Abstract
In 1966, E. Käsemann provocatively claimed that the Gospel of John’s Christology is “naïvely docetic,” arguing its emphasis on Jesus’s other-worldly nature obscures His true incarnation. While scholars like S. Smalley counter that this contextually reflects divinity alongside humanity, this article bypasses direct debate to investigate whether John's binary cosmological language fosters docetic interpretations. Focusing on John 8:23, the study provides an overview of Johannine docetism before analyzing the text through three lenses: comparison with Old Testament (LXX) cosmology, narrative- critical context analysis, and rhetorical criticism using spatial point-of-view insights to evaluate this cosmic framework.
Recommended Citation
Infante, Joan Brigida Corazon S.
(2019)
"Geography and Identity: Spatial Word Pairs in John 8:23 and the Question of Docetism,"
Landas: Vol. 33:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/landas/vol33/iss1/5