Interpretacja pokutna Janowego opisu obmycia stóp uczniom przez Jezusa. Część 1: Interpretacje sakramentalne na tle współczesnych wyjaśnień J 13,1-20

Abstract

The article deals with the Johannine narrative on the foot-washing, giving a critical review of the current scholarship on the interpretation of Jesus’ gesture (Part 1) and adding a new argument in favor of a penitential reading of the pericope (Part 2). The first part of the study presents status quaestionis, summarizing various interpretations, distilled into three categories: (1) naturalistic or socio-cultural, (2) symbolic, and (3) sacramental. This initial survey starts with a review of all possible ancient cultural contexts, both pagan and Jewish, in which foot-washing occurred, followed by various possible readings of the pericope based on these backgrounds; our analysis suggests that the purely naturalistic explanations do not resolve satisfactorily all the complexities of the text. Next, at least fifteen arguments are enumerated in favor of a symbolic interpretation, with a short survey of noteworthy examples of this approach. Then, various sacramental readings are presented, with a special focus on the baptismal explanation, which indeed has held the most prominent position among the sacramental interpretations within the historical exegesis of the text.