No abstract

This article introduces some of the themes and structural dynamics of the Fourth Gospel in closer integration with the religio-cultural aspects of the South Asian context. As John’s Gospel has the potential to appeal to and accommodate the spirituality of South Asia, a re-reading of the Gospel is possible through the means of a crosspollination of ideas. The four major parts of the Gospel, i.e., the Prologue, the Book of Signs, the Book of Glory, and the Epilogue, demonstrate several cultural and ideological parallels with that of the South Asian realities. A reading that encourages religio-cultural sensitivity can be a required formative factor in the process of interpreting the Fourth Gospel. Some of the key aspects of the Gospel such as the theme of discipleship, the sign language, the “I AM” Sayings, the characters and the characterization, mystical expressions, and dualistic tendencies can be dynamically interlocked within the South Asian ideological and cultural aspects. The universalistic language of the Gospel can have a special appeal to the common realities of the South Asian people.

The Gospel of John is considered as one of the significant literary masterpieces that appeals to Indian spirituality and ideals in multifarious ways. The Gospel has unique features as a universalistic rhetoric that encompasses feelings and aspirations of Indians. The character of Jesus in the Gospel and His assimilative power to contemporary realities reverberate the situational aspects of Indian communities. In the current article, first of all, an attempt is made to explore the character of Jesus and the impression of the Johannine spirituality in relation to Indian realities. We also attempt to place the Fourth Gospel in Indian context in order to derive an interpretative dynamism that takes into account both the Jesus of John and the diverse religious and cultural aspects of today’s context. The character of Jesus and the spirituality reflected in John have much in common with the mystical traditions of the Indian religions.

No abstract

John's portrayal of women is unique as they are viewed as paradigms over against the negative perceptions concerning women in the Mediterranean world. The Johannine women demonstrate their leadership qualities, brave movements, apostolic roles, and devotion to Jesus even in the challenging situations. Women's positive role and status in the Gospel of John enable us to understand them not merely as passive actors, but as active interlocutors and dialogue partners. Persons such as the mother of Jesus, the Samaritan woman, Mary and Martha of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene appear in the Gospel of John as representative figures and rhetorical characters. The Johannine narrator foregrounds the women characters as they use their freedom in both the Sitz-Im-Leben Jesu and the Sitz-Im-Leben Kirche. The Gospel of John is also interlocked with the Sitz-Im-Leben Indien to exemplify the evangelist's gnomic linguistic and literary artistry.