Verse 17:21 in the Gospel of John is widely used in contexts where ecumenism is sought. In this verse Jesus asks for unity among the disciples so that the world will believe that Jesus is sent from God. A verse that is seldom given the same importance is the one direct following, Joh. 17:22 where Jesus talks about what will bring about this unity. The original greek text states that the means of unity is the Father's do/ca given through Jesus, to the disciples. This means that there should be a great interest in exploring the meaning of God's do/ca in the context of the Gospel of John. My research question is therefore designed based on how Christian unity can be promoted through and in-depth understanding of God's do/ca (glory) in the Gospel of John. In this study, I examine both the noun do/ca and the associated verb doca/zw (glorify) through an exegetical method where intention, variation and context lead the way in interpreting a word's meaning. It is clear that a central idea in the whole gospel is that God's do/ca was revealed through Jesus as something visible that made a strong impression that created faith. At the same time, the way in which the verb doca/zw is used shows that glorification can be associated with sacrifice and obedience that are due the love to the Father. This means that according to a Johannine way of describing God's do/ca, it consists of two parts that together constitute the means of unity presented in Joh. 17:22. God's visible do/ca, linked to supernatural signs and overwhelming presentation, creates a unifying faith, while God's hidden do/ca, linked to sacrificial will, maintains unity over time and through trial.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-191853 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Mannheimer, Elin |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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