Abstract
It is suggested in this article that St John’s Gospel is a ‘confessional recital’ of salient acts and teachings of Jesus and was intended for liturgical performance in a Christian synagogue. The principal strands of the argument are, first, the well-known affinity between the Gospel and Greek Drama and the obvious but generally unremarked inference from this that the Gospel was intended for performance. Second, the fact that large tracts of the Gospel are written as Semitic poetry strengthens the case for it being a performance piece. Finally, whatever format first century Jewish synagogue liturgy took, there is little doubt that extracts from the OT were its principal ingredients and that the OT themes running through the Gospel were clearly meant to connect with this then familiar liturgy. This surely confirms the purpose and setting of the putative performance in a worshipping Christian community.
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