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deathless. This midrash, which has become a popular understanding of the use of Ps 82:6-7 in
John 10:34-36, [15] implies that Israel experienced a new creation at Sinai. Because God gave
Israel the word of Torah, to which it became obedient, Israel became deathless once more as it
resumed the "image and likeness of God" given it at creation. James Ackerman, the chief
proponent of this argument, suggested that the Johannine Prologue bears striking resemblances to
the "Sinai myth,"' indicating how Wisdom once dwelt on earth with humankind (Ps 82:6), thus
making them immortal; but because Wisdom was rejected and returned to heaven, sinful mortals
now die (Ps 82:7). [16]
As regards these interpretations and John 10, Hanson rejected the traditions that interpret
"god" as either angels or judges. [17] He correctly concluded that only the last interpretation of
Psalm 82 (Israel at Sinai) has any bearing on the argument in John 10. [18] All of the studies cited
above, however, are deficient for several reasons. First, they tend to argue for an extrinsic
interpretation of Psalm 82 in John 10: if Jews in their scriptures or tradition can call a man "god,"
then Jesus is not totally out of line in being called a divine figure. [19] This type of extrinsic
argument shows little respect for the midrashic understanding of Psalm 82 or other texts
from scripture about the justification in the first place for calling any human "god," even by
extension. Are there intrinsic reasons in the midrash on Psalm 82 which give warrant to such a
predication? Second, those who treat the background of Psalm 82, even in passing, do not
present an adequate exegesis of the argument in John 10 to see on what grounds Jesus is
acclaimed "equal to God" (10:30, 33) and what Psalm 82 has to do with that argument- There are
some commentators who deny that Psalm 82 in any way responds to the charges. [20] There is,
then, much work left to be done. We turn now to a more detailed exegesis of John 10 to see what
is being argued, so that we might assess more clearly the meaning and function of Psalm 82 in
relation to that argument.
II. The Argument in John 10:28-37
Unless Psalm 82 is used in a purely extrinsic manner [21] in John 10:34-36, then we must
investigate how it functions as an apology to a specific charge in the forensic dynamics of John
10. The starting place is 10:30, where Jesus claims "I and the Father are one (or equal)." The
crowds correctly interpret this to mean that Jesus in some way claims "equality with God." His
claim leads them to a judgment, "blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God"
(10:33). Several questions arise: In what respect are Jesus and God "one" (or equal)? Is it true
that Jesus "makes himself" God? This means that we must examine both the earlier part of John
10 to see in what sense Jesus and God are "equal" and the subsequent apology in 10:34-38 to see
how Psalm 82 relates to the claims of equality.
The First Forensic Proceeding (10:1-28a)
After Jesus claimed to be the door and the shepherd (10:1-16), the Gospel describes
confusion in the crowd about these claims: Is he a demon or a saint (10:19-21)? So intense is this
popular confusion that a formal forensic process is begun in 10:22-27 about Jesus' claims. Since
the crowd, who is an uneducated 'am ha-ares (7:47-49), could not possibly decide these claims, a
solemn assembly gathers "in the temple, in the stoa of Solomon" (10:23). There it puts a formal
question to Jesus: "Tell us plainly, if you are the Messiah?" (10:24). Thus, 10:1-28a can be seen
as a forensic proceeding [22] which formally examines Jesus' claims:
Claim:
Judgment:
Apology:
Jesus' defense of his claim contains no new material which proves its truth, but is itself a
judgment on his judges, [23] an actual demonstration of how his claims work.
10:1-16
1. The (true) sheep hear
his voice (10:3b)
2. 1 know my own
and my own know me (10:14)
3. The sheep follow him, for
they know his voice (10:4)
10:27-28a
1. My sheep hear
my voice (10:27a)
2. I know them (10:27b)
3. And they follow me (10:27c)
By Jesus' criteria of judgment, then, he proves that his judges are not his sheep nor is he their
shepherd. According to the Gospel's logic, these self-confessed non-sheep have rejected Jesus'
basic claims to be God's agent and so are convicted of sin and unbelief (see John 3:18, 20; 5:4045; 9:39-41; 12:46-48). Yet the forensic process is not yet finished.
The Second Forensic Proceeding (10:28b-39)
In 10:28-30 Jesus makes newer and bolder claims Although formerly this Gospel claimed
that believers by their own judgment come to life and pass beyond death (3:16-19; 5:24), now
Jesus asserts that he himself is the giver of eternal life: "I give them eternal life and they never
perish" (10:28a). He asserts that "no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (10:28b). [24] Thus,
Jesus now functions as the active agent of life, as giver of eternal life and as protector of his
sheep even in death. Yet these claims would put him on a par with the all-powerful God.
10:29 states two things about God. First, God is "greater than all" [25] in virtue of God's ruling
or executive power as pantocrator, despotes, and basileus.[26] Second, of God it is said, "My
Fatherhas given them [the sheep] to me and no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers
hand" (10:29). Concerning the latter remark, then, Jesus and God are alike, even equal.
Jesus (10:28)
I give them eternal life
and they shall not perish
forever,
and no one shall snatch
them out of my hand.
To underscore the boldness of Jesus' claims, the text emphasizes that "God is greater than
all (10:29b), thus raising God above all other creatures, be they of no power or great power. Yet
Jesus claims that he is "equal to" God who is "greater than all," when he draws the conclusion in
10:30, "I and the Father are hen."
Literally hen means "one." But the context suggests that this adjective be translated as "equal
to" or "on a par with." Jesus claims far more than mere moral unity with God, which was the aim
of every Israelite; such moral unity would never mean that mortals had become god; as Jesus'
remark is understood in 10:31-33. The very argument in John, then, understands hen to mean
more than moral unity, that is, "equality with God." By way of confirmation, 1 Cor 3:7 indicates
that hen can mean "equality." [27] In virtue of the comparison noted above, Jesus claims equality
with God, who is "greater than all," because there is no snatching out of their hands. To what
does this refer?
In the context of 10:28, Jesus claims both the power to give eternal life so that his sheep do
not perish and the power to guard them from being snatched. Being snatched, then, has to do
with life and death, such that Death [28] has no ultimate power over Jesus' sheep. Conversely, this
implies that Jesus has such power from God so that he is the one who gives eternal life and
rescues the dead from the snares of Death (see John 5:25, 28-29; 6:39, 44, 54; 8:51; 11:25). Since
God alone holds the keys of life and death, Jesus claims an extraordinary power which belongs
exclusively to God. [29] There is substance, then, to the claim that Jesus and the Father are "equal"
(10:30).
I have shown at great length that the Fourth Gospel clearly and formally argues that Jesus is
"equal to God" (5:18; 10:33) because God has given him full eschatological power (5:2129). [30] God gave him power (1) to give eternal life (5:21; 10:28), (2) to judge (5:22, 27; 8:2130), (3) to be honored as Lawmaker and Judge (5:23), (4) to have life in himself (5:26; 10:1718), and (5) to raise the dead and judge them (5:28-29). In fact, 5:21-29, a summary of Jesus'
eschatological power, functions as a topic statement which the Gospel subsequently develops in
chaps, 8, 10, and 11. [31] The claims in 10:28-30, then, continue the exposition of Jesus' full
eschatological power.
Our exegesis of 10:22-30 yields the following information. A second forensic process begins
in 10:28-30. Jesus is formally on trial, not just concerning whether he is "the Christ" (10:23-24),
but especially about his claim to be "equal to God" (10:30, 33), The chief issue that is contested,
moreover, concerns ultimate power over death, whereby Jesus is equal to God.
Claim: I and the Father are one. (10:30, 33), i,e., power over death (10:28-30):
(a) I give them eternal life
(b) "they do not perish forever"
(c) "no one snatches them out of my hand"
Judgment: "Blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself equal to God" (10:33)
Apology: Use of Ps 82:6 (10:34-36): their judgment is false, because God makes Jesus to be
"Son of God"
Our focus necessarily turns to the apology in 10:34-36. How does the Fourth Gospel
understand and use Psalm 82, and does this usage have any relationship to the claims made in
10:28-30? As we begin, let us pay special attention to the form of the charge in 10:33. Jesus is
accused of "making himself" equal to God, a charge that dominates the many forensic
proceedings against him:
5:18
10:33
19:7
19:12
The evangelist distinguishes two elements of the judgment against Jesus: (1) Does Jesus make
himself God or equal to God? (2) In what sense is Jesus equal toGod or god? The distinction is
important, for the Johannine Gospel denies the former half, that is, that Jesus makes
himself anything, but carefully explains and defends the assertion of his equality with God. [33]
Psalm 82 as Apologetic Response
In response to the charge of blasphemy, Jesus advances an argument from scripture using
Psalm 82. When he cites Ps 82:6 in 10:34, he establishes the mode of argument by comparing
two things: if scripture was not in error calling mortals "gods" (Ps 82:6), then neither is there
error in calling the one whom God consecrated and sent into the world "the Son of God" (10:3536).
Jesus' reference to "Son of God" in 10:36 does not weaken the argument by reducing the
claim from god to son of God, because if one continues reading Ps 82:6, the two terms are
considered parallel and equivalent there ("I said, 'You are gods, all of you, sons of the Most
High'"). [34] In claiming to be the consecrated "Son of God," he does not claim less than what is
claimed by being "god" according to Ps 82:6. On the contrary, he claims more.
Yet how does the Fourth Gospel understand Ps 82:6? One stream of critical opinion takes the
citation extrinsically, on a literal level as a mere play on words. If mortals, for whatever reason,
can truly be called "gods" according to scripture, then the term is not a priori preposterously
applied to Jesus. This type of explanation does not ask under what circumstances mortals might
be called "gods," and it sees Jesus basically engaging in an evasive maneuver.
Such reasoning, however, does not mesh with the Johannine perspective for several reasons.
The Fourth Gospel always criticizes people who take things literally, either Jesus' word or the
scriptures. Regularly we find a pattern where Jesus makes a statement, which his
hearers misunderstand because they take it on a literal level, which leads Jesus to issue
a clarification which exposes the spiritual or inner meaning of his words. [35] It seems improbable,
then, that the Fourth Gospel is dealing superficially with Psalm 82, asking readers to take its
phrases and argument on a literal or extrinsic level. This is all the more true since the Gospel
constantly maintains that spiritual vision is needed to see the inner meaning of texts from the
scriptures which Jesus fulfills (see John 2:17, 22; 6:31; 8:56, 58, etc.).
A literal reading of Psalm 82, moreover, seems inconsistent with the more typical pattern of
Johannine Christology. Wayne Meeks noted that when something claimed about Jesus causes a
reaction from the synagogue, the Johannine community tends not to moderate its claim, but to
rephrase it in such a way as to cause even greater offense. [36] Thus, if mortals may be called
"god," then Jesus, whom God consecrated and sent into the world, can be called "Son of God,"
meaning "equal to God." A purely extrinsic reading of Ps 82:6 in regard to John 10:34-36 hardly
seems warranted.
How, then, does the Fourth Gospel understand and use Psalm 82? The chief clue to a special
reading of Ps 82:6 lies in 10:35, when we observe the way the Gospel interprets Ps 82:6 as part
of its argument: If he called them 'gods' to whom the word of God came Whoever, then, is
called "god" is so named because "the word of God came" to them. Scholars have long argued
that this refers to Israel at Sinai when God gave it the Torah, which I think is absolutely
correct. [37] Yet what is the shape of the midrash on this and how might it apply to the Fourth
Gospel?
B. F. Westcott, for example, argued that when the Fourth Gospel speaks of "those to whom
the word of God came," the evangelist refers to the preexistent Word who regularly gave
theophanies to Israel's patriarchs. [38] Although the Fourth Gospel indeed develops an argument
that Jesus is the appearing deity of the OT, [39] it is not apparent that an allusion is being made to
that tradition in John 10, nor is it clear how such an allusion really advances the argument that
Jesus is rightly called "god." The evangelist, moreover, does not propose here the argument
which was made in the prologue, that the "Word came unto his own and his own received him
not" (1:11). [40] Israel is not being reproached here for rejecting once more God's revelation to it.
III. Ps 82:6 in Jewish Midrash
The emphasis in John 10:35 is not on Jesus, the preexistent Word, but on "those to whom the
word of God came," who are called gods. Who were these people? Although it is not the only
stream of interpretation of Ps 82:6-7 in Jewish literature, there is a clear sense that Ps 82:6-7 was
understood in terms of Israel at the Sinai theophany. A second-century midrash goes as follows:
If it were possible to do away with the Angel of Death I would. But the decree has long ago
been decreed. R. Jose says: It was upon this condition that the Israelites stood up before
Mount Sinai, on the condition that the Angel of Death should have not power over them. For
it is said: I SAID: YE ARE GODS (Ps 82:6). But you have corrupted your
conduct. "SURELY YE SHALL DIE LIKE MEN" (Ps 82:7). [41]
Commentary: the occasion is Sinai (Israel stood up before Mount Sinai), when God descended
on the mountain to give the Torah. According to Exod 20:18-19, when the Israelites saw the
mountain blazing with lightning and heard the thundering, they said to Moses: "You speak to us,
and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die." In light of this, the Mekilta indicates
that God restrained the Angel of Death, so that Israel did not die. And so because Israel
became deathless,that is, beyond the power of the Angel of Death, Ps 82:6 applied to them, I
said You are gods. Gods, then, because deathless. But with the worship of the golden calf,
Israel sinned, and suffered once more the penalty for sin, which is death: "You shall die like
men" (Ps 82:7).
An important variation of this midrash occurs in b. 'Abod. Zar: 5a. The context is a
discussion of Deut 5:25-26 where Israel received the Sinai revelation. The author comments that
they have seen God and yet still live (recall the discussion of Exod 20:18-19 above); therefore,
they ask, "why should we die?" This question becomes the occasion for comment about the
fluctuating power of the Angel of Death.
R Jose said: The Israelites accepted the Torah only so that the Angel of Death should have no
dominion over them, as it is said: I SAID: YE ARE GODS AND ALL OF YOU SONS OF
THE MOST HIGH (Ps 82:6). Now that you have spoilt your deeds, "YE SHALL DIE
LIKE MORTALS' (Ps 82:7). [42]
Commentary: the occasion is Sinai; Israel is once again called god because deathless. But now
we find the explicit note that being called god and being deathlessare linked to the reception of
Torah. In fact, Israel chooses God's Torah for the express purpose that the Angel of Death should
not have power over it. Something else, then, is operative here which suggests that receiving
God's word (Torah) makes one holy, and if holy, then sinless, and if sinless, then deathless.
A third early midrash can help to clarify the basic lines of this interpretation of Ps 82:6-7.
The context is a reflection on Deut 32:20, "I will see what their end will be," which is seen
referring to a fickle, perfidious people.
You stood at Mount Sinai and said, "All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and obey"
(Exod 24:7), (whereupon) "I SAID: YE ARE GODS' (Ps 82:6); but when you said to the
(golden) calf, "This is thy god, 0 Israel" (Exod 32:4), I said to you, NEVERTHELESS,
YE SHALL DIE LIKE MEN (Ps 82:7).[43]
Commentary: at Sinai Israel received God's word of Torah ("all that the Lord hath spoken") and
became holy and sinless ("...we will do and obey"), for which reason they are called gods.
Although it is not explicitly stated here, this argument assumes that holiness leads
to deathlessness, which is a godlike quality, for which reason Israel is called god. Yet with
Israel's new sin comes death, the typical fate of sinful mortals ("ye shall die like men").
The basic lines of the midrashic understanding of Ps 82:6-7, then, are clear. When Israel at
Sinai received God's Torah and obeyed, this led to genuine holiness which resulted in
deathlessness; hence, Israel could be called god because deathless. But when disobedient and
sinful, Israel deserved the wages of sin, that is, death; hence, Israel could be called man.
Yet this type of argument presumes some biblical understanding of death and deathlessness
as well as of the nature of humanity and God. In short, the link between obedience-holinessdeathlessness lies back in the Genesis exposition of Adam in God's "image and likeness," [44] an
implicit scenario made explicit in the following midrash. The segment is somewhat long, but
because of its importance and the complicated argument in it, it deserves to be cited as fully as
possible.
R. Eleazar b. R. Jose the Galilean remarked: The Angel of Death complained to the Holy
One, blessed be He: 'I have then been created in the world to no purpose!' The Holy One,
blessed be He, replied: I have created you in order that you shall destroy idol-worshippers,
but not this people, for you have no jurisdiction over them. That they should live and endure
for ever; as it says, "But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of
you" (Deut 4:4). In the same strain it says, "The writing was the writing of God,
graven (haruth) upon the tables" (Exod 32:16). What is the signification of "haruth"? R.
Judah says: Freedom (heruth) from foreign governments; R. Nehemiah says: From the Angel
of Death; and Rabbi says: From suffering. See then the plan the Holy One, blessed be He,
had made for them! Yet forthwith they frustrated the plan after forty days. Accordingly it
says, "But ye have set at nought all my counsel" (Prov 1:25). The Holy one, blessed be He,
said to them: 'I thought you would not sin and would live and endure for ever like Me; even
as I live and endure for ever and to all eternity; I SAID: YE ARE GODS, AND ALL OF YOU
SONS OF THE MOST HIGH (Ps 82:6), like the ministering angels, who are immortal. Yet
after all this greatness, you wanted to die! INDEED, YE SHALL DIE LIKE MEN (Ps 82:7)-Adam, i.e. like Adam whom I charged with one commandment which he was to perform and
live and endure for ever'; as it says, "Behold the man was as one of us" (Gen 3:22). Similarly,
"And God created man in His own image" (Gen 1:27), that is to say, that he should live and
endure like Himself. Yet [says God] he corrupted his deeds and nullified My decree. For he
ate of the tree, and I said to him: "For dust thou art" (Gen 3:19). So also in your case, I
SAID YE ARE GODS; but you have ruined yourselves like Adam, and so "INDEED,
YE SHALL DIE like Adam" (Num Rab. 16.24) [45]
The typical features of the midrashic understanding of Ps 82:6-7 are clearly evident: (a) Sinai
and the giving of the Torah, (b) Israel's obedience ("cleaving unto the Lord"), (c) deathlessness or
immortality ("freedom from the Angel of Death" .."live and endure for ever like Me"), and hence
(d) Israel being called god (Ps 82:6). This midrash makes explicit the generally assumed doctrine
of the relation of sin and death found primarily in Genesis 1-3, for it points out that God created
Adam in His image and likeness, that is, deathless. Adam was deathless because holy and
obedient (I charged with one commandment which he was to perform and live and endure for
ever). Adam died precisely because he sinned and lost God's holiness and "image." This
midrash also makes clear that interpreters of Ps 82:6-7 saw Sinai as a new creation, when the
obedience, holiness, and deathlessness of Adam were restored to Israel, thus linking the Adam
myth with the Sinai myth, as the following diagram suggests.
Adam in Paradise
1. created in holiness
2. and so deathless
3 yet sinned (ate fruit)
4. and so died,
Israel at Sinai
1. reconstituted in holiness
2. and so deathless,
3. yet sinned (worshiped calf)
4. and so died.
The midrashim we are examining all presume a complex yet traditional explanation of the
source of death. Good biblical doctrine states that God created Adam in a state of holiness. He
was, moreover, created in God's image and likeness, which Wisdom 2:23 explains as a state of
deathlessness: [46]
The focus on holiness, moreover, continues in the application of Ps 82:6 to Jesus in 10:36. If
Israel, who became holy, may be called god, then it is not blasphemy if Jesus, whom God
consecrated and sent as his apostle into the world, is called god and Son of God. Holiness or
sinlessness again serves as the ground for calling someone, Israel or Jesus, god.
Throughout the Fourth Gospel. Jesus holiness or sinfulness has been a formal topic of
debate. As regards his alleged sinfulness, the Gospel repeatedly takes note of the popular
judgment of Jesus as a sinner (9:16, 24), a judgment based on his two healings on the sabbath
(5:1-17; 9:1-7). His enemies, moreover, charge him with being thoroughly evil, that is, possessed
of a demon (7:20; 8:48; 10:20). Here in 10:33 and 36 he is charged with a new sin, blasphemy,
for claiming to be equal to God.
In the face of these accusations, the Fourth Gospel denies any sin on Jesus part. John 10:36
represents but the most recent evidence of this defense, as it proclaims that
God consecrated Jesus. After all, Gods judgment of Jesus must surely have greater weight than
that of his peers (see 5:31-46). We have, moreover, heard of Gods evaluation of Jesus elsewhere,
that The Father loves the Son (3:35; 5:30). Sinners, of course, find no place in Gods presence,
yet Jesus was face to face with God (1:1-2) and in Gods bosom (1:18). And Jesus will return
to Gods presence at the completion of his mission (13:3; 17:5, 24). God, then, judges Jesus to be
sinless and worthy to stand in the divine presence.
Nor could anyone convict Jesus of sin (8:46). His working on the sabbath constituted no
breach of Gods law, but must be perceived precisely as obedience to Gods will (5:31; 7:21-23).
In fact, Jesus very ability to open the eyes of the blind testifies to his closeness to God (9:31-33).
Jesus holiness (6:69) and his consecration (10:36) attest to his preeminent sinlessness or
holiness.
Divine consecration of Jesus, moreover, suggests a picture of him as one totally set aside
for Gods purposes [48] and completely obedient to Gods will. This radical image of
commissioning evoked for Rudolf Schnackenburg the sense of a person sealed with the Holy
Spirit, [49] a comment that makes us recall the testimony of the Baptizer in 1:30-31. John testified
that he saw Gods Spirit not only descend on Jesus but remain on him (1:32-33), which
suggests that divine power and holiness were no passing phenomenon for Jesus. Because of the
dwelling of the Holy Spirit on Jesus, John testifies that he is the Son of God (1:34), a figure
whose task was to purify others with the Spirit which remained in him (1:33). Jesus, then, is no
sinner, but Gods Holy One.
Thus far we have noted that 10:34-35 understands Ps 82:6 to mean that obedience to Gods
word leads to holiness and godlikeness. As we saw with the midrashim, this interpretation
presumes some notion of deathlessness linked with holiness. Yet it is important to pay attention
to where and how Ps 82:6 functions in the forensic structure of 10:28-36. The Fourth Gospel
uses Psalm 82 as a refutation of part of the charge. Jesus judges judged wrongly when they
accused him ofmaking himself god or equal to God, because God Himself makes Jesus Son of
God, just as God mode Israel god by delivering the Torah to it. At a minimum, then, Jesus
refutes the essence of the charge by maintaining that God makes him what he is, namely, a
consecrated servant, agent, and apostle, a person totally set apart by God for sacred
duty. [50] The apology based on Psalm 82, then, argues two things: it refutes the charge that
Jesus makes himself Son of God, even as it affirms his radical holiness against the charge of
blasphemy. But if it confounds his accusers (10:31-33), does it explain or support the claims
made in 10:28-30 which precipitated the forensic controversy in the first place?
We claimed above that Jesus is equal to God because of his power over death. In regard
to this, Ps 82:6 does not seem to play a significant part.
Claim:
death, his own and that of his followers. He raises himself from death to life and he raises his
followers from death as well.
Ps 82:6 in the midrashim explains deathlessness, but in a way that is not adequate to the
claims made in the Fourth Gospel about Jesus power over death. For this reason, I suggest, the
evangelist did not employ the full midrashic understanding of Psalm 82 which was available to
him.
IV. Conclusions and Further Questions
In summary, John 10:34-36 can be said to understand Ps 82:6 and use it in specific ways. (1)
According to 10:34-35, Ps 82:6 (I said, You are gods) is understood to refer to Israel at Sinai
when it received the Torah (to whom the word of God came, 10:35). (2) Implied in this
understanding is the intimate link between holiness :: deathlessness :: godlikeness. The Fourth
Gospel cites only an abbreviated form of this, holiness :: godlikeness (3) Ps 82:6b (sons of the
Most High) is cited by Jesus when he calls himself Son of God (10:36), and it refers to his
godlikeness in terms of holiness (see consecrated and sent). (4) Ps 82:6 does not touch the
substance of the claims made in 10:28-30 which precipitated the forensic process in 10:31-39. It
functions as an adequate refutation of the erroneous judgment of Jesus judges, who charged that
he, a man, makes himself equal to God, This judgment is false because God makes him Son of
God. (5) According to the apology in 10:34-36, holiness is linked with godlikeness in ways that
are appropriate to human beings, first Adam, then Israel. Jesus would be a mere human being
even if acclaimed god/Son of God, as was Israel. But the forensic argument in John 10 claims
much more. No mere human being, Jesus is a heavenly figure who is equal to God. His
equality rests not on holiness but on divine powers intrinsic to him, that is, full eschatological
power.
(6) Jesus claims in regard to power over death always remain important in John 10. In this
Gospel, his deathlessness [51] does not formally derive from sinlessness/holiness as in the case of
the midrash on Ps 82:6, but from full eschatological power which God gave him over death
(5:21-29; 10:17-18). In 5:18 and 10:30, Jesus may be called equal to God for a much greater
reason than ever justified calling Israel god, namely, because of powers intrinsic to him. Power
over death is the specific content of equal to God.
(7) If we are correct that Ps 82:6 is understood in 10:34-36 in line with its basic midrashic
interpretation, then the remark in 10:28-29 that no one shall snatch them out of my hand
probably echoes what the midrash discusses in terms of the Angel of Death whose power over
Gods people was restrained. The Angel of Death will not snatch Jesus followers/sheep either
from his hand or Gods hand. (8) Although the midrashim studied above were written
considerably later than the Fourth Gospel, the understanding of Ps 82:6 in John 10:34-36 belongs
in that same trajectory of interpretation. It might be the earliest extant witness of that tradition,
although not the most complete example.
This study has not by any means exhausted the inquiry into John 10:31-39. But it does raise
new questions. It focuses on the formal forensic process which structures the narrative in 10:2128a and 28b-39, highlighting especially the claims made by Jesus. The use of Psalm 82 in 10:34-
36 only deflects the judges false judgment; a full exposition of Jesus claims in 10:28-30 and
their adequate apology in 10:37-38 remains to be examined. The relationship of 10:28b-30 to
issues of Jesus eschatological power in 5:21-29; 8:21-59; 11:1-41 remains to be considered.
The use of midrashic traditions is not confined to 10:34-36. [52] Appreciation of Johns use
not only of the scriptures but especially their midrashic understanding will go a long way toward
clarifying the context of the Johannine community. Finally, if there is substance to the argument
about two forensic processes narrated in 10:21-28a, 28b-39, this might provide further clues to
the historical development of the Johannine community. It would stand as another piece of
evidence for a development from a low Christology (Messiah) to high Christology (equal
to God). [53]
Notes
[1]
Forexample,Exod7:1,whereGodsaystoMoses,ImakeyouasgodtoPharaoh.Thiscausedno1ittle
difficultytoPhilo,ashewrestledwithitsinterpretationinLegAll.1.40;Sac.9;Det.3940,16162;Migr.84,
169;Mut.1920,125,12829;Somn.2.189;QuodOmn.4344;seealsoPost.4344andVit.Mos.1.158.
[2]
AnthonyHanson,"John'sCitationofPsalmLXXXIIReconsidered,"NTS13(196667)36367.
[3]
J.A.Emerton,"SomeNewTestamentNotes,"JTSII(1960)32932.
[4]
SeeLuisDiezMerino,TargumdeSalmos(BiblioPoliglotaComplutenseIV,1;Madrid:InstitutoFrancisco
Suarez,1982)142and269.
[5]
SeeJohnStrugnell,TheAngelicLiturgyatQumran4QSerekSirot'OlatHassabbat,inCongress
Volume:Oxford1959(VTSup7;Leiden:Brill,1960)esp.33642.
[6]
TheoriginalstudywasbyA.S.vanderWoude,MelchisedekalshimmlischeErlosergestaltindenneugefundenen
eschatologischenMidraschimausQumranHohleXI,inOudtestamentlicheStudienXIV(Leiden:Brill,1965)354
73;seealsoMarinusdeJongeandA.S.vanderWoude,11QMelchizedekandtheNewTestament,NTS12(1965
66)304.
[7]
J.A.Emerton,MelchizedekandtheGods:FreshEvidencefortheJewishBackgroundofJohnX.3436,JTS17
(1966)400401.
[8]
Hanson,John'sCitationofPsalmLXXXIIReconsidered,366.
[9]
SeeW.G.Braude,TheMidrashonthePsalms(NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress,1959)2.5960.
[10]
Forexample,B.F.Westcott,TheGospelAccordingtoStJohn(London:JohnMurray,1908)70;M.J.
Lagrange,EvangileselonSaintJean(Paris:Gabalda,1948)290;andR.H.Lightfoot,StJohn'sGospel(Oxford:
ClarendonPress,1956)209.
[11]
JosephA.Fitzmyer,FurtherLightonMelchizedekfromQumranCave11,JBL86(1967)2541,whichisalso
foundinhisEssaysontheSemiticBackgroundoftheNewTestament(Missoula,MT:ScholarsPress,1974)24567.
[12]
Ibid.,26162.
[13]
Ibid.,25153.
[14]
SeeStrB,2.543.
[15]
Forexample,seeC.K.Barrett,TheGospelAccordingtoSt.John(2ded.;Philadelphia:Westminster,1978)384
85;andNilsDahl,TheJohannineChurchandHistory,inJesusintheMemoryoftheEarlyChurch(Minneapolis:
Augsburg,1976)10910.
[16]
SeeJamesAckerman,TheRabbinicInterpretationofPsalm82andtheGospelofJohn,HTR59(1966)18691.
[17]
NotallagreewithHanson;forexample,seeE.Jungkuntz,"AnApproachtotheExegesisofJohn10:34
36,"CTM35(1964)55665.
[18]
Thisinterpretationhasalreadybeenurged;seeJamesAckerman,"RabbinicInterpretation;"18691.
[19]
JungkuntzsummarizeshowmanymoderncommentatorsseetheuseofPsalm82eitherinanad
hominemargumentorconsideritsimplyirrelevanttothenarrative'sclaims("AnApproachtotheExegesisofJohn
10:34,"55658).
[20]
Forexample,RudolfBultmann,TheGospelofJohn(Philadelphia:Westminster,1971)389.
[21]
Thatis,"aplayonwords";see,e.g.A.Loisy,LequatriemeEvangile(Paris:EmilNourry,1921)335.
SomesuggestionshavebeenmadeabouttherelationshipofJohn10:2239andthetrialbeforetheSanhedrinin
theSynopticGospels,butnoanalysishasbeenmadeoftheJohanninepassageintermsoftheformalelementsofa
forensicproceeding;seePaulWinter,"Lukexxii66b71,"ST9(1955)11215;RaymondBrown,TheGospel
AccordingtoJohn(AB29;GardenCity,NY:Doubleday,1966)1.4046;andRudolfSchnackenburg,TheGospel
AccordingtoSt.John(NewYork:Crossroad,1982)2.306.OnforensicprocessinJohn,seeJ.H.Neyrey,"Jesusthe
Judge:ForensicProcessinJohn8,2159,"Bib68(1987)50941.
[23]
ItisvintageJohannineargumenttoturnajudgmentagainstJesusintoajudgmentagainsthisaccusers(e.g.,5:31
46;3:612);seeJ.H.Neyrey,"JohnIIIADebateoverJohannineEpistemologyandChristology,"NT23(1981)
11718.Often"judgment"intheFourthGospelisselfjudgment,sothatifpeoplejudgeJesusincorrectly,theyjudge
themselves.
[24]
RobertAytounpointedoutthat10:2830bearsstrikingresemblancetoJohn17:12("NoOneShallSnatchThem
OutofMyHand,"ExpTim31[191920]47576).Whilethereareclearparallels,Aytoundidnotnoticethat10:28
30speaksaboutJesus'poweroverdeath,but17:12speaksaboutprotectingthedisciplesfromdeathtwoquite
differentissues.
[25]
C.K.Barrettdealtconvincinglywiththetextualissuehere(Gospel,38182);seealsoJ.Birdsall,"John
X.29,"JTS11(1960)34244.
[26]
SeeJ.Whittaker,AHellenisticContextforJohn10,29,VC24(1970)24144.
[27]
SeeJ.Bernard,ACriticalandExegeticalCommentaryontheGospelAccordingtoSt.John(Edinburgh:T.&T.
Clark,1926)366;andBarnabasLindars,TheGospelofJohn(London:Oliphants,1972)370.
[28]
OnerecallshowPaulpersonifiesDeathinRomanswhenhespeaksof"Deathreigned"(5:14,17,21).
[29]
JewishlorenotesthatGodgaveElijah,Elisha,andEzekielthekeytothreethingsthatareexclusivelyinGods
power,viz.,thekeytorain,thewomb,andthegrave;seeb.Ta'an.2a;b.Sanh.113a;Midr.Ps.78.5;seealso
Barrett,Gospel,260.
[30]
SeeJ.H.Neyrey,AnIdeologyofRevolt:JohnsChristologyinSocialSciencePerspective(Philadelphia:
Fortress,1988)993:aprecisofthiscanbefoundin"'MyLordandMyGod:TheDivinityofJesusinJohn's
Gospel,"SocietyofBiblicalLiterature1986SeminarPapers(ed.K.H.Richards;Atlanta:ScholarsPress,1986)
15459.
[31]
SeeNeyrey,AnIdeologyofRevolt,3334.
[32]
SeeHeb5:5.Thesubstanceofthischargeisbestunderstoodfromtheperspectiveofculturalanthropology,which
woulddescribeMediterraneancultureintermsof"honor"and"shame";Jesuspeersinterprethisremarksasclaims
toverygreathonor,claimsthatseemvaingloriousforapersonwhohasneverstudied(John7:15);seeBruceJ
Malina,TheNewTestamentWorld:InsightsfromCulturalAnthropology(Atlanta:JohnKnox,1981)2733.
[33]
InJohn5:1929,forexample,theFourthGospelrejectstheassertionthatJesus"makeshimself"anything;see
Neyrey,AnIdeologyofRevolt,2022.
[34]
SeeBrown,Gospel,1.409.
[35]
OnthisformintheFourthGospel,seeHerbertLeroy,RatselundMisverstandnis(Bonn:PeterHanstein,1968)
4547,5367;andNeyrey,AnIdeologyofRevolt,4243.
[36]
WayneMeeks,TheManfromHeavenInJohannineSectarianism,JBL91(1972)7071.
[37]
IhastentoaddthatJohn5:37,whichalludestotheSinaitheophany,deniesthatIsraelactuallysawGod:"His
(God's)voiceyouhaveneverheard,Hisformyouhaveneverseen."Thistextbasicallyarguestherepeatedclaimin
theFourthGospelthatnoonehaseverseenGod(3:13;6:46);itfunctionstodiminishtheauthorityofIsrael's
previousrevealers,suchasMoses,Elijah,Abraham,andtheprophets,byreplacingthemwithJesus,theunique
revealerofGod(1:18).SuchanargumentdoesnotdenythattheophaniesindeedtookplaceinIsraelshistory,but
ratherthatitwasJesus,therevealingdeity,whoappearedinthem(see8:58;12:41).AlthoughIclaimthat10:3435
referstoIsrael'sreceptionofTorahatSinai,thisinterpretationisnotcontradictedby5:37becausethetwopassages
arearguingquitedifferentpoints.
[38]
Westcott,Gospel,70;amodernversionofthisisarguedbyA.T.Hanson,"John'sCitationofPsalmIxxxii.John
x.336,"NTS11(196566)15862.
[39]
SeeJ.H.Neyrey,JacobAllusionsinJohn1:51,CBQ44(1982)58994.
[40]
Forthistypeofargument,seeR.H.Lightfoot,St.JohnsGospel,208.
[41]
MekiltadeRabbiIshmael,TractateBahodesh9(trans.JacobLauterbach;Philadelphia:JewishPublication
SocietyofAmerica,1933)2.272.
[22]
[42]
Trans.I.Epstein,TheBabylonianTalmud(London:SoncinoPress,1935)19.
Sifre:ATannaiticCommentaryontheBookofDeuteronomy,Piska320(trans.ReuvenHammer;NewHaven:
YaleUniversityPress,1986)329.
[44]
Onthispoint,seeJacobJervell,ImagoDei(Gottingen:Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht,1960)103,11319.AsJervell
noted,Gen1:26("imageandlikenessofGod")playedamoreimplicitroleintheexplanationsofdeathlessness;the
morefrequentlycitedtextinthisregardwasGen3:22("themanhasbecomelikeoneofus").
[45]
ThetranslationisfromMidrashRabbah(H.FreedmanandM.Simon;London:SoncinoPress,1939).
[46]
SeeJeromeMurphyO'Connor,"ChristologicalAnthropologyinPhil.,II,611,"RB82(1976)3137.
[47]
Besidesthethreeexamplescited,otherinstancesoftheuseofPs82:6wouldinclude:Exod.Rab.32:7;Lev.
Rab.4.1and11.3;Num.Rab.16:24;PirqeR.El.47;Pesiq.R.1.2;14.10;33.10;TanhumaBLev7:5;Pesiq.Rab.
Kah.4;EliyyahuZuta4;EliyyahuRabbah24.
[48]
SoBarrett,Gospel,385.
[49]
Schnackenburg,Gospel,2.311.
[50]
SeePederBorgen,"God'sAgentintheFourthGospel,"inReligionsinAntiquity(ed.JacobNeusner;Leiden:
Brill,1968)13748;andmorerecentlyGeorgeW.Buchanan,ApostolicChristology,SocietyofBiblical
Literature1986SeminarPapers(ed.K.H.Richards;Atlanta:ScholarsPress,1986)17282.
[43]
[51]TheFourthGospelhasveryconflictingmaterialaboutdeathlessness.Concerningdisciples,onemightliterallytakestatementssuchas3:16;5:24;6:50,54tomeanthattruedisciplesdonotdie;
somecharactersinthenarrativearesaidtobelievejustthis(8:5153;11:21,32).ItisevensuggestedthattheBelovedDisciplewouldnotdie(21:23).YettheGospelseemstohavequicklycorrected
thatliteralreadingofJesus'words.ConcerningJesushimself,however,hisfollowerscouldneverclaim"deathlessness"forhim,givenhisevidentdemiseonthecross.Yettheydidclaimthathe
overpowereddeath(8:28;13:13).Hisresurrectionfromdeathisseenashisownactofpower(10:1718),thusaffirminghispoweroverdeath,ifnotdeathlessnessitselfinanotherform
[52]
Forexample,concerningtheJohannineuseofmidrashictraditionsaboutJacob,seeJ.H.Neyrey,Jacob
TraditionsandtheInterpretationofJohn4:1026,CBQ41(1979)41937.
[53]
SeeJ.LouisMartyn,GlimpsesintotheHistoryoftheJohannineCommunity,inhisTheGospelofJohnin
ChristianHistory(NewYork:Paulist,1979)90121.
LA MORAL JONEA:
UNA MORAL DE LA VERDAD
Ignace de la Potterie, S.J.
una moral en el sentido ordinario de la palabra, sino ms bien una mstica, que
contiene
implcita una moral. Sin embargo, agregaba inmediatamente, esta mstica
contiene (una
moral), elevndola a su nivel, para hacer de ella un camino en la Luz revelada, y
una vida
conforme a la dignidad de los hijos de Dios(5).
Esta alusin a la vida filial de los cristianos en relacin a la moral nos invita a
ilustrar tal
referencia a la mstica jonea con un ejemplo concreto en el que se trata
directamente de la
vida moral: pensemos en los dos textos en los que San Juan el nico en
hacerlo en el
Nuevo Testamento no teme decir que el hijo de Dios no puede ya pecar (1Jn
3,6-9; 5,18).
Esta afirmacin audaz ha desconcertado a casi toda la exgesis latina. Pero la
tradicin
griega le ha dado espontneamente una interpretacin al mismo tiempo precisa,
profunda y
mstica. Vemoslo para el texto de1Jn/05/18: Todo el que ha nacido
(gegennmenos) de
Dios no peca; pero el Engendrado (genntheis) de Dios (=el Hijo de Dios) le
guarda, dice
Juan; y he aqu el comentario de Ecumenio: Cuando aquel que ha nacido de
Dios se ha
entregado completamente (heauton ekdous) al Cristo que habita en l mediante la
filiacin,
queda fuera del alcance del pecado(6). Como se ve, el autor parte aqu de la
experiencia
subjetiva, pasiva y mstica de la vida del hijo de Dios, es decir de su crecimiento
espiritual en
Cristo, y de Cristo en l. Notemos que esta interpretacin no es de ningn modo
arbitraria:
los elementos que la fundan se encuentran en el texto paralelo de /1Jn/03/09,
como
veremos. Interpretaciones semejantes, y an ms explcitas, son propuestas por
otros
Padres griegos, como Clemente Alejandrino, Severo de Antioqua, Gregorio de
Nisa, Mximo
el Confesor y Focio, Patriarca de Constantinopla en el siglo IX (7).
Pero para dar una base objetiva y slida a nuestro argumento regresemos al
nivel
directamente exegtico, y hagamos algunas observaciones preliminares, pero
decisivas,
sobre el vocabulario joneo, es decir sobre el modo en el que Juan reinterpreta y
transforma
los trminos y las expresiones que eran usadas en la tradicin anterior para
describir el
variado comportamiento moral de los creyentes.
Primera observacin: en su modo de hablar de las virtudes y de los pecados de
los
cristianos, Juan se concentra poderosamente en lo esencial. Mientras los
Sinpticos y los
autores de las Cartas del Nuevo Testamento hablaban de diversas virtudes por
ejemplo,
en Gl 5,22: caridad, alegra, paz, paciencia, bondad, benevolencia, confianza,
mansedumbre, dominio de s Juan parece conocer solamente dos virtudes: la
fe y el
amor. Una constatacin complementaria se debe hacer para los vicios: se dira
que existen
solamente dos, que son precisamente lo contrario de las dos virtudes indicadas
anteriormente: la incredulidad (que para Juan es el pecado fundamental, casi el
nico: es la
iniquidad, el pecado del mundo) y luego el odio a los hermanos (quien odia
demuestra
que verdaderamente camina en las tinieblas: tambin en l se encuentra la
ausencia de la
verdad, 1Jn 2,4-9). Por ello no sera excesivo afirmar que toda la moral jonea se
compendia en dos palabras: en la verdad y en el amor (2Jn 4). Se podra
tambin decir:
en la fe y en la caridad. Una confirmacin nos viene del hecho de que toda la
Primera
Carta de Juan est construida sobre el desarrollo progresivo de estas dos
virtudes, para
concluir con el grito de triunfo: sta es la victoria que ha vencido al mundo,
nuestra fe...
(1Jn 5,4). Tambin aqu se ve que el amor viene slo en segundo lugar con
respecto a la fe;
es, por as decirlo, su fruto maduro.
del
mandamiento es la verdad.
d) Observaciones similares se pueden registrar para el uso de los verbos que
describen
el actuar moral de los hombres, por ejemplo hacer (poiein), caminar
(hagiazein),
adorar (proskynein). En el Nuevo Testamento, slo Juan usa estos verbos en
conexin
formal con la verdad: hacer la verdad (Jn 3,21; 1Jn 1,6), caminar en la verdad
(2Jn 4;
3Jn 3,4), santificar en la verdad (Jn 17,17), adorar en el Espritu y en la
verdad (Jn
4,23).
Una confirmacin decisiva nos ha venido de los resultados alcanzados despus
de
nuestro largo trabajo sobre el tema de La verdad en San Juan(8). El abundante
material
recogido ha sido organizado en 12 captulos, que han sido luego distribuidos en
tres
grandes partes: Jess y la verdad, el Espritu y la verdad, el creyente y la verdad.
Ahora
bien y es un hecho muy significativo esta tercera parte, notablemente ms
larga que las
otras dos juntas, llena ella sola todo el segundo volumen de la obra (ms de 600
pginas)(9). Es decir que los textos en los cuales Juan describe el significado
concreto de la
verdad para los creyentes son ms abundantes que los que indican la relacin de
la verdad
con Cristo y el Espritu. La conclusin es obvia: esta tercera parte nos presenta
la estructura
fundamental de aquello que hemos llamado la moral jonea de la verdad. Es
precisamente
ste el tema que quisiramos brevemente sintetizar aqu: para Juan toda la vida
de los
verdaderos cristianos debe ser un vivir en la verdad.
Ahora bien, los seis captulos de este segundo volumen han sido dispuestos en
un orden
gentico y progresivo. Al principio se analiza la frmula hacer la verdad:
significa que la
vida del hombre es un camino hacia la fe, una asimilacin de la verdad (cap. VI).
Luego se
ve cmo aquella vida de fe se ahonda con la lenta penetracin en nosotros de la
verdad de
Cristo (cap. VII: conocer la verdad; cap. VIII: ser de la verdad). Todo el
comportamiento
concreto del verdadero creyente, por tanto, consiste a fin de cuentas en un
autntico y
variado modo de vivir y de actuar en la verdad (cap. IX). Dos captulos
complementarios
explican adems que el cristiano puede ser de este modo liberado por la verdad
(cap. X), a
condicin evidentemente de que l se esfuerce siempre por cooperar con la
verdad (cap.
XI). Como se ve, el principio interno de todo este nuestro camino moral como
creyentes es
siempre la verdad que permanece en nosotros (ver 2Jn 2).
Frente a estas constataciones convergentes se comprende cunto nos
impresion el
ttulo tan joneo elegido por el Papa para la encclica sobre la moral: Veritatis
splendor.
La idea global era que, para una autntica vida moral, el cristiano debe intentar
vivir en el
esplendor de la verdad. Semejante frmula, sin duda inusual como ttulo de una
encclica,
nos sorprendi. Una investigacin histrica nos ha permitido aceptar que un
ttulo de esa
naturaleza estaba probablemente inspirado en la antigua tradicin latina
patrstica y
litrgica, especialmente en los escritos de San Gregorio Magno. Pero cualquiera
que sea la
precisa proveniencia del ttulo, permtasenos citar al menos dos textos que hacen
ver muy a
las claras su idea fundamental, es decir que la verdad interior del creyente debe
siempre
expresarse en una irradiacin exterior, en su comportamiento moral. San
Gregorio, por
ejemplo, escriba que en el corazn de la Iglesia viven almas radiantes por la luz
de la
imagen de
la transparencia: el hombre Jess es para nosotros la Verdad porque, viviendo
entre
nosotros como Hijo de Dios y como Mesas, es totalmente transparente a la
palabra y a la
vida del Padre(12).
2. El Espritu y la verdad
Para abordar la relacin de la verdad con el Espritu, citamos simplemente los
dos textos
fundamentales.
Ante todo el versculo de 1Jn 5,6 que, despus de lo dicho hasta aqu sobre
Jess, puede
parecer una paradoja: El Espritu es la verdad. Pero el Espritu no es la verdad
en el
sentido de que nos trae una nueva verdad, diferente de aqulla de Jess.
Tambin la
accin del Espritu remite a la verdad de Cristo mismo, pero a un nivel que ya no
es
solamente el exterior del evento histrico.
As debe ser comprendida tambin la expresin el Espritu de la verdad, que
encontramos en el Nuevo Testamento solamente en Juan (Jn 14,7; 15,26; 16,13;
1Jn 4,6),
siempre en referencia a Cristo. Significa que no podemos verdaderamente
conocer y
comprender la verdad de Jess sin el Espritu: el Espritu de la verdad nos hace
recordar y
comprender todo lo que Jess ha dicho (Jn 14,26). Precisamente as l nos
introduce en la
verdad completa (Jn 16,13), de esta manera nos develar el misterio de Jess y
del Padre.
3. Sntesis
Esta doble conexin de la verdad, la una con Cristo y la otra con el Espritu, nos
sita ante
un problema hermenutico fundamental. Problema que ha sido poco observado
hasta
ahora, pero que ser decisivo para lo que queda por decir en adelante sobre la
moral
jonea de la verdad: Querer tener en cuenta solamente la dimensin cristolgica
de la
verdad ya sea aqulla de la persona de Jess, ya sea aqulla de sus palabras
decir de la
comunin con Cristo, que es l mismo la verdad, y por tanto el camino de acceso
al Padre,
ms an, la puerta del Padre. Este segundo nivel es el de la comunin con el
Padre y con
su Hijo, Jesucristo (1Jn 1,3). El esquema implcitamente presente aqu es el
clsico de la
nueva Alianza, anunciada por Jeremas (Jer 31,31-34)(18). Esta comunin
profunda es
expresada en la oracin de Jess al Padre: Que ellos sean uno en nosotros...;
yo en
ellos...; yo en ellos (Jn 17,21.23.26). El creyente debe permanecer en Cristo (1Jn
2,27).
sta es la ms profunda, la autntica interioridad cristiana. Con Pablo, se podra
decir:
Cristo en vosotros, la esperanza de la gloria (Col 1,27). Para Juan, la vida
cristiana ya
no es ms que la presencia de Jess en el alma del creyente (D. Barsotti).
Todo esto, sin embargo, parece alejarnos mucho de nuestro tema especfico: el
de la
moral jonea. Pero esto slo en apariencia, porque, despus de haber insistido
tanto sobre
la idea de la interioridad de la verdad a un doble nivel, como hemos visto
Juan invierte
completamente la orientacin de su reflexin: como un nadador que despus de
un salto
profundo emerge nuevamente del agua, as el evangelista, despus de haber
insistido
sobre el doble nivel de la interioridad, alcanza nuevamente la superficie de la
exterioridad,
de las obras concretas de los creyentes, de su conducta en la comunidad, que
es
precisamente el nivel de la moral cristiana. Por tanto, esta moral se presenta ya
como una
moral de la verdad, pero de la verdad asimilada, de la verdad que se ha hecho
nuestra.
Ahora bien, un hecho muy significativo es que las dos direcciones opuestas que
acabamos de describir (primero hacia abajo, luego hacia arriba) correspondan a
los dos
con el uso de diversos verbos: caminar, amar, adorar, santificarse, que son como
una
sntesis de la moral jonea. Pero, repitmoslo, este modo preciso de actuar
concretamente
en la verdad presupone siempre un doble nivel de interiorizacin de la verdad,
de la cual
aqul es al mismo tiempo la expresin exterior.
Caminar en la verdad (2Jn 4; 3Jn 3.4) significa conducir una existencia
cristiana en la
luz de la verdad. Amar en la verdad (2Jn 1; 3Jn 1) es la praxis del amor
propiamente
cristiano, es decir del amor iluminado e inspirado por la revelacin del amor de
Dios que ha
sido hecha en Cristo. Lo mismo vale para la frmula que describe ms
concretamente el
amor fraterno: Amar segn las obras y en la verdad (1Jn 3,18).
Las otras dos frmulas tienen un carcter ms personal: describen las relaciones
del
creyente con Dios.
La primera se encuentra en el dilogo con la Samaritana, sobre el lugar del
culto
mesinico: Adorar al Padre en el Espritu y en la Verdad (Jn 4,23-24). Aqu
tambin la
preposicin en mantiene todo su sentido local: Jess-Verdad es el nuevo templo
en el cual,
en el Espritu, se practica la adoracin del Padre.
La ltima frmula pertenece a la gran oracin de Jess al Padre: Ser
santificados en la
verdad (/Jn/17/17-19). sta es usada paradjicamente tanto para el mismo Jess
como
para los discpulos. El hombre Jess se ha santificado en la verdad (ver Jn
17,19) en
cuanto que ha vivido integralmente en la perfecta obediencia al Padre y en el
amor filial
hacia l. Esta santificacin de Cristo debe ser el modelo de la nuestra.
No es necesario examinar ms atentamente las otras dos frmulas que Juan
utiliza,
tambin en conexin con la verdad: La verdad os har libres (Jn 8,32) y
hacerse
cooperadores de la verdad (3Jn 8), porque, despus de todo lo dicho
anteriormente, su
sentido global ya est bastante claro.
Conclusin
Los anlisis precedentes han mostrado suficientemente esperamos que la
moral
jonea se presenta como una moral de la verdad, en el sentido de que para este
evangelista todo el actuar del creyente debe ser inspirado, guiado, e iluminado
desde
dentro de la verdad cristiana, es decir desde la revelacin de Cristo. Sin embargo
para
usar una expresin de Laberthonnire sta presupone siempre como condicin
previa
l'intussusception de la vrit (el camino de internalizacin de la verdad)(31),
es decir
presupone que la verdad haya sido acogida en nosotros. Para los verdaderos
creyentes,
entonces, la verdad se convertir en el agua viva que como una fuente en
primavera
irriga su existencia(32). Ser para ellos un verdadero alimento para el sustento
de toda
su vida (pabulum veritatis, epulae veritatis)(33), ser la lumen veritatis(34) que los
guiar
por todas partes. Por tanto, cuando estos cristianos, en la plenitud de su fe, se
esfuercen en
decir abiertamente algo de Dios explica San Gregorio, ellos se presentarn
siempre
ante los hombres como instrumentos de la verdad (organa veritatis)(35).
IGNACIO DE LA POTTERIE
Ignace de la Potterie, S.J., sacerdote belga, es profesor emrito del Pontificio
Instituto
Bblico de Roma. Es un reconocido especialista en Sagrada Escritura y autor de
numerosos
estudios especializados y trabajos de divulgacin. Particip como perito en el
Concilio
Vaticano II. Entre sus obras traducidas al castellano se cuentan La verdad de
Jess; Mara
en el Misterio de la Alianza; La Sagrada Escritura y el Vaticano II; entre otras.
........................
1 O. Prunet, La morale chrtienne d'aprs les crits johanniques (Evangile et
ptres), Pars
1957.
2 N. Lazure, Les valeurs morales de la thlogie johannique (Evangile et ptres),
Pars 1965.
3 J.M. Casab Suqu, La teologa moral en San Juan, Actualidad Bblica 14, Fax,
Madrid 1970.
4 J. Bonsirven, ptres de Saint Jean, Pars 1954, pp. 57-58 (las cursivas son
nuestras).
5 F.-M. Braun, Morale et mystique lcole de Saint Jean, en Morale et requtes
contemporaines, Pars 1954, p. 82 (ver pp. 71-84). Una observacin anloga se
encuentra en
O. Prunet, ob. cit., V: L'thique jaillit de la mystique (La tica brota de la
mstica).
6 Ver nuestro artculo L'impeccabilit del cristiano secondo 1 Gv 3,6-9, en I. de la
Potterie - S.
Lyonnet, La vita secondo lo Spirito, condizione del cristiano, Roma 1992, pp. 234258 (el texto
de Ecumenio est citado en la p. 236, nota 4).
7 Ver all mismo, p. 236, nota 3 y p. 255, nota 43; para Focio y Clemente
Alejandrino, ver
nuestra obra La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, Analecta Bblica 74, Biblical Institute
Press, Roma
1977, p. 610 y p. 1001, nota 278.
8 Ver la nota precedente.
9 Ver los ttulos: tome II (troisime partie): Le croyant et la vrit (tomo II
[tercera parte]: El
creyente y la verdad), pp. 479-1128.
10 Moralia, 19,10,17 (CC 143 A, 968). El texto latino es el siguiente: veritatis luce
resplendentes
animas.
11 Esta oracin se lee tambin el XIII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (en nuestra
traduccin, sin
embargo, seguimos de cerca el original latino y no la versin oficial del Misal: ut
in splendore
veritatis semper maneamus conspicui). Otros textos antiguos, tanto patrsticos
(especialmente de San Gregorio) como litrgicos, sobre la relacin entre la
verdad cristiana y
la vida moral del creyente, se pueden encontrar en La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II,
ob. cit., pp.
1033-1046. Queremos citar por lo menos otra oracin litrgica, muy semejante a
aqulla
transcrita anteriormente y que se remonta probablemente al mismo Papa Gelasio
(492-496)
(ver La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, ob. cit., pp. 1039-1040, incluidas las notas):
Oh Dios que
manifiestas la luz de tu verdad a quienes andan errantes para que puedan
regresar al camino
recto, concede a todos los que se profesan cristianos rechazar aquello que es
contrario a este
nombre y seguir aquello que le es conforme (Lunes de la III Semana del Tiempo
Pascual).
Subrayamos algunos detalles: la verdad que viene de Dios es una luz para los
hombres, una
revelacin (veritatis tuae lumen) que se ha manifestado tambin a los que andan
errantes; los
que se profesan cristianos deben intentar seguir aquello que se conforma a este
nombre; en
otros trminos, la fe de los cristianos debe, por una parte, ser profesada; por otra
parte debe
funcionar tambin como norma en el seguimiento, es decir en el actuar cristiano;
para los que
andan errantes, en cambio, aquella luz de la verdad de Dios debe ser una
invitacin a
regresar al recto camino.
12 Ver algunos textos citados en La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. I, ob. cit., pp. 276277.
13 H. de Lubac, Exgse mdivale, II, 1, Coll. Thologie 42, Pars 1961, p. 558.
14 Ver La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. I, ob. cit., pp. 39-78, cap. 1: Parole et vrit
(Palabras y
verdad).
15 Remitimos aqu a nuestro trabajo Lascolto e linteriorizzazione della Parola
secondo S.
Giovanni, en Parola, Spirito e vita, 1 (1980), pp. 120-140.
16 La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, ob. cit., pp. 684-696: L'eau vive et l'adoration
des temps
messianiques (El agua viva y la adoracin de los tiempos mesinicos).
17 Ver L'unzione del cristiano con la fede, en I. de la Potterie - S. Lyonnet, La vita
secondo lo
Spirito, condizione del cristiano, ob. cit., cap. V, pp. 125-199 (para San Juan ver
pp. 148-171);
Struttura letteraria (Atti del IV Simposio di Efeso, 1993), pp. 85-86.
18 Ver La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, ob. cit., p. 1000, nota 275.
19 De vera religione, 39 (PL 34, 154). Sobre este principio, ver La vrit dans Saint
Jean, t. II, ob.
cit., p. 954 y nota 132.
20 Para Pascal ver el bello trabajo de A. Forest, Pascal ou lintriorit rvlante,
Pars 1971. En la
p. 73, precisamente en relacin a la idea de verdad, cita un texto de evidente
inspiracin
agustiniana, un texto que era muy preciado para Pascal y que le haba venido de
los
ambientes de Port-Royal: Le coeur est le lieu naturel de la vrit (El corazn
es el lugar
natural de la verdad).
21 Aim Forest es quizs el ms importante de estos autores. Ha escrito varias
veces sobre el
tema de la interioridad. Adems del libro citado en la nota anterior, ver tambin
Vrit et
intriorit selon Michele Federico Sciacca, en M.T. Antonelli - M. Schiavone (dirs.),
Studi in
onore di M.F. Sciacca, Miln 1959, pp. 135-149.
22 G.-Ph. Widmer, La conception thologique de la vrit et le retournement
pistmologique, en
Istina, 18 (1973), p. 36 (ver pp. 24-43). En nuestra obra La vrit dans Saint
Jean, t. II, ob.
cit., p. 1014, nota 5, hemos citado un texto de P. Evdokimov, quien tambin insiste
en la
necesidad de (une) intriorisation fondamentale de la vrit chrtienne (una
interiorizacin
fundamental de la verdad cristiana).
Otro autor tambin se ha expresado de modo particularmente significativo: R.
Habachi,
Promozione dellinteriorit, en Studium, 72 (1976), pp. 471-489. All escribe:
...el umbral al
que ha llegado la humanidad, este muro del crecimiento cuantitativo contra el
cual sta se
tropieza, no podra ser derrumbado sino por una transformacin cualitativa que
sostenga su
trascendencia horizontal con una trascendencia vertical. La humanidad debe
hacer un salto en
s misma, en su propia interioridad (...); (es necesario) hacer que el progreso pase
del exterior
al interior, de la cantidad a la calidad, de la horizontalidad a la verticalidad (pp.
418-419). La
urgencia de esta promocin de la interioridad ha sido subrayada en trminos
incisivos por J.
Green, segn el cual nosotros vivimos hoy una conspiracin contra la
interioridad.
23 Scholia vetera in Ioannem, en h.1 (PG 100, 1229 B).
24 Ver La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, ob. cit., p. 518, nota 76 y p. 535, nota 105,
donde citamos
algunos textos de L. Laberthonnire, uno de los autores modernos que mejor ha
evidenciado
le besoin dintrioriser la vrit (la necesidad de interiorizar la verdad). l
afirma tambin:
Nous avons faire progressivement la vrit en nous; la vrit du Christ (...) a
toujours
besoin de grandir en nous (Debemos hacer progresivamente la verdad en
nosotros; la
verdad de Cristo [...] siempre tiene necesidad de crecer en nosotros).
25 En todos los escritos paulinos einai ek se encuentra solamente 11 veces, pero
est 52 veces
en los escritos joneos.
26 O. Prunet, ob. cit., p. 7.
27 Es decir verdad (n. del t.).
28 Es decir en la verdad (n. del t.).
29 D. Mollat, Remarques sur le vocabulaire spatial du quatrime vangile, en
Studia Evangelica,
TU 73 (1959), p. 325 (ver pp. 321-328).
30 All mismo, p. 321.
31 Citado en La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, ob. cit., p. 1059.
32 Ver el texto de Clemente Alejandrino citado en la primera pgina de La vrit
dans Saint Jean,
t. II, ob. cit., p. 471.
33 Ver diversos ejemplos citados en La vrit dans Saint Jean, t. II, ob. cit., p.
1036, nota 73.
34 All mismo, p. 1036, nota 72.
35 Moralia, 30,81 (PL 76, 569 C).
_________________________________________________
todos sin duda tena algo o mucho de novedad. Para los que
procedan de la gentilidad, el trmino "santo" que utilizaba San
Pablo significaba mucho ms de lo que estaban acostumbrados a
or. Para los que venan del judasmo, el concepto
veterotestamentario de santidad con el que estaban bien
familiarizados haba adquirido ahora un nuevo sentido por la muerte
y resurreccin de Cristo.
Entre los paganos el concepto "santo" (hagios) era ms bien pobre
[6]. Se utilizaba en relacin con lo divino para indicar eso que se
debe temer y por lo que hay que sentir respeto, sea como objeto de
veneracin sea como objeto de maldicin. Para los historiadores
griegos, por ejemplo, eran "santos" los lugares de culto, los templos
o santuarios, especialmente los orientales. Para Demstenes o
Aristteles, eran "santos" los ritos mistricos. En la tradicin
filosfica, se consideraban "santos" los juramentos (Aristteles) y
los contratos (Platn), as como la vida moral y la patria. Tambin
se calificaba de "santos" a los dioses, sobre todo a los egipcios y
sirios, y en general a los orientales como Isis, Sarapis, Baal. Y
aunque es posible que los discpulos de Epicuro designaran a su
maestro como "santo", en poca clsica hagios no se aplicaba a los
hombres (para ello se utilizaba agns) sino a otras realidades. En
todo caso, se puede afirmar que era un trmino poco utilizado y
cuando se empleaba, nunca se usaba como expresin de una
cualidad tica o personal del hombre, ni tampoco designaba la
santidad (de lo divino) en s misma. Expresaba la santidad de
aquello que exiga respeto, veneracin y temor. Slo en poca
helenstica se hizo ms frecuente su uso, por el influjo del concepto
oriental de "santidad", para manifestar personas o cosas que se
hallaban en una determinada relacin con Dios.
En cambio, en el Antiguo Testamento el campo semntico de la
santidad es muy rico [7]. El Pueblo de Israel conoce a Dios como el
Santo por excelencia: slo Dios puede ser llamado Santo y como
tal es saludado por los serafines en Is 6,3, que "clamaban entre s
diciendo: Santo, Santo, Santo es el Seor de los ejrcitos! Llena
voluntad de Dios que exige que todos sean santos (4,3) y la base
de la exhortacin de Pablo es la necesidad de agradar a Dios,
situndose en plena comunin con su voluntad, nico y supremo
criterio de accin. En este clima de confianza, las normas
impartidas por el apstol son efectivamente recibidas como normas
"de parte del Seor Jess" (4,2) y son aceptadas como expresiones
de la voluntad divina, que viene mejor precisada en la santificacin
(4,3).
Teniendo en cuenta la procedencia gentil de la mayora de sus
destinatarios, esta voluntad se manifiesta, entre otras cosas, en el
rechazo de uno de los vicios principales del mundo pagano: la
fornicacin. La fornicacin proliferaba en aquella poca y era la
lacra que ms chocaba con la mentalidad juda. San Pablo es
contundente en afirmar la incompatibilidad entre la fornicacin y la
vida cristiana. La fornicacin implica la bsqueda desenfrenada de
una autosatisfaccin que se opone radicalmente a la lgica del
amor, que es donacin y atencin al otro y que est en la base de
la santidad. Por eso, Pablo exhorta a sus destinatarios a no ser
vctimas de este vicio porque tienen el Espritu como principio de
vida (4,1-8), y por eso tambin les anima a poner en prctica el
amor fraterno, advirtindoles de todo lo que pudiera oscurecer su
empeo y desarrollando as positivamente su vocacin a la
santidad (4,9-12).
Ciertamente, la santidad empieza por el rechazo de la impureza. En
este sentido Pablo comparte la visin rabnica. Segn ella exista
una intensa conexin entre santidad y castidad. "Ser santo"
significaba "ser separado", separado sobre todo de los pueblos
paganos y de sus cultos idoltricos, mantenindose lejos del
pecado, en especial de la lujuria. As lo testimonia Jehuda b. Pazzi,
que dice en Lev. R. 24,6 (34d): "Quien se mantiene lejos de la
lujuria es llamado santo". De manera que, en el tardo-judasmo,
"santos" y "castos" vendrn a ser sinnimos.
En el mundo de San Pablo, la akatharsa, la impureza, se opone a
la santidad y caracteriza al paganismo. El paganismo es impuro por
Hugo Zorrilla
Few chapters of the Bible have had so many focuses, such varied interpretations and so
many ecclesial practices as John 13, and in particular, John 13:1-11. Indeed, the gospel of
John is not a biography of Jesus. It is a Christological understanding of the practices of
Jesus. We recognize that every approach to the gospel text as a hermeneutical option
lets us see that we are interpreting an interpretation. That is to say, the believing
community subordinated the historical facts to the theological interpretation of Jesus,
the Christ.
Footwashing speaks to christological and missional matters.
The literary and theological cohesion in the Fourth Gospel is found in the
Christological understanding of the life and the practice of Jesus. Jesus is condemned
and executed by those who did not receive him, and they were his own people. This line
of Johannine interpretation is central and runs through the whole gospel. Parallel to this
also is the command to Jesus disciples that they be obedient. This will take them in the
same path as their Master. The practice and mission of Jesus is continued by the
practice and mission of his own in the midst of a hostile and violent world. These
thematic lines illuminate the understanding and the appropriation of our text. {75}
life appears 50 times and love only 6 times; while in chapters 13-21, life appears 6 times
and love 31 times.
Since his hour has come, Jesus dedicates himself to his disciples. In a farewell
setting because he is going to the Father, Jesus seeks with his words and actions to
commit his disciples to obedience in the midst of a repressed setting of a world which
hates them to death. In other words, with the footwashing, the challenge for the
disciples to follow in the steps of the Master begins. In effect, the Christological
emphasis on obedience in 13:1-11 is expressed concretely in the missionary history of the
disciples. For this, Jesus prays (17:18) and he commissions them again when he is
glorified.
Another aspect that should be considered in Johannine theology is the
characterizations of Judas and of Peter in their roles of desertion and denial in following
Jesus. Here in chapter 13, in the context of the last supper of Jesus with his disciples,
Judas and Peter appear in conflict with the demands of Jesus, powerless and incapable
of assimilating the demands of following him. Likewise, they appear in chapter 6 after
the bread of life discourse. Judas is chosen along with Peter as one of the twelve, but is
identified as the devil (6:70; cf. 13:2). It appears that, for the evangelist, in this last
supper charged with profound feelings of farewell and of commitment, the role of Judas
is more than scandalous: he is the traitor because he rejects the divine identity of Jesus
as the Messiah. Of the eight times Judas is mentioned in this gospel, four are in
connection with the last supper.
It is helpful to ask: How did the first readers of the gospel understand the words
and expressions of Jesus in 13:1-11? Possibly this section of the {76} footwashing was
always seen together with the last supper in a context of farewell. That is to say, if the
evangelist implies the institution of the Lords Supper, then it is to be intimately related
to the servile expressions of Jesus in the washing of the feet of his disciples. The
synoptic gospels do not record this incident, just as John does not make the details of
the last supper explicit. Luke 22:22-27, where Jesus presents himself as an example in
giving his life, is the closest to Johns record; Mark 10:45, where his service is to give his
life in ransom for many, has a tone not unlike Johns story.
the characters are identified as interlocutors of Jesus. They are his own, those whom
the Father had given him, and whom Jesus himself had chosen (13:1; 15:16, 19; 17:6, 9,
11).
Chapters 13-17 have great theological importance since they shed light on the
earlier chapters (1-12), and without them, the following chapters (18-21) would not be
understood. Using literary analysis, it is noted that the material in chaps. 13-17 is
organized between the narrative and the discursive, and that it is structured in a
concentric, circular or chiasmic form as follows:
A. 13:1-30 An act of love with the disciples
B. 13:31-14:31 Desertion and discourses of comfort
C.
D.
Since the setting is the farewell, there is little narrative but much discursive
material. This way of organizing the material comes from the tradition of the farewells
of the Old Testament. To this tradition belong the farewells of Isaac (Gen. 27), Jacob
(Gen. 49), Moses (Deut. 31-33), Joshua (Josh. 24) and Samuel (1 Sam. 12). This form of
expressing the history and the teaching of the biblical characters in their last goodbye
continued as a legacy or a spiritual testament in the pseudepigraphic book Testament
of the Twelve Patriarchs. The farewell of Paul to the brethren in Ephesus also follows
this form (Acts 20:17-38). 1
The structural elements of farewells in John 13-17 are identified as follows:
SettingHe who is leaving or will die calls his own so that they are together before the
separation (13:4, 5; 17:9).
MemoryExperiences lived with the children or the disciples are remembered (13:33;
14:9, 25, 26; 15:14, 15).
ExhortationThe departing one calls for love and loyalty (13:14, 34, 35; 15:4, 5).
AdmonitionBefore the danger, now that they are alone an admonition is given
((16:1-4).
TransferPowers for the entrusted task are given (14:16-20; 16:7; 17:18). {78}
ExpectationsExpressions of hope in the promises of God are made (14:3; 15; 17:24).
A discrepancy is introduced in this farewell: the violent death of Jesus and the
certainty of reuniting with his disciples. Perhaps because of this, the allegory of Jesus as
the true vine is central in this farewell material. The disciples had to continue united to
him, in the midst of a hostile world, if they were to bear fruit. To separate themselves
from the Lord represented disloyalty, and placed into question their identity as the sons
of God. The spiritual testament of Jesus is transmitted fundamentally so that his
disciples fulfill the task of witnesses in the world. That is why he left them the
commandment of love and the presence of the Spirit in the community.
John 15:18-25 is the center of the chiasm. As such it plays a basic role in the whole
section; it also reflects the setting of the aggressions in which the Johannine community
lived. Because of this, any interpretation that tends to separate the commitment to Jesus
from the act of footwashing, jeopardizes a direct appropriation between the disciples,
the immediate readers of the gospel and the future believers. The element of continuity
between the hearers of the testament of Jesus and the readers of this testament is real
and genuine through the Spirit sent, and because each one has been a witness and
continues testifying of Jesus in the world (17:14-18).
From this point on, everything is directed to the community of believers. Jesus dies
crucified near the city. He returns glorified to be in the midst of his own. The Jews
remain in darkness associated with the hatred of the world.
At this last supper, with its expression of the Masters sacrificial love, the figure of
a traitor stands out prominently, especially so if one keeps in mind the loving manner in
which Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples. The traitor appears in the story
structure on a semantic level of enmity, hatred, delivery and homicide, and so on a line
opposite to love, service, friendship and loyalty to Jesus by his own. The act of Judas,
coming out of the darknesses of night (13:30), precipitates death. Such an act
disconnects him from the community of the faithful. The lineal form of the text can be
diagrammed as follows: {79}
The first understanding of the expression of Jesus, (vv. 6-10) as well as the second
(vv. 12-20) are two readings of the same tradition:
you will understand laterv.
7
because he knows v. 11
In verses 6-10 the emphasis on Jesus action results in the cleansing or purification
of the disciples, while in vv. 12-20 the emphasis is on the example of the humility and
love of the Master. The most immediate context of the passage under study is chapter
13, whose contents can be textually organized in a circular or chiasmic form. 2
A.
D.
C.
B.
A.
The center on which all the structure of the chiasm turns and is understood is
precisely in vv. 18-20. Faithfulness to the Lord is shown in receiving those whom he has
chosen, and those the Father has received, In the background of this missiological focus,
the figures of Judas and Peter are reflected: it is very possible that Jesus is thinking not
only of the disciples listening to his words, but also of the future readers who will receive
the message that is sent.
The evangelist emphasizes the Christological plan that has been shown in the
whole gospel. At the same time, with this introduction, that which has been the glory of
God manifested to the world, is separated from the glory of God which will be revealed
to his disciples.
Jesus knows that he will return to the Father and that he has put everything under
his power. For this reason he performs this act of washing the disciples feet, even
though there is a spirit of treason in the very center of the Upper Room.
A.
B.
A.
A and A are similar through their verbal structure, leaving B and B in the center
of the chiasm as sentences of participation which allude directly to the disciples. Before
the feast of the Passover and during the supper are concrete temporal facts.
Everything in the scenario of this supper will be very different and nontraditional. In
fact, the footwashing is not before the meal as was customary, neither was it after. It
came during the meal. While eating Jesus demonstrates a very radical service of
sacrificial love.
With this so-solemn introduction, Jesus appears as the owner of the situation;
nothing takes him by surprise. He knows that his hour has come, which is finally
fulfilled with his exclamation in 19:30: It is finished! From his first sign in Cana, he
does not hasten the events toward his hour, even though the authorities look for
opportunities to end his life, cutting short his time (2:4; 4:21, 23; 7:6, 8, 33; 8:20;
12:23).
It is very clear that the temporal idea is intimately related to the idea of death that
Jesus suffered at Calvary. For the evangelist, it is a return to where he had come from. It
is an assent (anbasis), a being elevated because he had come down (katbasis). Now
the evangelist uses two verbs of knowing: ginsko (to know, to find out, to experience, v.
2) andoda (to understand, to recognize, to acknowledge, v. 3). Every time the evangelist
speaks of the familiarity of Jesus, or puts knowing Jesus on his lips, he uses the
verb oda in different tenses and modes.
Jesus shows how much he loved his disciples: until the end. This is a
prepositional phrase that can be understood quantitively, until the {81} final instant,
or qualitatively, to the extreme or completely. Now, how did he show this love to his
own? Three answers can be given: 1) in the footwashing; 2) in death at Calvary; and 3) in
both signs as expressions of the same Christological revelation. This love is expressed
before and after the supper and thus 13:1 remains in the center. In the same way Jesus
action of taking off his outer clothing and of putting it on again has its parallel in
10:17 and in 15:13 as a direct reference to the death of Jesus in his hour. He gives his life
and he takes it again. This parallelism can be diagramed as follows:
The previous verses serve as a preamble to the expression of Jesus. Also, they are
worded in such a way that they justify and take steps toward the action. They are
temporal, causal, and modal explanations, and they join v. 1 with v. 2:
There is a drastic change in the wording of verses 4 and 5, with the verbs in the
historic present. This love of Jesus is expressed concretely in the very specific actions in
the Upper Room. It is so much so that there are eight verbs in these two brief verses. It
is a compressed description of the activity of Jesus, utilizing verbs.
The sacrificial love of Jesus is a permanent service which makes history in the
open wound of his side (19:34) from where blood and water issued. It is surprising to
see how the evangelist describes Jesus actions in detail. Jesus wrapped the towel of
service around his waist, but the narrator never indicates that he removed it to put on
his outer garments and return to the table again (vv. 4-5). For the evangelist, the action
by the Master of being a servant is important and therefore he insists that Jesus wraps
the towel around himself (v. 4) and that he washes the feet of the disciples. In a
reiterative way the evangelist explains that the towel was wrapped around him (v.
5). {82}
The rejection of Jesus (vv 6-10).
It is very probable that Jesus began to wash the disciples feet without any special
order. Peter manifests a lack of understanding. He protests and rejects the role that
Jesus plays here. Peter calls Jesus Lord, but objects to the lordship of Jesus in the action
of washing, and to the person of the Master himself: Lord, are you going to wash my
feet? Since this is a technical wording of John, the dialogue shows the lack of
understanding, and at the same time indicates the new teaching of Jesus which brings
about the revelation of his messianic identity.
For Jesus there is a now and a later. This temporal tension is seen in the gospel
where the identity and the words of Jesus are not understood. In fact, the final wording
of the gospel is given in the later time of the Johannine community. Jesus
declarations will be written from the historic memory or from recall (2:22; 7:39; 12:16).
Others also, like Peter (13:810; 21:15), do not readily apprehend what Jesus tells them:
Nathanael (1:48-51), Nicodemus (3:3-5), Martha (11:20-27), and Thomas (20:2629).
The expression not have a part with Jesus has been understood in different ways.
It may be the Holy Spirit, the resurrection, the missionary task, or sacrificial love. All
those interpretations have in common an inescapable commitment of the disciple to
follow the Master, even if it cost him his life. In the background of this very point the
figure of Judas continues projecting itself (v.8).
From the dialogue, two levels of understanding emerge: one is what the
interlocutor understands, and another is what Jesus explains. In the dialogues there is a
hermeneutical intention or movement of Jesus. From the material, literal and particular
plane Jesus moves to the figurative, spiritual and general plane.
This sign of Jesus ends with a general principle where the term cleanse (katars)
is used with a meaning beyond the physical and literal level. Jesus makes them
understand that this cleansing distinguishes Peter from the world. There remains only
one who is not clean because he has opted for treason.
This gospel is interested in restoring Peter after his resistance and his denial. For
this reason it is important in chapter 21 to clarify that part of the ministerial
recuperation of Peter is the prophecy that the apostle himself will be dressed as a
faithful servant of his Lord (21:18), and that his death will be a glorification as was
Jesus death (21:19). Thus to be dressed carries the meaning of death or glorification
(12:33 = 21:19). {83}
The first interpretation ends with a reference to the traitor, which is made more
explicit in the second interpretation of this act of Jesus. Jesus does not discriminate
against his enemy, but he lets him participate in the footwashing and in the moistened
bread.
In the gospel the traitor is always presented as a participant: he who was going to
betray (6:64; 13:11; 18:2, 5), but here he is identified in a nominal way: not all (13:10,
18), one of you (13:21), one to whom (13:26). From the subtle the narrator goes to
the obvious, from the indirect to the direct, from the vague to the specific. Judas now is
not of the community. He has no part with Jesus because he opted for the world and he
did not understand that the love of the Master went so far as to give his life for his
friends.
I have done for you (13:15). The whole text under study is connected with the mission
of Jesus. He knows what he is doing. He gives his life and he takes it again. No one takes
it from him. He does so of his own free will in love and in obedience. For this reason the
Father loves him.
The power and the mandate that Jesus gives to his followers is for them to show
the love of servants in the world. Footwashing serves the {84} gospel as hermeneutical
criterion and Christological space to discover, on the one hand, the messianic identity of
Jesus and, on the other hand, to show the disciples the commitment of obedience in the
task as witnesses in the world. Or, here are seen more clearly two elements bound in the
same task: the Christological and the missiological. In both cases a sacrificial love is
demanded. Thus, to have a part with Jesus is also to participate in the way to Calvary,
it is to wet your feet. Or, it is to form a part with those crucified in our history today.
What does this text tell us today? What demands does it make on us for our
discipleship? Whatever the biblical-theological approach might be to footwashing, we
must acknowledge that as believers we have abandoned the practice of this example of
Jesus. In a seminary class two years ago, I asked the twenty-one students how many had
participated in or celebrated a footwashing service in their churches. Only three replied
affirmatively. This year I asked the same question to forty Hispanic pastors and leaders
in California. Not one had celebrated or had even had a similar experience in their
ministry.
This example of Jesus is not only a commitment to his task, but a challenge within
the believing community. It must be remembered that footwashing gave a sense of
solidarity in the devotion of the believers in a communitary context. This devotion can
only be understood through the key of surrender in sacrificial love. As Jesus was sent by
the Father, so he sends those the Father has given him.
The communitary practice of footwashing is the most genuine expression of
solidarity in service, which demonstrates what coming to, receiving, or believing in
Jesus as the Son of God signifies. In other words, it is to participate with him in the
challenge of the cross. Jesus created his community around a table and he commits it to
a sacrificial life with its feet in the water. Today we have to get our feet wet if we want
to follow the way of the cross.
ENDNOTES
1
Enric Corts presents an exhaustive study of structures in the farewell discourses in his
workLos discursos de adis de Gn 49 a Jn 13-17 (Barcelona: Herder, 1976).
Mlakuzhyil, George, The Christocentric Literary Structure of the Fourth Gospel (Rome:
Editrice Pontificio Instituto Biblico, 1987), 221 ff; Maloney, F. J. A Sacramental Reading of
John 13:1-38, CBQ 53 (2, 1991), 237-256.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Raymond. The Gospel According to John. Garden City: Doubleday & Co.,
1970.
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.
Schnackenburg, Rudolf. El evangelio segn San Juan. Barcelona: Herder, 1980. van
den Bussche, Henry, El evangelio segn San Juan. Madrid: Studium, 1972. Weiss,
Harold, Food Washing in the Johannine Community, Novum Testamentum 21 (1979),
298-325.
EL MAESTRO EN LA BIBLIA
Introduccin:
La ambigedad y el valor del magisterio
Nuestro discurso, presentado de manera muy esquemtica, ser un simple
itinerario abierto dentro de un horizonte temtico de mil matices y aspectos.
La figura del "maestro" en la Biblia tiene gran relieve, sobre todo cuando lo
examinamos en algunas reas literarias del Antiguo Testamento. Pero
tambin dentro del Nuevo, la figura del didskalos es relevante. Sin embargo,
conviene decir desde el principio que el trmino "maestro" y la figura misma
del "maestro" pueden tener en s elementos de riesgo. Pensemos en el
vocablo hebreo, con el que se define el "maestro": rabb.
Rabb es un termino ambiguo en algunos aspectos. De hecho, literalmente
significa "mi grande" (de rav, grande, potente). Es, por tanto, un ttulo de
prestigio. Y este elemento aparece tambin en otras lenguas: el
latn magister significa uno que es "magis", o sea ms, superior al otro; y el
francs matre significa "amo", y como tal seor del otro. Se entiende as una
frase de Mateo (23,8-10): Vosotros no os dejis llamar rabb,pues
vuestro didskalos (maestro) es uno solo y vosotros todos sois hermanos. Y
no os llamaris kazeguetai unos a otros. La palabra"kazeguetai" la Vulgata
la traduce con magistri; en realidad el trmino en griego significa "quien gua",
quien indica el camino o recorrido. Por qu no debis dejaros
llamar kazeguetai? Porque uno solo es vuestro kazeguets, vuestro gua.
Hay por tanto que hacer preliminarmente esta consideracin: la actividad del
maestro es una actividad arriesgada, peligrosa, que puede entraar
arrogancia del poder y una superioridad despectiva. Este aspecto era propio
de los escribas, los maestros por excelencia, que despreciaban a esa plebe
que no conoce la ley y est maldita. En este sentido se puede ser maestrosamos, maestros de muerte en fin de cuentas.
Pero el maestro tiene tambin un gran valor, es una figura positiva de mucho
relieve. Ante todo y sobre todo es Cristo quien nos ensea cmo ser
verdaderos maestros. Lo atestigua una frase capital en el evangelio di Juan
(13,13-15): Vosotros me llamis ho didskalos kai ho kyrios, y con razn,
porque lo soy. Cristo acepta, pues, para s, ambos ttulos, ambas
dimensiones de la palabra rabb: didskalos, maestro, y kyrios,seor. Pero
enseguida viene la descripcin del modo justo para ser verdaderos maestros
y seores: Pues si yo, ho kyrios kai ho didskalos, el seor y el maestro, os
he lavado los pies, tambin vosotros debis lavaros los pies unos a otros. Y
aade: Os dejo un ejemplo para que igual que yo he hecho, hagis tambin
vosotros. El camino autntico del verdadero ministerio de la enseanza, del
verdadero magisterio, es el del servicio y de la entrega.
Jess junta intencionalmente a kyrios y didskalos, ttulos autoritativos, el
gesto del lavatorio de los pies: un acto que en el mundo bblico, hebreo, no
deba imponerse ni siquiera al esclavo. En un relato apcrifo, Jos y
Aseneth, una historia popular que arranca del episodio de Jos el Egipcio del
Gnesis, la mujer, la esposa di Jos dice: Por amor a ti estoy dispuesta
incluso a lavarte los pies. Es el gesto supremo y extremo del amor, hacerse
esclavo del otro, por entrega. Jess dice: el kyrios, el didskalos autntico lo
es cuando se hace siervo, cuando da su sabidura sin usarla como
instrumento de poder.
De este magisterio como servicio por parte de Jess subrayaremos tres
ejemplos, tomados de los evangelios.
Mc 4,38 (en el momento trgico de la tempestad): Maestro (y bajo este
ttulo se incluye el significado de "seor"), no te importa que
perezcamos?. El maestro debe preocuparse de la vida del discpulo.
Lc 17,13 (los diez leprosos): Jess maestro (o jefe: epistta, es decir
quien est erguido ante otro, la verdadera posicin del seor y del
maestro), ten compasin de nosotros. La cercana, no la distancia,
caracteriza al verdadero maestro.
Lc 11,1: Seor (kyrios), ensanos a orar. Otra funcin de servicio en
la enseanza: el servicio espiritual.
Dos observaciones para cerrar la presente introduccin: la primera est
tomada de Pablo (1Cor 12,28 y Ef 4,11): Dios ha establecido algunos como
maestros. Est bien, por tanto, llamarse "maestros", si uno lo es con espritu
San Pablo (en Rm 10,20) se sorprende ante una bellsima frase di Isaas: El
profeta se atreve a decir: "Yo, el Seor, me hice encontradizo de los que no
me buscaban, me present a los que no preguntaban por m". El hombre se
ira por sus veredas, se perdera por el infinito lejano, si en una encrucijada
no se le presentara la epifana de Dios, su Palabra. Al principio, pues, est la
Sabidura de Dios. En el Gnesis (1,3) tenemos precisamente esta frase:
Dijo Dios. O en el Nuevo Testamento: En arj n ho logos, al principio ya
exista la Palabra (por excelencia), la gran teofana inicial, sin la cual non
hay ninguna enseanza. Sin la gracia no existe nuestra palabra; sin la
Palabra de Dios no hay palabras nuestras. (regrese al sumario)
Los (tres) lugares de la teofana.
Dnde y cmo se manifiesta Dios? Recordemos tres lugares en los que se
ofrece la "leccin" de Dios, la primera leccin absoluta.
1. La Palabra o leccin de Dios se manifiesta ante todo en la Torh (nombre
derivado de una raz hebrea, jrh, que significa "ensear"). Es laenseanza por
excelencia, la "doctrina" por excelencia de Dios. Por ello debemos escuchar
la primera leccin divina mediante la escucha de la Ley. Todo el Salmo 119
(118 de la Vulgata) es un himno grandioso, monumental, a la Palabra de Dios
ms que a la Ley (Torh). Pascal lo recitaba todas las maanas; antes, por lo
menos en el breviario del rito ambrosiano, se rezaba enterito todos los das,
durante las horas de la jornada. Es una alabanza continua, una especie de
movimiento perpetuo: no slo presenta una construccin en 22 estrofas, con
el consabido juego alfabtico, sino que cada versillo lleva al menos una de las
ocho palabras con que se define la Palabra de Dios. Y bien, este canto
continuo de la Palabra de Dios es la celebracin de la primera y fundamental
leccin que debemos escuchar, una leccin de vida (es tambin ley), no slo
una leccin de conocimiento del misterio de Dios.
En el Salmo 25 (versos 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 y 12) se pide continuamente a Dios que,
revelndonos su Palabra, nos indique el camino. Yo soy el camino, la verdad
y la vida, dir Cristo. Con un pequeo particular: en hebreo, el trmino
camino, derek, tiene probablemente una raz de origen cananeo que significa
el vigor sexual, la energa vital. Por eso, decir: Yo soy el camino y la vida
puede expresarse casi con una palabra sola: Yo soy el camino. Indicar el
camino quiere decir tambin indicar el camino de la vida. Por otro lado, el
camino en todas las culturas es un gran smbolo de la existencia misma. En
este sentido la celebracin del camino que la Torh nos ofrece es la
celebracin, como dice el Salmo 119, de la lmpara que ilumina los pasos de
nuestra existencia (v. 105).
Por fin, en el Salmo 143,10 pedimos: Ensame (es el verbo del maestro,
dirigido a Dios!), ensame a cumplir tu voluntad, pues t eres mi Dios. Tu
aliento benfico me gue por tierra llana. Encontramos aqu las dos
imgenes, las dos componentes: Ensame tu voluntad, no slo tu
misterio, sino un misterio eficaz, que acta en m. Y luego me guiars por
tierra llana, en el sendero de la existencia.
2. La epifana del Maestro-Seor se presenta en sus obras salvficas, en sus
acciones de salvacin, como leemos en el Salmo 103 (verso 7): Ense sus
caminos a Moiss y sus caminos [hazaas] a los israelitas. Por la ley del
paralelismo, aqu se describen no ya "mis caminos", sino "los caminos de
Dios". Y cul es el camino de Dios? Son sus obras, sus hazaas de
salvacin en la historia. La Biblia es la historia de Dios y la celebracin del
Dios de la historia, la Biblia es una historia de la salvacin.
Algunas consecuencias de esta tesis fundamental. Los hebreos llamaron por
mucho tiempo a Moiss con un apelativo: morenu, que significa "nuestro
maestro". Y cmo se configura este "nuestro maestro"? Yo estar en tu
boca, dice el Seor a Moiss, y te ensear lo que tienes que decir (Ex
4,12; cfr 24,12). Y qu har despus Moiss? Hablar y salvar. O sea que
Dios se sirve tambin de maestros concretos. Para su historia de la salvacin
pasa a travs nuestro, aun siendo frgiles. A Moiss habra que haberle
elegido el ltimo como maestro: era balbuciente, incapaz de hablar, sufra una
deficiencia constitucional: Manda a otro (se excusa en Ex 4,13; como
sucede en otros relatos de "vocacin con objecin").
Una segunda consideracin. Qu debemos transmitir o narrar en nuestra
catequesis? Qu ensear? La respuesta se encuentra en el Salmo 78 (el
segundo ms largo de la Biblia, tras el 119), que podemos titular come hace
la Bible de Jrusalem: Las lecciones de la historia de salvacin. Lo que
hemos de transmitir y anunciar es no el Dios remoto y abstracto, no el Dios
padre, no puede sino desear que el discpulo crezca; cosa que en cambio el
maestro-amo no quiere, porque es celoso de su supremaca intelectual. El
padre piensa: "A l le toca crecer, a m menguar", como el Bautista (cfr Jn
3,30). Y el captulo 31 (de Proverbios), con ese extrao final del elogio de la
mujer sensata, es probablemente tambin la conclusin de un itinerario
didctico Tras haber desarrollado su leccin, el maestro-padre saluda al hijo
que ha encontrado esposa. sta es una mujer ideal, perfecta, pero es
tambin la Sabidura: el joven se ha convertido a su vez en maestro, en
sabio. Tal habra de ser nuestra finalidad: desaparecer, enseando a los
otros. Debemos hacer que el otro sea capaz de crecer en la fe y en el
conocimiento, y luego retirarnos.
En xodo 12, con la descripcin del rito pascual, encontramos lo que los
hebreos hacen a travs de la haggadh. sta es una narracin que incluye un
dilogo entre el padre y el hijo sobre el significado de los ritos, para llegar al
descubrimiento de la accin de liberacin de Dios. Vemos aqu cul es la
funcin del maestro en la familia, en la relacin de amor: es la funcin de
ensear la libertad, dar a conocer un Dios que es liberador, no uno que te
echa encima la capa de plomo de sus normas, sino quien te indica el camino
gozoso de su voluntad, que es libertad y salvacin.
Por ltimo, el Salmo 78 en sus primeros diez versos nos ofrece una sugestiva
representacin de la catequesis. Qu es la verdadera catequesis eclesial?
Es un continuo comunicar, de padre a hijo, de generacin en generacin, las
grandes obras de Dios, la gran lnea dinmica de salvacin en la que
estamos inmersos. (regrese al sumario)
b) Los sacerdotes-profetas-sabios
Entre los maestros estn tambin los sacerdotes, los sabios, los profetas.
Podramos ofrecer muchos datos sobre este tipo de enseanza. Baste citar
como ejemplo 1Sam 3. El sacerdote El, maestro de Samuel, es el director
espiritual por excelencia: no se sustituye al discpulo, sino que le ensea
cmo descubrir su vocacin, de quin es la voz que le llama de noche.
Otro modelo, muy interesante para el aspecto de la inculturacin, sera el
maestro que hacia el ao 30 a.C. escribi el libro de la Sabidura. l se
palabra de los profetas: decir "s s, no no; todo lo dems viene del maligno"
(cfr Mt 5,37). Por justa reaccin a una retrica o al nfasis del pasado (los
grandes predicadores que aterrorizaban!), non debe perderse la dimensin de
la palabra que ataca, que no se deja adulterar o mercadear (cfr 2Cor 2,17;
4,2); hemos de reconocer que la Palabra de Dio es frecuentemente, como
dijimos, ofensiva.
5. Jess ha sido tambin un maestro proftico, en el sentido autntico del
trmino. Profeta no es quien ve de lejos, adivinando el futuro. El profeta
bblico es quien interpreta los signos de los tiempos; el hombre del presente,
quien actualiza la Palabra. A este respecto es ejemplar el sermn de Jess en
la sinagoga de Nazaret (Lc 4,16ss): toma la Palabra de Dios segn Isaas; la
lee y la comenta. Cmo? Hoy ha quedado cumplido este pasaje ante
vosotros que lo habis escuchado . He aqu la actualizacin! La Palabra di
Dios se encarna en un acontecimiento, en una persona presente! Todo el
Nuevo Testamento va en esta lnea. El Apocalipsis tantas veces presentado
como el horscopo del fin del mundo es una leccin para las Iglesias de
Asia Menor en crisis interna y externa, perseguidas. La Iglesia de Laodicea,
por ejemplo (cfr Ap 3,14-22), produce nuseas a Cristo. Es una imagen
dursima, expresada con el verbo emsai, vomitar, indicando las bascas de
Cristo ante una comunidad tibia. Pues bien, a esa Iglesia en crisis la Palabra
de Dios le llega con la funcin de darle un sentido, de indicarle una meta. El
Apocalipsis, en efecto, no ensea el fin del mundo, sino la finalidad del
mundo. No es la representacin de la destruccin, sino la del trmino hacia el
que estamos orientados. El profeta ensea hacia dnde debemos caminar
mientras estamos en la historia, en el presente. En este sentido nos da Lc
24,19 (episodio del viaje a Emas) la definicin de Jess: Un profeta
poderoso en obras y palabras ante Dios y ante todo el pueblo. Justamente
eso es Jess, "maestro proftico".
6. Jess maestro-Moiss. Con una expresin paradjica, Lutero deca: Jess
es el Mosssimus Moyses, Moiss a la ensima potencia. La referencia va al
Discurso de la montaa, que es la plenitud de la Torh: Jess subi al
monte, se sent y se le acercaron sus discpulos. l tom la palabra
y eddasken, se puso a ensearles as (Mt 5,1ss). Evidentemente, el
Discurso de la montaa es una leccin, y tiene lugar en un monte
CONCLUSIN
Al final de este anlisis, ms bien esquemtico y didctico, cabe sugerir
algunas propuestas o indicaciones para ulteriores desarrollos.
1. La enseanza es una gracia y nace de una gracia: tiene una gnesis y un
fin transcendente, es una teofana, una manifestacin de Dios, a la que luego
siguen las palabras del enviado. Lo sugiere tambin Pablo en 1Cor 1,6-7,
hablando del martyrion to Christo: As se vio confirmado entre vosotros el
testimonio de Cristo, hasta el punto de que en ningn don os quedis cortos
. El P. Lyonnet nota que se trata de un genitivo subjetivo y no objetivo: es un
testimonio que Cristo mismo da de s a los suyos. Ciertamente, es necesario
acoger esta gracia, inclusive mediante la contemplacin, dejndose irradiar
por ella. A este respecto presenta aspectos interesantes la pelcula Luces de
invierno de Ingmar Bergman, con la historia de la crisis vocacional de un
pastor. El sacristn comprende el drama de este pastor, que sigue siendo un
ptimo predicador, pero ha perdido la fe. Y es precisamente el sacristn quien
le ayuda, recordndole la experiencia de Cristo en Getseman y en el
Calvario, marcada por el silencio de Dios. En nuestra vida llegar el momento
en que no se enciende la luz de la teofana, pero Dios no nos abandona.
Nunca caemos fuera del calorcillo de las manos de Dios; somos siempre,
como dicen los profetas y los salmos, obra de sus manos. A nosotros nos
toca estar siempre abiertos a esta luz; de lo contrario seremos slo
"propagandistas", "publicitarios" del evangelio (algo muy diverso de
anunciadores).
2. Objeto del anuncio, de nuestra "leccin", son las acciones de Dios: Cristo,
el reino Dios mismo. Por tanto, ante todo y sobre todo la Palabra, el misterio
de salvacin revelado, la verdad del evangelio..., que es una Persona, un
acontecimiento, una accin que incide en la historia.
3. El mtodo. Es necesario, como nos ensea Jess, adoptar un lenguaje
propio, conocer las tcnicas del anuncio; es indispensable un adiestramiento
del hombre que se pertrecha a anunciar con temor y temblor (Flp 2,12),
como dice Pablo. l intent varios modos; alguno lo abandon. La tcnica de
Atenas, del Arepago, es diversa de la usada, por ejemplo, en Corinto. Es
precisa la inculturacin. La relacin entre teofana y mtodo es, en cierto
sentido, paralela a la de gracia y fe. La gracia es por excelencia don; sin ella
nos toca quedar en silencio. Pero cuando se enciende la gracia de la
revelacin, hemos de responder con nuestra libertad y con todas nuestras
capacidades. Cuntos actos de omisin, de descuido, de impreparacin...,
que pueden ir desde la trivialidad a la superficialidad de tipo exegtico,
teolgico, lingstico, comunicativo, didctico! En este campo los Paulinos
son maestros, pero deben ser tambin discpulos. El don divino se ha dado
cuando habis elegido esta vocacin porque os han llamado; pero a partir de
aquel momento empieza un compromiso que debe ser renovado
continuamente.
4. El horizonte de nuestra leccin cristiana.
a. Todos son sujetos con funciones diferentes, hombres y mujeres, apstoles
y discpulos. Todos estn llamados a ejercer el anuncio, en las formas ms
diversas, incluso sin la palabra, con el compromiso de la caridad.
b. Destinatarios: todas las gentes, pnta t zne. No slo los grupos, las
comunidades, la Iglesia. Hemos de tener la respiracin del mundo, sin miedo
a entrar en horizontes o en mbitos que son del todo refractarios. Slo que
para entrar vale siempre el principio precedente, el del conocimiento.
c. Destinatario es todo el ser humano, la globalidad de la persona. No est
slo el anuncio de la palabra, sino tambin el anuncio del ejemplo, del
testimonio: el anuncio de la donacin de la vida. El "maestro" da la vida por la
persona amada, se da a s mismo; el verdadero maestro es un testigo.
uno dice poseer la moneda regia (de la verdad), pero en realidad quizs
tenga apenas una imagen engaosa de una partecita de la verdad.
S, tenemos una imagen engaosa inclusive de una partecita de la verdad.
Esta declaracin un tanto paradjica est dicha para hacernos saber siempre
que nuestro conocimiento es como deca la antigua tradicin greco-cristiana:
La verdad es como una piedra preciosa: tiene mil caras: t logras ver slo
algunas, slo Dios las ve todas.
Con este espritu, nuestra enseanza ser cada vez ms respetuosa, pues
toda la verdad slo Dios la posee.