The Divine Name in the Gospel of John: Significance and Impetus by Joshua J. F. Coutts

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Divine Name in the Gospel of John: Significance and Impetus by Joshua J. F. Coutts David B. Capes joshua j. f. coutts, The Divine Name in the Gospel of John: Significance and Impetus (WUNT 2/447; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017). Pp. xvi + 259. Paper €79. The book under review is a revision of Coutts's doctoral thesis written under the supervision of Larry Hurtado at the University of Edinburgh (2016). The study is prompted by an observation: there is "a relative explosion" (p. 1) of interest in divine name language in John's Gospel. Only a few scholars have undertaken to analyze this feature of the Gospel. In the Fourth Gospel, the evangelist uses "name" language to refer both to Jesus's name and to the Father's. C. describes a kind of "sliding scale" (p. 3) between the divine name and Jesus's; yet for him the writer clearly demonstrates a concern to retain "name" language with primary reference to the Father. At the heart of C.'s book is a question: Why is John so captivated by the divine name in developing the narrative of his Jesus book? In the five chapters that follow, C. attempts to answer that question. Along the way, he proposes that the evangelist was indebted to Isaiah for his interest in the divine name. In particular, it is the eschatological content of the name in Isaiah—its revelatory significance and its character as a historical event (future from Isaiah's perspective, present and future for the evangelist)—that captures John's imagination. Further, Isaiah demonstrates a duality in the way he deploys the divine name. C. refers to this feature as the name's "associative" significance; namely, it can refer both to God and to a figure distinguishable from God. Under the influence of Isaiah, John found this practice evocative, as he refers the divine name both to God the Father and to Jesus. Read through the lens of John's Gospel, the Jesus event (his actions, words, death, and subsequent exaltation by the Father) is the beginning of the revelation of the name anticipated by Isaiah, realized in the evangelist's day. For C., the eschatological and associative significance of the divine name in Isaiah provided the catalyst for the evangelist to deploy the divine name language regarding Jesus and the Father in the Gospel. Coutts makes a strong case that the divine name is clustered together with the "I am" sayings and the motif of glory in John's Gospel, and these features too are derived from John's reading of Isaiah. The "I am" sayings, for example, have a close analogue in the "I am he" statements made by Yhwh in Isaiah 40–55 (e.g., 43:10, 13, 25; 48:12; 51:12). The evangelist combined features found in Isaiah—Servant, glory, divine name, and "I am he" statements—to sculpt a view of Jesus that portrays him as the eschatological and definitive revealer of God; accordingly, Jesus rightly shares in divine honors and glory. John's interest in the divine name is signaled by its frequent appearances at key moments in his story. A good part of C.'s book is given to analyzing these particular texts (e.g., John 5:43; 10:25; 12:28; 17:11-12). In his analysis, C. is determined to distinguish between the significance of the name and its referent, meaning, and function, although at times these distinctions are hard to maintain. Essentially, the "name" language functions to legitimate Jesus and his mission, demonstrating how the character and actions of the Father are expressed in the Son. In John 5:43 and 10:25 the name functions primarily to authorize Jesus, who is more than an agent. The name associates the Father and Son so closely that the language of oneness is appropriate. Eventually, the language of oneness generates the charge of blasphemy against Jesus and later his followers. Whereas earlier Christian tradition had shifted the focus of the divine name to Jesus, John attempts to transfer it back to the Father. [End Page 727] Coutts devotes chap. 5 to the sociohistorical significance of his investigation. In particular...