The Literary Form and the Message of John 8:31-36

Abstract

The paper deals with the relationship between the literary form and the message of the pericope John 8:31-36 (along with its immediate literary context). Our examination of five different possible literary forms demonstrated that identifying the precise form bears directly on grasping the correct semantics and pragmatics of this Johannine passage. John 8:31-36 actually reflects the merging of at least two different literary forms: misunderstanding (also called riddle and test) and the covenantal offer of freedom. The ultimate meaning of the text, taken as a whole, should be seen as the offer of freedom. This, however, is misunderstood and eventually rejected by Jesus’ interlocutors, who failed to recognize in Jesus God, the Redeemer and Liberator, and thus did not pass the test of being his true disciples.