CREDO UT INTELLIGAM: Irony in John 9

England, Frank

CREDO UT INTELLIGAM: Irony in John 9

Journal Article

2014

Journal Title

Neotestamentica: Journal of the New Testament Society of South Africa

Link to Journal

http://www.newtestament.co.za/neotestamentica.html

Publisher

New Testament Society of Southern Africa

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Religious Studies

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

Many commentators read John 9, inclusive of verses 38 and 39a, within the frame of baptism, and some commentators read this passage, exclusive of verses 38 and 39a, within the same frame. Examining John 9 through a baptismal optic, this article proposes that the "corrective additions" of verses 38 and 39a to the early manuscripts of John 9, inter alia, p75 and א*, envisage readers and auditors that, ultimately, may remain as blind as the man born blind, and yet whose physical sight is restored by Jesus. It is argued that the presence of John 9:38, in particular, fails to foreground the concomitant requirement of the baptismal ritual, namely, the confession of faith in Jesus, and, as a result, actually dissipates the focus upon baptism. It is asked whether, unable to read or hear ironically, the "scribal correctors" have not suppressed, rather than highlighted, precisely what is essential to discipleship.