A Strange Way to "Defend" John's Gospel

In this meaty video I discuss and rebut the theory that John dyschronologically moved Jesus' references to his "hour," Jesus' expression of distress about his forthcoming crucifixion, and Jesus' reference to dying to live from different scenes in an earlier "Synoptic tradition" and constructed non-historical places for them within his own Gospel in an entirely different setting in John 12. I talk once again about mainstream scholar Jörg Frey, who thinks that this is exactly what John did. Frey rightly sees that such a theory seriously undermines the historicity of John, if it is true. Of course he's wrong to think that the theory is true! I then read an extensive segment of conservative scholar Craig Keener's commentary on John, showing that he is advocating a theory much like Frey's but trying to draw a more optimistic conclusion from it--at least John had sources and didn't make up things that Jesus said entirely out of whole cloth! But the "source" is apparently supposed to be some tradition (perhaps a document or perhaps an oral version of what is found in the Synoptics) of Jesus' anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane and his teaching in other Synoptic contexts (e.g., where Jesus talks about dying to live in Mark 8:35), not knowledge of a completely separate, historically recognizable occasion when Jesus spoke in this way.

What we're seeing here is a "glass ceiling for John"--he can be this historical, but no more. We need to be willing to go beyond the invisible ceiling and see John as never inventing anything. This entirely historically plausible theory is supported by the evidence, far more than elaborate theories of theological adaptation. Don't forget our drawing. If you're a new subscriber (since Holy Saturday), be sure to *get in touch with me* to enter the drawing for a free book! See the previous video for details. And don't forget to get a copy of The Eye of the Beholder: https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Beholder-Gospel-Historical-Reportage/dp/1947929151/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2P5N15K1P8TIJ&dchild=1&keywords=the+eye+of+the+beholder+lydia+mcgrew&qid=1617757441&s=books&sprefix=the+eye+of+the+beholder%2Cstripbooks%2C185&sr=1-1

Originally uploaded April 9 2021