the Gospel’s transcendent symbols, they experience a revelation of Christ that leads to transformation and results in relationship.282 The narrative shows that transformation is not always instantaneous or permanent, as seen in the transformation that occurs in the faith of the disciples.283 Nevertheless, the Gospel gives examples of radical transformation in the lives of those who believe. For example, the woman and village of Samaria (4:1-42), the nobleman and his household (4:46-53), and the man born blind (9:38), all respond to Jesus in ways that show transformed lives. After comprehending the symbolic language
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See also Koester comment on the transformation that takes place in understanding the symbol of bread: “John’s Gospel agrees that those who eat bread should recognize the divine giver, but transforms the way this is usually understood: True bread comes from God and the crucified Christ.” Koester,
Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, 102.
282
Schneiders, Written that You May Believe,” 67.
283 The narrative shows different stages of belief as well as unbelief in the disciples who follow
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and actions of Jesus, these individuals receive a revelation of him as Son of God, which results in a transformation from a state of unbelief to one of belief.
Transcendent symbols in the Gospel of John are able to transform the hearts of hearer-readers and bring them to belief in Jesus. Those who do not believe the
Christological signification in Jesus’ symbolic words and actions are not transformed by revelation; they remain in darkness or in sin (3:18-21; 9:35-41; 12:35-36, 44-46; 15:21- 22). Those who believe and receive God’s revealing activity in Jesus enter into a
transformed relationship with God as Father.284 As expressed in his Farewell Prayer (17: 11, 21), Jesus reveals the Father so that believers may partake in the SFR; transcendent symbol leads to the transformation of becoming children of God (1:12). Transformation begins with a new understanding of the Son and his Father as revealed through the transcendent symbols in the teachings of the Son.
3.4 Conclusion
The Gospel of John is a literary narrative with a symbolic design serving a
theological purpose. The above outlined theory is formulated to facilitate interpretation of the Gospel by offering insight into the nature, function, and pattern of Johannine
symbols. The theory organizes the Gospel’s symbols into four main theoretical and
theological principles, namely, representation, assimilation, association, and transcendence. Since not all symbols have equal frequency, function, or force in the
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narrative,285 the theory assists in evaluating and recognizing variables in Johannine
symbolism.
The four principles provide a theoretical platform for examining the link between the SFR and symbolism. Representation shows how the SFR is symbolically introduced and reintroduced at different stages of the narrative, thereby, offering hearer-readers a multi-faceted view of the SFR. The principle of representation also explains an aspect of interpretation in Johannine symbols evoking acts of reflection and resemblance on the part of hearer-readers before symbolic meaning is determined. The second principle of assimilation emphasizes the linguistic, cultural, and theological origins of Johannine symbolism, showing that most symbols and symbolic expressions representing the Son and Father have pre-semantic origins. Semantic assimilation explains how Johannine symbols embody characteristics of their literal meaning. Assimilation also sheds light on how hearer-readers assimilate meaning in the act of comprehending the symbol. Principle three gives insight into the structure of the Johannine network of symbols focusing on how the network comprises other figures of speech. The fourth principle of transcendence focuses on the core element of Johannine symbolism. Symbols are basically transcendent because their meaning transcends semantic boundaries; however, the text gives the transcendent symbols representing the SFR a narrative context for accurate interpretation. Dualistic transcendent explains how transcendent symbols ease the tension of the
dualistic positions of the Son and Father in the narrative. Revelatory and transformative transcendence describe how Johannine symbols lead to revelation and transformative experience, which enable hearer-reader participation in the SFR.
285 See Wheelwright’s observation that some symbols have more universality and durability than
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Due to versatility and multiplicity of function in the Gospel, Johannine symbolism is an intricate phenomenon. The symbols enrich the Gospel narrative, moving the plot forward, developing characters, navigating transcendent and temporal time, and
reinforcing the purpose of the Gospel. A specialized theory of symbolism is invaluable for resolving complexities faced in symbolic interpretation of the Gospel narrative. Even though symbolic interpretation is inexhaustible,286 hopefully this theory will contribute to
the ongoing endeavor of making Johannine symbolism more comprehensible.
Chapter four, the next stage of this research, lays a theoretical foundation for understanding narrative components that enable the Gospel to accommodate the wide scope of Johannine symbolism. The analysis in chapter four will be used in chapter five to develop a narrative framework for examining ways in which the SFR occupies central place in the Gospel narrative with the support of Johannine symbolism.
286
Many scholars refer to the inexhaustible nature of symbolic interpretation. See: Tzvetan Todrovon who notes the “inexhaustible character of the symbol.” Tzvetan Todrovon, Symbolism and
Interpretation (trans. Catherine Porter; Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1982), 17. Hinderer speaks of
the “principle of inexhaustiveness or incommensurability.” Hinderer, “Theory, Conception, and
Interpretation,” 93. Koester comments, “Many of the images that function symbolically in John's Gospel are as familiar as daily bread, yet the familiarity does not dispel the mystery; it conveys the mystery.” Koester, Symbolism, 29.
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