Rhetoric and Theology - Figural Reading of John 9

This monograph on John 9 makes extensive use of premodern Christian exegesis as a resource for New Testament studies. It draws on ancient Christian ways of reading Scripture in a 'more-than-literal' or 'figural' way to critique the modern trend to understand John's Gospel as recounting the history of the evangelist's community. This study also examines a variety of premodern interpretations of John 9 for insight into the chapter's theological and rhetorical dimensions. Building upon the premoderns' observations, it argues that John 9 resembles a mode of Greco-Roman rhetorical argumentation and expression to present Jesus as the Light of the World. This analysis illustrates the inseparability of form and content, rhetoric and theology, in the Fourth Gospel.


William M. Wright IV, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.