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The Elusive Christ: a New Reading of the Fourth Gospel

St Thomas Church, Naim Street, Crookes, Sheffield S10 1UL

In this article, Stibbe examines one of the distinctive aspects of John's characterization of Jesus, namely, Jesus' elusiveness. He looks first of all at the elusiveness of Jesus' movements. He then looks at Jesus' elusive language. Stibbe suggests that the intertextual background for John's elusive Christ lies in the Wisdom literature, Deutero-Isaiah and Mark's Gospel. He also offers an explanation on historical grounds, arguing that the elusiveness of the Johannine community and indeed of the historical Jesus himself lies behind this narrative presentation. Theological factors are also considered. In conclusion, Stibbe suggests that John's portrayal of Jesus as the elusive Christ accounts for the excitement of a first reading of John's story, and also for the seduction of the reader into subsequent rereadings.

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