Jesus Tora: Christologie und Gesetz im Johannesevangelium vor dem Hintergrund antik-jüdischer Torametaphorik by Jochen Flebbe

Abstract

Reviewed by: Jesus Tora: Christologie und Gesetz im Johannesevangelium vor dem Hintergrund antik-jüdischer Torametaphorik by Jochen Flebbe J. Andrew Doole jochen flebbe, Jesus Tora: Christologie und Gesetz im Johannesevangelium vor dem Hintergrund antik-jüdischer Torametaphorik ( BBB 190; Göttingen: V&R Unipress, 2020). Pp. 433. €49.99. This study of the application of various metaphors, on the one hand, to the Torah in ancient Jewish literature and, on the other hand, to Jesus in the Gospel of John is the Habilitationsschrift of Jochen Flebbe, submitted to the University of Bonn. F. builds on the work of Friedrich Avemarie and extends the research beyond rabbinic texts to include the Hebrew Scriptures and Hellenistic Jewish literature (Qumran, Philo, Baruch, etc.). The variety of metaphorical expressions for the Torah provides the key to understanding the metaphorical presentation of Jesus in the Gospel of John. [End Page 701] The first step is to define metaphor, which is used to reflect a reality using human vocabulary through incongruence: to say that something is x is at once to admit that it is not really x. Jesus is not "light" in the sense that you can see him in the dark. F. employs a metaphor in describing the metaphor and its subject as a frame and picture, each affecting the view of the other, and he notes the difference between metaphor ("is x") and simile ("is like x")—but for the purposes of the study and the various uses in ancient texts both are considered relevant. What follows is a "documentation" of metaphors for Torah in ancient Jewish texts. These are subdivided into sixty-eight categories (though two categories are merely a grouping of subsequent categories). These cannot all be listed here, but include Life, Water, Fruit, Tree, Light, Fire, Way, Door/Gate, Bread, Wine, Oil, Honey, Milk, Gold, Incense, Medicine, Bird, Wedding, Mother, Music, Yoke, Truth, and certain rabbis. Even prostitution makes a brief appearance, but only insofar as one who merely dabbles in Torah is criticized for this dalliance. Inevitably, certain categories enjoy more material than others and many later expositions are based on earlier uses. The sections of text cited are often rather long, which is good for context but proves rather arduous reading. The ways in which each metaphor is applied are also interesting. For example, water can sustain a tree, or form a river, or bring refreshment, or provide a habitat for fish, or flow downward to the humble. Oil can be used for baking bread, for providing light, or for healing; it does not mix with water. And there are of course various wordplays that allow for different metaphors to be applied to the same text. F. adds commentary to describe how each metaphor is used and to explain what it means. The third and final section is an examination of the Gospel of John and its use of metaphorical aspects usually associated with Torah now being applied to Jesus. John's Jesus can be understood not as christology but as torah-ology, something that has been noticed before but never examined in detail. F. finds vocabulary and allusions everywhere. The logos of the Prologue is a Torah-like preexistent Jesus. The reader should then understand the wedding and wine on the third day at Cana as references to Torah (as opposed to, e.g., Dionysus). Jesus is the bridegroom, the living water, bread, light, way, truth, life: all attributes that are applied to Torah. The Samaritan woman had five previous husbands, Jesus hands out five loaves. And there are explicit references to entolē ("commandment"), ergon ("work"), nomos ("law"). F. struggles valiantly to link the metaphors of shepherd and resurrection to the Torah, two examples from John that prove more difficult. Toward the passion narrative the metaphors thin out, but F. can nonetheless argue that the paraklētos is the Gospel of John itself; John 17 is Jesus's version of Moses's farewell speech; and in John 18 Jesus's crossing of the Kidron Valley parallels the crossing of the Jordan by his namesake Joshua. There is irony in the Jews' claim before Pilate, "We have a law" (John 19:7). The angels at the tomb...