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19 pages, 315 KB

Open AccessArticle

Johannine Anagnorisis: Current Scholarship and Future Perspectives

by Alessandra Casneda

Religions 2026, 17(6), 702; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060702 - 11 Jun 2026

Viewed by 319

This article re-examines scenes of anagnorisis (recognition) in the Fourth Gospel by expanding upon established literary and semiotic models. While existing scholarship successfully identifies these scenes as formal tools mapping Jesus’ identity, it leaves crucial textual variations and the underlying cognitive mechanisms unresolved. [...] Read more.

This article re-examines scenes of anagnorisis (recognition) in the Fourth Gospel by expanding upon established literary and semiotic models. While existing scholarship successfully identifies these scenes as formal tools mapping Jesus’ identity, it leaves crucial textual variations and the underlying cognitive mechanisms unresolved. To address these gaps, this study proposes a revised theoretical framework based on three integrated criteria: narrative criticism, hierarchy of compositional models, and interpretive semiotics. This threefold approach is applied to the representative analysis of John 1:19–34 and 20:1–10. The study demonstrates that textual variations from the standard type scene are deliberate adaptations driven by Johannine theological and narrative demands. Furthermore, this paper argues that Johannine anagnorisis is not of a simplistic or material kind in response to a sign. Instead, it is a profoundly relational event and a moment of mutual self-disclosure between the revealing God and the receptive interpreter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Johannine Scholarship: Texts, Contexts, and Trajectories)

30 pages, 462 KB

Open AccessArticle

Anti-Judaism and Typological Exegesis in Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on the Gospel of John

by Martin Micallef

Religions 2026, 17(6), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060666 - 2 Jun 2026

Viewed by 584

Abstract

The biblical commentaries of Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) represent a major contribution to the development of patristic exegesis. His Commentary on the Gospel of John demonstrates the close interaction between Christological theology, allegorical interpretation, and ecclesial polemic within late antique biblical interpretation. [...] Read more.

The biblical commentaries of Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) represent a major contribution to the development of patristic exegesis. His Commentary on the Gospel of John demonstrates the close interaction between Christological theology, allegorical interpretation, and ecclesial polemic within late antique biblical interpretation. While Cyril’s exegesis has often been praised for its theological sophistication, modern scholarship increasingly recognizes that his interpretive framework also contains a pronounced anti-Judaic dimension. This study examines several key passages from Cyril’s Commentary on the Gospel of John in order to analyse how typology, supersessionist theology, and polemical rhetoric function together in his interpretation. Particular attention is given to Cyril’s portrayal of Jewish ignorance, his attribution of responsibility for the death of Christ, and his typological reinterpretation of Jewish law and history. The analysis demonstrates that Cyril integrates anti-Jewish rhetoric into a broader theological system in which the Mosaic law is presented as a provisional anticipation fulfilled in Christ and realized in the Christian Church. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Johannine Scholarship: Texts, Contexts, and Trajectories)

29 pages, 1774 KB

Open AccessArticle

‘Not Moses… But My Father’ (John 6:32): Mnemosynic Identification and YHWH–Christ Christology in John’s Rereading of Exodus

by Peter Ellul

Religions 2026, 17(6), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17060641 - 26 May 2026

Viewed by 1427

Abstract

The Gospel of John’s engagement with the Book of Exodus has been interpreted primarily through Moses–Christ typology: Jesus as the new Moses who surpasses his predecessor. This study proposes a different reading. The governing principle of John’s Exodus hermeneutics is not Moses–Christ correspondence [...] Read more.

The Gospel of John’s engagement with the Book of Exodus has been interpreted primarily through Moses–Christ typology: Jesus as the new Moses who surpasses his predecessor. This study proposes a different reading. The governing principle of John’s Exodus hermeneutics is not Moses–Christ correspondence but YHWH–Christ identification: in each major Exodus correspondence, Jesus occupies the structural position Exodus assigns to YHWH, not Moses. The study proposes the term mnemosynic identification for this hermeneutical move, derived from μνημόσυνον (Exod 12:14 LXX), the word designating the Passover as Israel’s perpetual memorial. John does not cite Exodus as a prophetic text pointing forward to Jesus; within the community’s living re-enactment of Exodus, he discloses the identity of the divine protagonist at its centre. This identification is ontological, grounded in the pre-existence established by the Prologue, but its disclosure is sequential, enacted across the ministry and reaching its fulfilment in the glorification. Correspondences are established by three criteria: narrative position, role distribution, and lexical precision. They run from the Prologue to the resurrection commission, encompassing the Passover framework, wilderness episodes, and Sinai covenant. Throughout, Moses appears as mediator and witness but never as the figure whose position Jesus assumes. That position belongs to God. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Johannine Scholarship: Texts, Contexts, and Trajectories)

22 pages, 358 KB

Open AccessArticle

“Love One Another” According to Meister Eckhart

by Silvia Bara Bancel and Markus Enders

Religions 2026, 17(5), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17050545 - 30 Apr 2026

Viewed by 696

Abstract

Although Meister Eckhart is frequently regarded as a speculative mystic, his practical teachings, particularly concerning love, are often overlooked. This study explores the practical consequences of his statements on neighborly love in order to demonstrate his concrete contributions to ethics. Our research reveals [...] Read more.

Although Meister Eckhart is frequently regarded as a speculative mystic, his practical teachings, particularly concerning love, are often overlooked. This study explores the practical consequences of his statements on neighborly love in order to demonstrate his concrete contributions to ethics. Our research reveals that Eckhart views true love as a Trinitarian act of grace where humans participate in God’s love. Through pure, selfless love, human beings become inhabited by the Holy Spirit, loving their neighbors universally and equally as themselves. These findings are drawn from a textual analysis of Eckhart’s Latin commentaries on the Gospel of John and his German sermons, focusing on his Trinitarian theology and doctrine of virtues. Ultimately, love is identified as the central divine virtue that unifies the soul with God. When individuals love without seeking their own interest, their actions are simultaneously human and divine works. Thus, Eckhart’s profound theology offers a highly practical framework where perfect love radically transforms ethical action. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mysticism and Ethics: Bridging Transcendence and Action in Religious Experience)

15 pages, 331 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Eclipse of Biblical Temporality: Absolute Chronology and Relative Time in 2 Maccabees and the Fourth Gospel

by Douglas Estes

Religions 2026, 17(4), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040412 - 24 Mar 2026

Viewed by 509

Abstract

Modern, post-Scaliger expectations for constructing an absolute chronology out of ancient biblical narratives introduce a fallacy of assumed time that distorts the reading of these narratives. While absolute chronology undergirds historical-critical interpretation from Spinoza and Reimarus to twentieth-century scholarship, the more recent “temporal [...] Read more.

Modern, post-Scaliger expectations for constructing an absolute chronology out of ancient biblical narratives introduce a fallacy of assumed time that distorts the reading of these narratives. While absolute chronology undergirds historical-critical interpretation from Spinoza and Reimarus to twentieth-century scholarship, the more recent “temporal turn” in philosophy, historiography, and literary theory aligns with a renewed attention to narrative time and ancient temporal consciousness. Focusing on 2 Maccabees and the Gospel of John as historiographical narratives reveals how both texts configure events through relative temporal devices—such as temporal markers and temporal process verbs—rather than through absolute calendrical dating, even when coordinates appear in 2 Maccabees’ embedded letters. Building on this comparison allows for a dimensional model of time that respects these configurational strategies and avoids obscuring how these texts construct theological and historical meaning within their own narrative worlds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies—Current Trends and Criticisms—2nd Edition)

27 pages, 2051 KB

Open AccessArticle

Voices of Thunder: Sounding Nature and the Supernatural in the Legends and Liturgy of St James the Greater and St John the Evangelist

by Catherine Saucier

Religions 2025, 16(11), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16111385 - 30 Oct 2025

Viewed by 1383

Abstract

The weather imagery of the nickname “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) for James the Greater and his brother John the Evangelist, conflating the noise of thunder with the sound of the heavenly voice, invited vivid analogies—vocal, natural, and supernatural—in interpretations of this biblical [...] Read more.

The weather imagery of the nickname “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) for James the Greater and his brother John the Evangelist, conflating the noise of thunder with the sound of the heavenly voice, invited vivid analogies—vocal, natural, and supernatural—in interpretations of this biblical passage and its liturgical adaptation. Yet, although James and John were both venerated in the medieval Western liturgy as thunderous witnesses to the Gospel, their voices were heard differently. Comparative analysis of medieval liturgical music and readings for St James the Greater, particularly at the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela, and St John the Evangelist across the medieval West reveals how thunder imagery was voiced by the clergy to promote the apostolic mission of St James and to highlight the visionary sublimity of St John. These largely overlooked examples demonstrate more broadly how the sonic environment of the natural world influenced the performance and perception of divinely-inspired voices in Christian worship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Saintly Voices: Sounding the Supernatural in Medieval Hagiography)

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10 pages, 237 KB

Open AccessArticle

Ecumenism of a Convert: John Henry Newman’s Desire for Unity and His View of Other Christian Communities

by Pavol Hrabovecký and Ján Kotlarčík

Religions 2025, 16(10), 1314; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16101314 - 15 Oct 2025

Viewed by 1219

Abstract

Although St. John Henry Newman lived before the official birth of the ecumenical movement, he already carried, even as an Anglican, a deep desire for the unity of the Church, which he promoted through prayer and dialogue. After his conversion, he defended the [...] Read more.

Although St. John Henry Newman lived before the official birth of the ecumenical movement, he already carried, even as an Anglican, a deep desire for the unity of the Church, which he promoted through prayer and dialogue. After his conversion, he defended the authenticity of the Catholic Church but also recognized the work of God’s grace in other Christian communities. Based on his teaching on freedom of conscience, he did not press others to convert but instead called for better education and a more sincere life according to the Gospel. This article presents Newman’s legacy and the relevance of his ideas for contemporary ecumenism, not only within the Catholic Church. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)

16 pages, 291 KB

Open AccessArticle

Praying for the Coming of the Kingdom, Crystallizing Biblical Themes in Second Temple Prayers: The Shema, the Qaddish, and the Lord’s Prayer

by Pino Di Luccio

Religions 2025, 16(8), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16080969 - 26 Jul 2025

Viewed by 1807

Abstract

Some studies have pointed to the Jewish background of the prayer that, according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus taught his disciples. However, the formulations of LP’s words do not necessarily presuppose the conclusion of the formation of Jewish prayers and [...] Read more.

Some studies have pointed to the Jewish background of the prayer that, according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus taught his disciples. However, the formulations of LP’s words do not necessarily presuppose the conclusion of the formation of Jewish prayers and do not necessarily presuppose a unidirectional influence of Jewish prayers on the formation of LP. This prayer and its “midrash” in John 17 may have influenced the formulation and final formation of some Jewish prayers. The differences between these prayers may indicate the mutual influence that, in some cases, took place throughout the history of their formation. This reciprocity may be due to the intention to establish and define the differences between the religious groups of Judaic origin that inherited these prayers and between the communities that recited them. The crystallization of biblical themes in these prayers highlights the common heritage of these groups and a different understanding of the fulfilment of God’s word in relation to the coming of his kingdom. While this process, characterized by a conflict of interpretations, took place “within Judaism,” it also led to the parting of the ways of Judeo-Christians from the Synagogue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hebrew Bible: A Journey Through History and Literature)

15 pages, 469 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Canonical Gospels in Michel Henry’s “Philosophy of Christianity”: The Synoptics as a Praeparatio for the Gospel of John

by Francisco Martins and Andreas Gonçalves Lind

Religions 2025, 16(7), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070855 - 1 Jul 2025

Viewed by 1297

Abstract

This article explores Michel Henry’s interpretation of the canonical Gospels in his Christian Trilogy. While Henry’s phenomenology emphasizes the immanent self-manifestation of a truth transcending all linguistic mediations, he recognizes the canonical authority of the Gospels as authentic sources of Christ’s words, granting [...] Read more.

This article explores Michel Henry’s interpretation of the canonical Gospels in his Christian Trilogy. While Henry’s phenomenology emphasizes the immanent self-manifestation of a truth transcending all linguistic mediations, he recognizes the canonical authority of the Gospels as authentic sources of Christ’s words, granting privileged access to that same truth. His surprising focus on Synoptic Gospels, especially in Words of Christ, contrasts with his usual preference for Johannine and Pauline writings. However, his interpretation of the Synoptics tends to uniformize their literary and theological diversity and ignore the narratives and particularities of each Gospel. We suggest that Henry’s hermeneutics is guided less by an exegetical intention than by the principles of his radical phenomenology of life. In short, the article shows the clear risk of eisegetical projection at the core of Henry’s philosophy of Christianity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biblical Interpretation: Literary Cues and Thematic Developments)

11 pages, 698 KB

Open AccessArticle

Truth in Incarnation and Eucharistic Repetition: Proportion Between Things and Mind

by Brian Douglas

Religions 2025, 16(7), 819; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070819 - 23 Jun 2025

Viewed by 1121

Abstract

This article argues that truth can be disclosed and found in incarnation and eucharistic repetition in a proportion between things and mind. Truth as a Christian concept is explored in the Gospel of John, and more specifically in the interaction between Jesus and [...] Read more.

This article argues that truth can be disclosed and found in incarnation and eucharistic repetition in a proportion between things and mind. Truth as a Christian concept is explored in the Gospel of John, and more specifically in the interaction between Jesus and Pilate, where Pilate at Jesus’ trial asks the question: ‘What is truth?’ The work of biblical commentators is examined in relation to truth in John’s Gospel. The importance of the Word made flesh and its eucharistic repetition is seen as central to truth. This is expanded using the concept of non-identical repetition, as discussed by several scholars, including David Ford and Catherine Pickstock, arguing that Jesus Christ in his incarnate form and in eucharistic repetition calls attention to truth as the proportion between things and mind. The implications of an ontological approach, as opposed to an epistemological approach are drawn in relation to eucharistic theology, with reference to signs (things of this world) and reflective processes (mind) in such a way that where there is a proportion between things and mind, truth is disclosed and found in incarnation and eucharistic repetition. Full article

12 pages, 260 KB

Open AccessArticle

Communication That Gives Life to Leadership: An Exegetical Analysis of John 1:1–18

by Joseph Pastori

Religions 2025, 16(6), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060725 - 4 Jun 2025

Viewed by 1794

Abstract

The definitive demonstration of effective leadership is the ability to communicate with purpose in such a way that gives life to ideas and accomplishes organizational objectives. God’s message of grace to humanity was the Word, his Son Jesus Christ. God’s mode of communication [...] Read more.

The definitive demonstration of effective leadership is the ability to communicate with purpose in such a way that gives life to ideas and accomplishes organizational objectives. God’s message of grace to humanity was the Word, his Son Jesus Christ. God’s mode of communication is an example to us. As “The Word became flesh”—a living reality testifying of God’s grace—so must our communication have purpose and fulfillment. Because of its emphasis on building relationships through the communication process, leader–member exchange (LMX) theory provides a valid framework that describes how God demonstrated leadership and facilitated reconciliation with humanity through the Word. An exegetical analysis of John 1:1–18 considering LMX theory offered seven principles of effective communication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Christian Leadership: Exploring the Theological, Biblical, and Social–Scientific Foundations and Applications)

28 pages, 364 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Origins of Christianity Between Orality, Writing, and Images: A Mediological Analysis

by Fabio Tarzia

Religions 2025, 16(5), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16050544 - 24 Apr 2025

Viewed by 1801

Abstract

This article investigates the period of the origin of Christianity, namely that of the first century, the phase in which the emerging “Christianity” was being formed. It is a phase that has been much studied from many angles. The angle adopted in this [...] Read more.

This article investigates the period of the origin of Christianity, namely that of the first century, the phase in which the emerging “Christianity” was being formed. It is a phase that has been much studied from many angles. The angle adopted in this article approaches the topic from a mediological framework. It relates to the Toronto School and the theses of Marshall McLuhan, for whom a medium is not only a communication channel but constructs the message and determines a way of reasoning. In this sense, the question arises as to how much, in the period of the birth of the new religion, the “media”, here understood as “environments”, had an influence: orality, writing, images, and spectacular performances cooperated in the construction of a multimedia religion that also drew from this richness a specific strength with which to impose itself over time. In particular, the following will be examined: the oral message of the “Rabbi” of Nazareth; the invention of the epistles of Paul of Tarsus; the conception of the Gospels as a written narration of the salvific event, capable of transforming the figure of Jesus into Christ; and the Apocalypse of John as the Christianization of a traditional genre. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Origins of Religious Beliefs)

20 pages, 277 KB

Open AccessArticle

Philosophy of Religion: Taking Leave of the Abstract Domain

by Philip Wilson

Religions 2025, 16(2), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020204 - 8 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2247

Abstract

John Cottingham argues that traditional university modules in the philosophy of religion take us into a ‘very abstract domain that is often far removed from religion as it actually operates in the life of the believer’. This paper makes four moves based on [...] Read more.

John Cottingham argues that traditional university modules in the philosophy of religion take us into a ‘very abstract domain that is often far removed from religion as it actually operates in the life of the believer’. This paper makes four moves based on Cottingham. First, it argues that the application of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s methods supports and facilitates a shift to the anthropological in the philosophy of religion (as evidenced in the work of Mikel Burley). Second, literature is examined as a tool for doing the philosophy of religion, following Danielle Moyal-Sharrock’s notion of the literary text as surveyable representation. Three works are investigated, namely Silence by Shūshaku Endō, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and the Gospel of John. It is argued that, far from being merely illustrative of religion, story is (in its widest sense) constitutive of belief. Third, it is shown how Wittgenstein’s remarks on mysticism in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus can be read as a transmutation of literary writing that creates a non-abstract mysticism of the world. Wittgenstein’s remarks are placed in dialogue with Angelus Silesius’s poetry and Leo Tolstoy’s The Gospel in Brief. Fourth, the relevance of Wittgenstein to the current debate on cultural Christianity is brought out. Philosophers of religion must take leave of the abstract, if only to return to it and to view it differently. Wittgenstein’s thought is too important to ignore in this venture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Work on Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Religion)

13 pages, 724 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Atemporal Plan for Union with God: Father Matta Al-Miskīn against the Backdrop of His Alexandrian Predecessors

by Wagdy Samir

Religions 2025, 16(2), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020165 - 31 Jan 2025

Viewed by 2288

Abstract

The present paper explores contemporary desert father Matta Al-Miskīn’s views on humankind’s union with God within the Paradise–Fall–Salvation schema against the backdrop of his Alexandrian Patristic forebears. He understood humankind’s paradisal perfection as an orientation towards God and access to the divine life. [...] Read more.

The present paper explores contemporary desert father Matta Al-Miskīn’s views on humankind’s union with God within the Paradise–Fall–Salvation schema against the backdrop of his Alexandrian Patristic forebears. He understood humankind’s paradisal perfection as an orientation towards God and access to the divine life. Through the Incarnation, Christ reclaimed humanity’s access to the divine life. Based on Matta’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, this paper shows that the Paradise–Fall–Salvation continuum confirms his assertion that humankind’s union with God is the goal of Creation. The paper also demonstrates that Matta’s vocabulary points to the fundamental difference between being God by nature and being God by adoption, with the latter state to be fully attained in eternity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patristics: Essays from Australia)

31 pages, 667 KB

Open AccessArticle

Thomas/Twin in the Fourth Gospel and the Gospel of Thomas: The Mesopotamian Background of an Early Christian Motif

by Robin Baker

Religions 2025, 16(2), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020151 - 28 Jan 2025

Viewed by 5592

Abstract

This study examines the Thomas/twin motif in the Gospels of John and Thomas, which plays a significant role in each. By analyzing the motif’s meaning, deployment, and development in the two Gospels against Mesopotamian models, this study brings a fresh perspective to [...] Read more.

This study examines the Thomas/twin motif in the Gospels of John and Thomas, which plays a significant role in each. By analyzing the motif’s meaning, deployment, and development in the two Gospels against Mesopotamian models, this study brings a fresh perspective to the much-debated topic of the Gospel of Thomas’s place of origin. This study demonstrates that Thomas betrays a knowledge of cuneiform polyvalence and argues that this corroborates the historical tradition that it originated in Mesopotamia. The findings also support the claim that the work is theologically sophisticated despite its disarming surface appearance. Similarly, Mesopotamian hermeneutics shed light on some enigmas of the Fourth Gospel’s symbolism, esotericism, and theology conveyed in the rhetorical and symbolic role of Thomas called Didymos. This study concludes that, in both Gospels, the figure of Thomas/twin is paradigmatic for every adherent of Jesus, but the Gospels have drawn on Mesopotamian sources in different ways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Bible and Ancient Mesopotamia)

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