Paolo Prosperi, in „With the Eyes of an Eagle: Symbolism and the Proclamation of Faith in the Fourth Gospel”, meditates on how St. John’s portrayal of Jesus teaches the faithful to behold in the flesh of Christ the Father’s love for the Son. Through his use of symbolism, St. John faithfully remembers the concreteness of Christ’s life in a way that is maximally revelatory of its inner truth. Prosperi brings to light how the symbol bears the form of the divine love it mediates, inviting the believer’s contemplative participation in this same love. „Love is gift, one that draws some of its generosity precisely from the fact that the lover, in offering himself, gives to the beloved the ability to collaborate in the consummation of the gift itself”.
