The Whole World or Not Quite: ΚΟΣΜΟΣ in John 16:8

Abstract

ABSTRACTJohn 16:8–11 has always been a crux interpretum in Johannine scholarship. One of the difficulties in this passage is how one should read the phrase τòν κόσμον in verse 8. Recent interpretations have not given adequate attention to this phrase which is frequently understood to refer to “unbelieving world”. However, this is only one of the many connotations for the phrase ὁ κόσμος employed by the evangelist in his gospel. This article argues for an alternative reading of ὁ κόσμος in John 16:8, namely, that it should be understood as all people of the world as the theatre of salvation history. The article further suggests that the proposed reading better suits both the explicit commentary of verse 8 in verses 9–11 as well as the literary and theological contexts of John 16:4b–15. The argumentation is based on socio-rhetorical, semiotic, literary and theological contextual grounds. In addition, the article tackles two other thorny issues, namely, meanings of the verb ἐλέγχειν and ὅτι clauses, which comprise a vital place in the argument.