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104-473: In the Gospel of John , Jesus states "I am the good shepherd" in two verses, John 10:11 and 10:14 . I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn't care for

208-447: A "signs source" (a collection of miracles) for chapters 1–12, a "passion source" for the story of Jesus's arrest and crucifixion, and a "sayings source" for the discourses, but these hypotheses are much debated. The author seems to have known some version of Mark and Luke, as John shares with them some vocabulary and clusters of incidents arranged in the same order, but key terms from those gospels are absent or nearly so, implying that if

312-444: A Jewish property should be excommunicated . The violation of Jewish women by gentile men was so frequent that the rabbis declared that a woman raped by a gentile should not be divorced from her husband, as Torah says: "The Torah outlawed the issue of a gentile as that of a beast." A gentile midwife was not to be employed for fear of the poisoning of the baby. The gentiles should be dealt with caution in cases of using them as witness in

416-521: A conclusion (20:30–31); to these is added an epilogue that most scholars believe was not part of the original text (Chapter 21). Disagreement does exist; some scholars, including Bauckham, argue that John 21 was part of the original work. The structure is highly schematic: there are seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus ), and seven "I am" sayings and discourses, culminating in Thomas's proclamation of

520-645: A criminal or civil suit. The gentile does not honor his promises like that of a Jew. The laws of the Torah were not to be revealed to the gentiles, for the knowledge of these laws might give gentiles an advantage in dealing with Jews. Shimon ben Lakish wrote that "A gentile who observes Sabbath deserves death". Under rabbinic law , a modern-day gentile is only required to observe the Seven Laws of Noah , but Jews are required to observe Mosaic law . During periods of decreased animosity between Jews and gentiles, some of

624-477: A gentile court are not valid for Jews. Rabbi Akiva believed that Israel's monotheism is far superior to the ever-changing beliefs of the gentiles. Jose the Galilean criticizes Israel for inconsistency compared to the faithfulness of the gentiles to their ancestral beliefs. He believed the good deeds of the gentiles will be rewarded as well. Rav Ashi believed that a Jew who sells a gentile property adjacent to

728-586: A number of doctrines are put forward in this parable. 1) The Sacrifice and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus "distinctly foretells His Sacrifice and Death in the words: 'I lay down My life for My sheep.'" 2) The one, united, catholic Church. As Jesus "foretold that the Gentiles also would believe in Him, and that all the faithful, both Jews and Gentiles , would be united in one fold, under one Shepherd." 3) The Love of Jesus for sinners. "The touching parable of

832-522: A people or nation." The development of the word to principally mean "non-Jew" in English is entwined with the history of Bible translations from Hebrew and Greek into Latin and English. Its meaning has also been shaped by Rabbinical Jewish thought and Christian theology . "Gentile" derives from Latin gentilis , which itself derives from the Latin gens , meaning clan or tribe. Gens derives from

936-517: A relationship with Israel and moving up to those closest to a relationship with Israel, seem to be: (1) the Amalekites; (2) the seven Canaanite nations; (3) the nations of the world; (4) the Samaritans; (5) slaves; (6) resident aliens; (7) proselytes." The Hebrew Bible does not show much concern for non-Israelites except insofar as they interact with the people of Israel. Nonetheless, because

1040-625: A savior but a revealer of knowledge. The gospel teaches that salvation can be achieved only through revealed wisdom, specifically belief in (literally belief into ) Jesus. John's picture of a supernatural savior who promised to return to take those who believed in him to a heavenly dwelling could be fitted into Gnostic views. It has been suggested that similarities between the Gospel of John and Gnosticism may spring from common roots in Jewish Apocalyptic literature . The Gospel of John

1144-412: A shepherd's duty which He does not perform most willingly. Hence He says by His prophet, 'Behold, I Myself will seek My sheep: and will visit them as the shepherd visits his flock: I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures; I will seek that which was lost, and that which was driven away I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken; and I will strengthen that which is weak, and that which

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1248-406: A theoretical level, gentiles are discussed because, in order to define the people of Israel and its symbols and institutions, it was necessary to define who lay outside that group. Some Tannaim show a positive attitude towards the gentiles. Joshua ben Hananiah believed that there are righteous men amongst the gentiles who will enter the world to come. He believed that except for the descendants of

1352-564: Is Jesus as the source of eternal life, and the Kingdom is only mentioned twice. In contrast to the synoptic expectation of the Kingdom (using the term parousia , meaning "coming"), John presents a more individualistic, realized eschatology . In the Synoptics, quotations of Jesus are usually in the form of short, pithy sayings; in John, longer quotations are often given. The vocabulary

1456-503: Is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage , notably Mormons , have historically used the term gentile to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synonym for heathen , pagan . As a term used to describe non-members of a religious/ethnic group, gentile is sometimes compared to other words used to describe the "outgroup" in other cultures (see List of terms for ethnic out-groups ). In some translations of

1560-546: Is also different, and filled with theological import: in John, Jesus does not work "miracles", but "signs" that unveil his divine identity. Most scholars consider John not to contain any parables . Rather, it contains metaphorical stories or allegories , such as those of the Good Shepherd and the True Vine , in which each element corresponds to a specific person, group, or thing. Other scholars consider stories like

1664-619: Is believed to be a more accurate historical depiction of the Pharisees, who made debate one of the tenets of their belief system. In place of the communal emphasis of the Pauline literature, John stresses the personal relationship of the individual to God. The Gospel of John and the three Johannine epistles exhibit strong resemblances in theology and style; the Book of Revelation has also been traditionally linked with these, but differs from

1768-472: Is closely related in style and content to the three Johannine epistles – most scholars treat the four books, along with the Book of Revelation , as a single corpus of Johannine literature , albeit not by the same author. The Gospel of John, like all the gospels, is anonymous. John 21:22 references a disciple whom Jesus loved and John 21:24–25 says: "This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony

1872-648: Is fat and strong I will preserve, and I will feed them in judgment.' (Ezech. 34:11)" He also connects Jesus with Psalm 23:1, "The Lord rules me, and I shall want nothing; He has set me in a place of pasture." and Isaiah 53:7 "He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter." The image of the Good Shepherd is also used in the Mandaean Book of John . Chapters 11–12 of the Mandaean Book of John are about "a shepherd who loves his sheep" who leads them on to

1976-547: Is not called "the Baptist." John the Baptist's ministry overlaps with that of Jesus ; his baptism of Jesus is not explicitly mentioned, but his witness to Jesus is unambiguous. The evangelist almost certainly knew the story of John's baptism of Jesus, and makes a vital theological use of it. He subordinates John to Jesus, perhaps in response to members of John's sect who regarded the Jesus movement as an offshoot of theirs. In

2080-481: Is one of several sections of John's Gospel which generate division among Jews. Jesus Christ is also compared to a shepherd in Matthew 2:6 , Matthew 9:36 , Matthew 25:32 , Matthew 26:31 , Mark 6:34 , Mark 14:27 , John 10:2 , Hebrews 13:20 , 1 Peter 2:25 , 1 Peter 5:4 , and Revelation 7:17 . Several authors such as Barbara Reid, Arland Hultgren or Donald Griggs comment that "parables are noticeably absent from

2184-498: Is significantly different from the synoptic gospels in the selection of its material, its theological emphasis, its chronology, and literary style, with some of its discrepancies amounting to contradictions. The following are some examples of their differences in just one area, that of the material they include in their narratives: In the Synoptics, the ministry of Jesus takes a single year, but in John it takes three, as evidenced by references to three Passovers. Events are not all in

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2288-414: Is the 2014 film The Gospel of John , directed by David Batty and narrated by David Harewood and Brian Cox , with Selva Rasalingam as Jesus. The 2003 film The Gospel of John was directed by Philip Saville and narrated by Christopher Plummer , with Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus. Parts of the gospel have been set to music. One such setting is Steve Warner 's power anthem "Come and See", written for

2392-536: Is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John reached its final form around AD 90–110, although it contains signs of origins dating back to AD 70 and possibly even earlier. Like the three other gospels, it is anonymous, although it identifies an unnamed " disciple whom Jesus loved " as the source of its traditions. It most likely arose within a " Johannine community ", and – as it

2496-632: Is the fourth of the New Testament 's four canonical Gospels . It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus , with seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus ) and seven " I am " discourses (concerned with issues of the church–synagogue debate at the time of composition) culminating in Thomas 's proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, "that you may believe that Jesus

2600-402: Is the good and evil inclination. The soul of the gentiles comes from the three shells: wind, cloud and fire, all of them evil. Moses de León , presumed author of the main kabbalistic work Sefer Ha-Zohar , agrees with this assumption: You know that all of the gentiles (goyim) and all of their matters are in the category of the impure... you must know and discern that the gentiles come from

2704-422: Is therefore unlikely to have been the work of a simple fisherman. Rather, these verses imply that the core of the gospel relies on the testimony (perhaps written) of the "disciple who is testifying", as collected, preserved, and reshaped by a community of followers (the "we" of the passage), and that a single follower (the "I") rearranged this material and perhaps added the final chapter and other passages to produce

2808-433: Is to assume that Gnosticism had developed to a level that required the author to respond to it. Bultmann, for example, argued that the opening theme of the Gospel of John, the preexisting Logos, along with John's duality of light versus darkness, were originally Gnostic themes that John adopted. Other scholars (e.g., Raymond E. Brown ) have argued that the preexisting Logos theme arises from the more ancient Jewish writings in

2912-510: Is true". Early Christian tradition, first found in Irenaeus ( c.  130  – c.  202 AD), identified this disciple with John the Apostle , but most scholars have abandoned this hypothesis or hold it only tenuously; there are multiple reasons for this conclusion, including, for example, the fact that the gospel is written in good Greek and displays sophisticated theology, and

3016-746: Is why Gentiles were created. These remarks by Yosef were sharply criticized by many Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and American Jewish Committee . Those who hold these views do not necessarily support any sort of harm to non-Jews. Rav Ovadia Yosef, himself, condemned those who vandalized Arab property, as did the vast majority of Orthodox leaders. Many Orthodox schools have expressed more humanistic views. Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Rosh Yeshivah of Gush, for example, strongly opposed what he saw as racist attitudes among certain segments of Religious Zionism. Jewish philosopher and professor Menachem Kellner criticizes

3120-532: The Amaleks , the rest of the gentiles will adopt monotheism and the righteous among them will escape Gehenna . Other rabbinical writings show more hostility towards gentiles which needs to be understood in the context of frequent persecution of the Jews in this period. The most famous and extreme of the anti-gentile teachers is Simeon bar Yochai . He is often quoted by antisemites in his sayings: "The best among

3224-540: The Catacombs of Rome , before Christian imagery could be made explicit. The form of the image showing a young man carrying a lamb around his neck was directly borrowed from the much older pagan kriophoros (see below) and in the case of portable statuettes like the most famous one now in the Pio Cristiano Museum , Vatican City (right), it is impossible to say whether the image was originally created with

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3328-571: The Eucharist . In fact, there is no institution of the Eucharist in John's account of the Last Supper (it is replaced by Jesus washing the feet of his disciples), and no New Testament text that unambiguously links baptism with rebirth. Compared to the synoptic gospels, John is markedly individualistic, in the sense that it places emphasis more on the individual's relation to Jesus than on

3432-650: The Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis , meaning birth or production. The original meaning of "clan" or "family" was extended in post-Augustan Latin to acquire the wider meaning of belonging to a distinct nation or ethnicity. Later still, the word came to refer to other nations, 'not a Roman citizen'. In Saint Jerome 's Latin version of the Bible, the Vulgate , gentilis was used along with gentes , to translate Greek and Hebrew words with similar meanings when

3536-579: The Quran , gentile is used to translate an Arabic word that refers to non-Jews and/or people not versed in or not able to read scripture. The English word gentile derives from the Latin word gentilis , meaning "of or belonging to the same people or nation" (from Latin gēns  'clan, tribe, people, family'). Archaic and specialist uses of the word gentile in English (particularly in linguistics) still carry this meaning of "relating to

3640-771: The Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse , and the exorcisms of demons are not mentioned. John does not list the Twelve Disciples and names at least one disciple, Nathanael , whose name is not found in the Synoptics. Thomas is given a personality beyond a mere name, described as " Doubting Thomas ". Jesus is identified with the Word (" Logos "), and the Word is identified with theos ("god" in Greek);

3744-501: The World of Light . In ancient Greek cult, kriophoros or criophorus (Κριοφόρος), the "ram-bearer" is a figure that commemorates the solemn sacrifice of a ram . It becomes an epithet of Hermes : Hermes Kriophoros . In two-dimensional art, Hermes Kriophoros transformed into the Christ carrying a lamb and walking among his sheep: "Thus we find philosophers holding scrolls or a Hermes Kriophoros which can be turned into Christ giving

3848-407: The double entendre at work in John's theology of the cross, for Jesus is both physically elevated from the earth at the crucifixion but also, at the same time, exalted and glorified. Scholars disagree on whether and how frequently John refers to sacraments , but current scholarly opinion is that there are very few such possible references, and that if they exist they are limited to baptism and

3952-517: The kabbalists on whether gentiles access the mystical knowledge ( Daat ). Isaac Luria , prominent kabbalist, wrote: Israel possesses the three levels of soul, nefesh, ruah, neshamah,—from holiness... the gentiles possess only the level of nefesh from the feminine side of the shells... for the souls of the nations (gentiles), come from the Qlippoth , are called evil and not good' since they are created without knowledge (Daat). The animal soul of man

4056-543: The 20th anniversary of the Alliance for Catholic Education and including lyrical fragments taken from the Book of Signs . Additionally, some composers have made settings of the Passion as portrayed in the gospel, most notably Johann Sebastian Bach 's St John Passion , although some of its verses are from Matthew . Online translations of the Gospel of John: Gentiles Gentile ( / ˈ dʒ ɛ n t aɪ l / )

4160-482: The 20th century, scholars interpreted the Gospel of John within the paradigm of a hypothetical " Johannine community ", meaning that it was held to have sprung from a late-1st-century Christian community excommunicated from the Jewish synagogue (probably meaning the Jewish community) on account of its belief in Jesus as the promised messiah. This interpretation, which saw the community as essentially sectarian and outside

4264-679: The 5th century, the figure more often took on the appearance of the conventional depiction of Christ, as it had developed by this time, and was given a halo and rich robes, as on the apse mosaic in the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano in Rome, or at Ravenna (right). Images of the Good Shepherd often include a sheep on his shoulders, as in the Lukan version of the Parable of the Lost Sheep . According to German theologian Friedrich Justus Knecht

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4368-590: The Feast of Unleavened Bread, and his arrest in the garden occurring after the accompanying deliberation of Jewish authorities. Recent scholarship has argued for a more favourable reappraisal of the historical value of the Gospel of John and its importance for the reconstruction of the historical Jesus, based on recent archaeological and literary studies. The gospel has been depicted in live narrations and dramatized in productions, skits , plays , and Passion Plays , as well as in film. The most recent such portrayal

4472-448: The Gentiles deserves to be killed", "The most pious woman is addicted to sorcery" and "The best of snakes ought to have its head crushed". Such extreme views can be explained by the sage's life experience: he witnessed his teacher being tortured to death, and became a fugitive after speaking out against Roman oppression. Later commentators have limited this teaching to idolators and only at times of war. Eliezer ben Hurcanus writes that

4576-569: The God of Israel is a universal God, there must be some relationship between gentiles and God. Accordingly, Novak observes, gentiles as well as Israelites are enjoined in the book of Psalms to "ascribe to the Lord glory and strength" ( Psalms 96:7 ). Christine E. Hayes states that gentiles in the Hebrew Bible were generally gerim (resident aliens). They were not necessarily converts, whether in

4680-724: The Gospel of John". According to the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Parables: "There are no parables in St. John's Gospel" and according to the Encyclopædia Britannica article on Gospel of St. John: "Here Jesus' teaching contains no parables and but three allegories, the Synoptists present it as parabolic through and through." The image of the Good Shepherd is the most common of the symbolic representations of Christ found in early Christian art in

4784-466: The Gospel of John, Jesus and his disciples go to Judea early in Jesus's ministry before John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed by Herod Antipas . He leads a ministry of baptism larger than John's own. The Jesus Seminar rated this account as black, containing no historically accurate information. According to the biblical historians at the Jesus Seminar, John likely had a larger presence in

4888-548: The Greek word ethnos is used for peoples or nations in general, and is typically translated by the word "people", as in John 11:50. ("Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.") The translation "gentiles" is used in some instances, as in Matthew 10:5–6 to indicate non-Israelite peoples: These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into

4992-674: The Holy of Holies. The portrayal of Jesus's death in John is unique among the gospels. It does not appear to rely on the kinds of atonement theology indicative of vicarious sacrifice but rather presents Jesus's death as his glorification and return to the Father. Likewise, the Synoptic Gospels' three "passion predictions" are replaced by three instances of Jesus explaining how he will be exalted or "lifted up". The verb for "lifted up" ( Ancient Greek : ὑψωθῆναι , hypsōthēnai ) reflects

5096-519: The KJV restricts the translation to "gentile" when the text is specifically referring to non-Jewish people. For example, the only use of the word in Genesis is in chapter 10, verse 5, referring to the peopling of the world by descendants of Japheth , "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations." In the New Testament ,

5200-611: The LDS Church, since members regard themselves as regathered Israelites. The LDS Church's website states this about the meaning of gentile in Scripture (including the Book of Mormon), "As used in the scriptures, gentiles has several meanings. Sometimes it designates people of non-Israelite lineage, sometimes people of non-Jewish lineage, and sometimes nations that are without the gospel, even though there may be some Israelite blood among

5304-475: The Law ( Traditio Legis ) and the Good Shepherd respectively". The Good Shepherd is a common motif from the Catacombs of Rome (Gardner, 10, fig 54) and in sarcophagus reliefs, where Christian and pagan symbolism are often combined, making secure identifications difficult. Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( Ancient Greek : Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην , romanized :  Euangélion katà Iōánnēn )

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5408-452: The Logos of the prologue (the Word that is with God from the beginning of creation), for example, was derived from both the Jewish concept of Lady Wisdom and from the Greek philosophers, John 6 alludes not only to the exodus but also to Greco-Roman mystery cults, and John 4 alludes to Samaritan messianic beliefs. John lacks scenes from the Synoptics such as Jesus's baptism, the calling of

5512-530: The Son's "revelation" of the Father, the continuity between the Father and the Son. Dunn sees this as intended to serve the Logos Christology, while others (e.g., Andrew Loke ) see it as connected to John's incarnation theme. The idea of the Trinity developed only slowly through the merger of Hebrew monotheism and the idea of the messiah, Greek ideas of the relationship between God, the world, and

5616-561: The Synoptics make no such identification. In Mark, Jesus urges his disciples to keep his divinity secret, but in John he is very open in discussing it, even calling himself "I AM", the title God gives himself in Exodus at his self-revelation to Moses . In the Synoptics, the chief theme is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven (the latter specifically in Matthew), while John's theme

5720-525: The Twelve, exorcisms, parables, and the Transfiguration. Conversely, it includes scenes not found in the Synoptics, including Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and multiple visits to Jerusalem. In the fourth gospel, Jesus's mother Mary is mentioned in three passages but not named. John does assert that Jesus

5824-481: The academic David Novak wrote, with limited exceptions, "The Bible can be seen as one long discussion of what differentiates Israel from all the other peoples of the world." The Hebrew Bible does not have a word which directly corresponds to the modern concept of a gentile (see etymology above). Instead, the Bible views different groups of gentiles in different ways. Novak states that, "The biblical categories of Gentiles, beginning with those farthest removed from

5928-446: The assumption of some Orthodox Jews that there is an "ontological divide between Jews and Gentiles", which he believes is contrary to what the Torah teaches. Some Kabbalistic writings suggest a distinction between the souls of the gentiles and the souls of the Jews. These writings describe three levels, elements, or qualities of soul: Other descriptions of the soul add two more levels Chaya and Yechida. There has been debate among

6032-626: The author did know them they felt free to write independently. The Hebrew scriptures were an important source, with 14 direct quotations (versus 27 in Mark, 54 in Matthew, 24 in Luke), and their influence is vastly increased when allusions and echoes are included, but the majority of John's direct quotations do not agree exactly with any known version of the Jewish scriptures. Recent arguments by Richard Bauckham and others that John preserves eyewitness testimony have not won general acceptance. For much of

6136-431: The author drew these from an independent source called the " signs gospel ", the speeches of Jesus from a second "discourse" source, and the prologue from an early hymn. The gospel makes extensive use of the Jewish scriptures: John quotes from them directly, references important figures from them, and uses narratives from them as the basis for several of the discourses. The author was also familiar with non-Jewish sources:

6240-431: The believer "abides" in Jesus and Jesus in the believer. John's individualistic tendencies could give rise to a realized eschatology achieved on the level of the individual believer, but this realized eschatology is not to replace "orthodox", futurist eschatological expectations, but to be "only [their] correlative". John's account of John the Baptist is different from that of the synoptic gospels. In this gospel, John

6344-451: The centuries after the Old and New Testament were written – created an increasingly clear binary opposition between "Jew" and "non-Jew". The Hebrew word "goy" went through a change in meaning which parallels the journey of "gentilis/gentile" – both words moving from meaning "nation" to "non-Jew" today. The word "Goy" is now also used in English, principally by Jewish people – see goy . In 2006,

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6448-473: The childbearing woman or the dying grain to be parables. According to the Synoptics, Jesus's arrest was a reaction to the cleansing of the temple; according to John, it was triggered by the raising of Lazarus. The Pharisees , portrayed as more uniformly legalistic and opposed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, are portrayed as sharply divided; they frequently debate. Some, such as Nicodemus , even go so far as to be at least partially sympathetic to Jesus. This

6552-515: The circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? Within a few centuries, some Christians used the word "gentiles" to mean non-Christians. The alternative pagani

6656-453: The corporate nature of the Church. This is largely accomplished through the consistently singular grammatical structure of various aphoristic sayings of Jesus. Emphasis on believers coming into a new group upon their conversion is conspicuously absent from John, and there is a theme of "personal coinherence", that is, the intimate personal relationship between the believer and Jesus in which

6760-493: The definitive revelation of a God with whom they were in close contact through the Paraclete . The majority of scholars see four sections in the Gospel of John: a prologue (1:1–18); an account of the ministry, often called the " Book of Signs " (1:19–12:50); the account of Jesus's final night with his disciples and the passion and resurrection, sometimes called the Book of Glory or Book of Exaltation (13:1–20:31); and

6864-417: The difference in the first case is one of essential quality. Similar anti-gentile remarks have been expressed by the late chief Sephardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef , in which he stated in a sermon in 2010 that "The sole purpose of Gentiles is to serve Jews". He said that gentiles served a divine purpose: "Why are Gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat. That

6968-670: The eighth chapter of the Book of Proverbs , and was fully developed as a theme in Hellenistic Judaism by Philo Judaeus . The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran verified the Jewish nature of these concepts. April DeConick suggested reading John 8:56 in support of a Gnostic theology, but recent scholarship has cast doubt on her reading. Gnostics read John but interpreted it differently from non-Gnostics. Gnosticism taught that salvation came from gnosis , secret knowledge, and Gnostics saw Jesus as not

7072-589: The fifth century, after being rejected by both orthodox Judaism and orthodox Christianity. With the ministry of Paul the Apostle the gospel began to be spread among the non-Jewish subjects of the Roman empire. A question existed among the disciples whether receiving the Holy Spirit through proselytization would be restricted to Israelites or whether it would include the gentiles as in Acts 10:34–47 : And they of

7176-405: The final gospel. Most scholars estimate the final form of the text to be around AD 90–110. Given its complex history there may have been more than one place of composition, and while the author was familiar with Jewish customs and traditions, their frequent clarification of these implies that they wrote for a mixed Jewish/Gentile or Jewish context outside Palestine . The author may have drawn on

7280-413: The first century but which give evidence of preserving early material), the concept of the divine Word was used in a manner similar to Philo, namely, for God's interaction with the world (starting from creation) and especially with his people. Israel, for example, was saved from Egypt by action of "the Word of the L ORD ", and both Philo and the Targums envision the Word as manifested between the cherubim and

7384-429: The gospel and letters in style and even theology. The letters were written later than the gospel, and while the gospel reflects the break between the Johannine Christians and the Jewish synagogue, in the letters the Johannine community itself is disintegrating ("They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out..." - 1 John 2:19). This secession

7488-513: The inclusion of non-Jews and the applicability of the Law of Moses , including circumcision . Over a few centuries, this led to a split between Jewish Christians , who followed Jesus but also Mosaic Law, and Pauline Christianity (also known as Gentile Christianity) which abandoned Mosaic Law and eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Jewish Christian beliefs died out around

7592-524: The intention of having a Christian significance. The image continued to be used in the centuries after Christianity was legalized in 313 . Initially, it was probably not understood as a portrait of Jesus, but a symbol like others used in Early Christian art, and in some cases may also have represented the Shepherd of Hermas , a popular Christian literary work of the 2nd century. However, by about

7696-512: The laws of the Temple, capital laws or others. Even one who is not an erudite Torah scholar is obligated to recognize this simple fact; it cannot be erased or obscured ... One who carefully studies the sources cited previously will realize the abysmal difference between the concepts "Jew" and "Gentile" -- and consequently, he will understand why Halacha differentiates between them. Bar-Chayim further quotes Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935), founder of

7800-411: The level of holiness, their soul remains trapped in the unholy world of the impure Qlippoth. However, other Kabbalists like Abraham Abulafia believed that higher levels of soul are to some extent accessible to gentiles. The Greek ethnos where translated as "gentile" in the context of early Christianity implies non-Israelite. In the years after the ministry of Jesus , there were questions over

7904-671: The like are classified merely as gentiles, goyim or nokrim " "The rabbis... had one term for all non-Israelites, whether idolaters or farmers, liars or trustworthy, Greek or Roman." However, the attitudes of the Rabbis to gentiles were not simple or uniform. Porton argues that the Mishnah-Tosefta discusses gentiles for two quite different reasons: firstly, practically, to guide the relations between Israelites and gentiles who were living alongside each other in Palestine. Secondly, at

8008-481: The lost sheep shows our Lord’s compassionate love for individual sinners. The lost sheep signifies a sinner who, obeying his own evil inclinations and the allurements of sin, has separated himself from Jesus, and is shut out from the number of the faithful. But the Saviour does not withdraw His love from this wanderer. Even as, during His sojourn on earth, He laboured for the conversion of sinners, so does He now go after

8112-591: The main kabbalistic text of hasidic movement, the Tanya (or Likkutei Amarim). Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi , the founder of the Chabad hasidic dynasty, claims that Jews like gentiles possess a vital animal soul, but the animal soul of the Jew comes from the fourth husk (Qlippoth nogah), while the animal soul of the gentiles comes from the three lower impure husks (Qlippoth Tumaot). Thus nothing gentiles do can elevate them to

8216-535: The mainstream of early Christianity, has been increasingly challenged in the first decades of the 21st century, and there is currently considerable debate over the gospel's social, religious and historical context. Nevertheless, the Johannine literature as a whole (made up of the gospel, the three Johannine epistles, and Revelation), points to a community holding itself distinct from the Jewish culture from which it arose while cultivating an intense devotion to Jesus as

8320-594: The material world. According to Stephen Harris , the gospel adapted Philo's description of the Logos, applying it to Jesus, the incarnation of the Logos. Another possibility is that the title logos is based on the concept of the divine Word found in the Targums (Aramaic translation/interpretations recited in the synagogue after the reading of the Hebrew Scriptures). In the Targums (which all postdate

8424-586: The mediating Saviour, and the Egyptian concept of the three-part divinity. But while the developed doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New Testament , the New Testament possesses a triadic understanding of God and contains a number of Trinitarian formulas . John's "high Christology" depicts Jesus as divine and preexistent, defends him against Jewish claims that he

8528-413: The mind of every gentile is always intent upon idolatry . He believed that gentiles only perform animal sacrifice to make a name for themselves. He further believed that gentiles have no share in the world to come . Eleazar of Modi'im wrote that Jews, when guilty of the same sin as gentiles, will not enter hell whereas the gentiles will. Eleazar ben Azariah believed that the rulings performed by

8632-491: The modern or rabbinic sense, but were still given many rights and privileges. They were also allowed to keep their distinct ethnic identities. But after Ezra-Nehemiah , many Israelites believed there was an impermeable ritual and genealogical boundary between themselves and gentiles. However, other scholars argue that the boundary is rooted in religious factors. Saul Oylan argues that gentiles automatically became Israelite when they lived in one of their tribal territories, which

8736-756: The modern sense were the Biblical Hebrew word nokhri ( נכרי ‎ – often otherwise translated as 'stranger') and for the New Testament Greek word éthnē ( ἔθνη ). The first English translators followed this approach, using the word "gentile" to refer to the non-Israelite nations (and principally using the word "nation(s)" to translate goy/goyim in other contexts). See the "Christianity" section . These developments in Bible translation practice were related to developments in Jewish Rabbinical and Christian thinking which – in

8840-591: The other elements of the gospel's "high" Christology. Jesus's teachings in the Synoptics greatly differ from those in John. Since the 19th century, scholars have almost unanimously accepted that the Johannine discourses are less likely to be historical than the synoptic parables, and were likely written for theological purposes. Nevertheless, they generally agree that John is not without historical value. Some potential points of value include early provenance for some Johannine material, topographical references for Jerusalem and Judea , Jesus's crucifixion occurring prior to

8944-413: The people. This latter usage is especially characteristic of the word as used in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants." Thus, in such usage, Jewish people may be gentiles because they are not members of the LDS Church. Beyond this Scriptural usage, gentile was widely used by Mormons in day-to-day life in the nineteenth century, with such usage declining through the twentieth century. As with

9048-511: The prologue, the gospel identifies Jesus as the Logos or Word. In Ancient Greek philosophy , the term logos meant the principle of cosmic reason. In this sense, it was similar to the Hebrew concept of Wisdom , God's companion and intimate helper in creation. The Hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo merged these two themes when he described the Logos as God's creator of and mediator with

9152-421: The public mind than Jesus. In the first half of the 20th century, many scholars, especially Rudolph Bultmann , argued that the Gospel of John has elements in common with Gnosticism . Christian Gnosticism did not fully develop until the mid-2nd century, and so 2nd-century Proto-Orthodox Christians concentrated much effort in examining and refuting it. To say the Gospel of John contained elements of Gnosticism

9256-538: The rabbinic laws against fellowship and fraternization were relaxed; for example, Maimonides was the personal physician of Saladin . Even though most contemporary rabbinic schools are not as hostile to Gentiles as Medieval rabbinic schools were , some Orthodox rabbinic schools hold extremely xenophobic views. For example, scholars from the Zionist HaRav Kook yeshiva are schooled in the doctrine that Jews and gentiles have different kinds of souls. One of

9360-513: The rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah , from approximately 10–220 CE. It was this rabbinic literature of the first centuries CE that developed the concept of the gentile as we understand it today - as "any individual who is not a Jew, erasing all ethnic and social differences among different others". "Mishnah-Tosefta makes no clear distinction among the various types of non-Israelites. Romans, Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians, and

9464-488: The risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God" (the same title, dominus et deus , claimed by the Emperor Domitian , an indication of the date of composition). Scholars agree that while the Gospel of John clearly regards Jesus as divine, it just as clearly subordinates him to the one God. According to James Dunn , this Christology does not describe a subordinationist relation but rather the authority and validity of

9568-588: The same order: the date of the crucifixion is different, as is the time of Jesus' anointing in Bethany and the cleansing of the Temple , which occurs in the beginning of Jesus' ministry rather than near its end. Many incidents from John, such as the wedding in Cana, the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the raising of Lazarus , are not paralleled in the synoptics, and most scholars believe

9672-572: The sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father This passage

9776-523: The side of impurity, for the souls of the gentiles derive from the side of impurity The following passage in the Zohar reaffirms this idea: Said Rabbi Hiyya: If this is true (that neshamah is acquired through following the Torah) is it so that gentiles have no neshamah, only the living nefesh? Rabbi Yohannan said: That is correct. The view that gentiles only possess bestial souls was more popularized by

9880-456: The sinner. He calls him by His grace, by His priests, and invites him to return once more to the fold, by means of the Sacrament of Penance ." Roger Baxter in his Meditations sees Jesus, the good shepherd, as a fulfillment of a number of Old Testament passages, writing: "This divine shepherd will visit you to-day, to feed you, and to defend you from the wolves of hell. There is no part of

9984-404: The text referred to the non-Israelite peoples. The most important of such Hebrew words was goy ( גוי ‎, plural, goyim ), a term with the broad meaning of "people" or "nation" which was sometimes used to refer to Israelites, but with the plural form goyim tending to be used in the Bible to refer to non-Israelite nations. Other words translated in some contexts to mean "gentile/s" in

10088-577: The way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Altogether, the word is used 123 times in the King James Version of the Bible, and 168 times in the New Revised Standard Version. In the terminology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the word "gentile" can be used to refer to people who are not members of

10192-416: The yeshiva and the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine : The difference between the Jewish soul, in all its independence, inner desires, longings, character and standing, and the soul of all the Gentiles, on all of their levels, is greater and deeper than the difference between the soul of a man and the soul of an animal, for the difference in the latter case is one of quantity, while

10296-419: The yeshiva's scholars, David Bar-Hayim , published a paper in 1989 in which he explained the doctrine, entitled "Yisrael Nikraim Adam" (Israel Gentiles Man). In his conclusion, Bar-Hayim writes: There is no escaping the facts: the Torah of Israel makes a clear distinction between a Jew, who is defined as "Man," and a Gentile. This distinction is expressed in a long list of Halachic laws, be they monetary laws,

10400-467: Was "making himself equal to God", and talks openly about his divine role and echoing Yahweh 's " I Am that I Am " with seven " I Am " declarations of his own. At the same time there is a stress like that in Luke on the physical continuity of Jesus's resurrected body, as Jesus tells Thomas : "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." In

10504-485: Was believed to reflect 'early practices' ( Ezekiel 47:21–23 ). Troy W. Martin believes Jewishness is defined by adherence to covenantal circumcision, regardless of ancestry ( Genesis 17:9–14 ). Thus, even an uncircumcised Jew could be a gentile despite his biological descent from Abraham. He believes this view was extended to the New Testament , where membership in God's chosen people was based on religious adherence rather than ancestry ( Galatians 3:28 ). Tannaim were

10608-599: Was felt to be less elegant. In the King James Version , "gentile" is only one of several words used to translate goy or goyim . It is translated as "nation" 374 times, "heathen" 143 times, "gentiles" 30 times, and "people" 11 times. Some of these verses, such as Genesis 12:2 ("I will make of thee a great nation") and Genesis 25:23 ("Two nations are in thy womb") refer to Israelites or descendants of Abraham . Other verses, such as Isaiah 2:4 and Deuteronomy 11:23 are generic references to any nation. Typically,

10712-413: Was known as the "son of Joseph " in 6:42 . For John, Jesus's town of origin is irrelevant, for he comes from beyond this world, from God the Father . While John makes no direct mention of Jesus's baptism, he does quote John the Baptist 's description of the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove , as happens at Jesus's baptism in the Synoptics. Major synoptic speeches of Jesus are absent, including

10816-432: Was over Christology , the "knowledge of Christ", or more accurately the understanding of Christ's nature, for the ones who "went out" hesitated to identify Jesus with Christ, minimising the significance of the earthly ministry and denying the salvific importance of Jesus's death on the cross. The epistles argue against this view, stressing the eternal existence of the Son of God, the salvific nature of his life and death, and

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