The Reformation
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 60, No. 1 – Fall 2017
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
Johannine Theology: The Gospel, the Epistles and the Apocalypse. By Paul A. Rainbow. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014. 496 pages. Hardcover, $40.00.
The most recent significant treatments of Johannine theology with an evangelical slant have been Craig Koester’s The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel (2008) and Andreas Köstenberger’s A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters (2009). Paul A. Rainbow’s Johannine Theology is in some ways similar to and in other ways distinct from these recent offerings. Similar to Koester’s emphasis upon certain characters and relationships in John’s Gospel, Rainbow organizes his work around “the relations among the divine persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and the world made up of its various constituents” (28). Like Köstenberger, Rainbow includes works attributed to John beyond his Gospel, but unlike Köstenberger, Rainbow includes the Apocalypse as a part of John’s theology, and this inclusion highlights Rainbow’s most distinctive feature.
In order to include the Apocalypse in his Johannine theology, Rainbow must demonstrate that the author of John’s Gospel and letters also wrote the Apocalypse. In one of the most beneficial sections of the entire book, Rainbow puts forth a convincing case for common authorship of the Johannine material based on internal and external evidence (39–52). His attention to language and style is particularly noteworthy (42–47). He maintains that the existence of “no other example to serve as a control” should caution those “who would dare to say how much variance in language, style or theological emphasis might be manifest in the work of a single, versatile writer” (43).
In chapters 2–3, Rainbow introduces the reader to the centrality of God the Father for Johannine theology, and to the world wholly dependent upon him. The relationship between these two entities was originally positive before the world turned from God to darkness, which resides at “the shadowy edge of what is finite, the nothingness or absence of positive being that lies beyond the boundary of what God makes and constitutes good,” and which the world loves more than the light (119). Yet God intends to save the world and return it to a right relation with him (145). This rather hostile relationship between the Creator and his creation leads to the introduction of the Son, Jesus Christ, who will bring about God the Father’s intended redemption (chapters 4–5). Yet, before the sending of the Son there existed a prior love among the persons of the Trinity, leading to Rainbow’s discussion of the Holy Spirit and his role in the Father’s revelatory and salvific purposes in chapter 6. He directs specific attention toward the relationships between the Spirit and the Father and the Son, as well as the fact that this “inchoate trinitarianism” in John is consistent with the monotheism of the Hebrew Bible (indeed, Rainbow emphasizes throughout these chapters that John’s theology aligns quite well with the Hebrew Bible’s conceptions of God and the world).
Rainbow returns to the residents of the world in his final four chapters (chapters 7–10). Chapters 7 and 8 focus upon the individual believer’s coming to an abiding in Christ. Chapter 9 essentially amounts to a treatment of John’s ecclesiology— the relationship of believers to one another. And finally, chapter 10 completes the treatment of the world and the church by exploring the relationship of these groups to each other. The discussion focuses on the church’s mission to the world and the world’s continuing hatred of the church until Jesus’ parousia.
Rainbow is to be commended for including the Apocalypse in his Johannine theology. Perhaps his work will open the door for further research into the effect of the Apocalypse on Johannine theology. As mentioned earlier, his introduction is particularly beneficial in making the case for the Apocalypse’s place at the table, especially in his rather robust arguments for common authorship across the Johannine corpus. Unfortunately, Rainbow’s synchronic, thematic approach does not permit the inclusion of the Apocalypse to “shine” as brightly as a more nuanced approach, with additional emphases upon diachronic elements. Rainbow’s approach allows him to highlight a number of core theological elements present in the Johannine corpus, particularly with reference to the all-important relationships between the divine and human characters. But ultimately he leaves the reader with little further guidance on the place of the Apocalypse in Johannine theology apart from description of common themes present in all five Johannine works. To Rainbow’s credit, he admits that his theology is but one possible approach, providing merely “a sketch that captures certain aspects” (10, 28). This openness to different approaches highlights the fact that further work may be done on the Apocalypse’s place in Johannine theology diachronically as well as synchronically.
Rainbow’s relational emphasis appears to represent accurately certain key aspects of John’s writings. Myriad references to the relationship between the Son, the Father, and the Spirit pepper John’s works. Additionally, in virtually every scene of the Gospel and the Apocalypse, and every topic addressed in the letters, the issue of the world’s (both those inside and outside of the church) relationship to God (Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit) is emphasized. Although Rainbow’s volume is primarily “a theology of relationships in Johannine literature,” these relationships lie at the core of Johannine theology.
Because Rainbow interacts extensively with American, British, German, and French scholarship and provides an extensive bibliography, this volume should serve an incredibly valuable and reliable resource for Johannine studies. In spite of its few shortcomings, Rainbow’s work fills a unique need in Johannine theology to include the Apocalypse, and thereby provides students of John’s works with a useful resource for further inquiry.
