A consideration of the uniqueness of the Gospel of St. John compared to the other three Gospels.
St. John has a style all his own.
St. John relates more years of Jesus' public ministry.
Handout is below the audio recording.
Listen online [here]!
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Catholic Commentary on
the Gospel of St John
Following the great
saints and Catholic theologians
Session 5 – Gospel of
John compared to the Synoptic Gospels
I. John and the Synoptics
A. By “the
Synoptic” Gospels, we mean Matthew, Mark, and Luke
B. These
three “see with the same eye” – syn, optic
C. St. John
has a character wholly divers from the other three
“John has a style peculiar to
himself, entirely different from that of the other Evangelists and sacred
writers. For as an eagle at one time he raises himself above all, at another
time he stoops down to the earth, as it were for his prey, that with the
rusticity of his style he may capture the simple. At one time he is as wise as
the cherubim, at another time he burns as do the seraphim. The reason is
because John was most like Christ, and most dear to Him; and he in turn loved
Christ supremely. Therefore at His Last Supper he reclined upon His breast.
From this source, therefore, he sucked in, as it were, the mind, the wisdom, and
the burning love of Christ. Wherefore, when thou readest and hearest John,
think that thou readest and hearest Christ. For Christ hath transfused His own
spirit and His own love into S. John.” (Cornelius a’ Lapide)
D. Matthew,
Mark and Luke focus on the actions of Christ in his humanity, John on the proofs
of Jesus’ divinity.
“John is symbolized by an eagle.
The other three Evangelists, concerned with those things which Christ did in
his flesh, are symbolized by animals which walk on the earth … But John gazing on
the very deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which he is equal to the Father,
has striven in this Gospel to confide this above all.” (St. Thomas)
“John abounds more in the
discourses and disputations of Christ with the Jews than in the things that
were done by Him. Not that he relates all the discourses and disputations of
Christ, but such as were of greater importance. Especially he gives a
compendious account of those in which Christ proved that He was God as well as
man.” (Cornelius a’ Lapide)
E. In
addition to recording many sayings of our Lord, John also records certain
miracles which the others did not.
“The miracles of Christ which
John alone records are as follows:- The conversion of water into wine, chap. 2.
The first expulsion of the sellers from the Temple, in the same chapter. The
healing of the sick child of the nobleman, 4:47. The healing of the paralytic
at the pool in the sheep-market, chap. 5. Giving sight to the man born blind,
chap. 9. Raising Lazarus from the dead, chap. 11. The falling of Judas and the
servants to the earth, when they came to take Jesus, 18:6. The flow of blood
and water from the side of Christ after He was dead, 19:34. The multiplication
of the fishes, 21:6.” (Cornelius a’ Lapide)
II. The Chronology of St. John’s
Gospel with the Synoptics
“Matthew, Mark, and Luke record for the most part the acts
of the last year, and the last but one of Christ’s ministry, that is to say,
what He did after the imprisonment of St. John the Baptist. But St. John’s
Gospel for the most part gives an account of the two preceding years. This
consideration will solve many seeming discrepancies between St. John and the
other Evangelists. So St. Augustine in his preface.” (Cornelius a’ Lapide)
The timeline of
Jesus’ public ministry
St. John records three Passover feasts during Jesus’ public
ministry. From this, it is clear that our Savior’s public life (from his
baptism to his Crucifixion) extended about two and a half years.
The first
Passover, John 2:3ff. – Jesus cleanses the Temple.
Near the
time of the second Passover, John 6:4ff. – Jesus (in Galilee) feeds the five thousand with five loaves, walks on water, gives the
Bread of Life Discourse.
The third
Passover, John 11:55ff. – Jesus goes up to Jerusalem and dies upon the Cross.
The time after Jesus’
baptism and before John’s arrest
A full year passes between the fast in the desert and the
arrest of the Baptist. This time period is recalled only by St. John,
comprising the first three chapters of St. John’s Gospel. Consider the
commentary of Fr. Cornelius a’ Lapide on Matthew 4:12:
“Matthew, Mark, and Luke all omit
the embassy of the Jews to John the Baptist, asking him if he were the Messiah.
To this first year of Christ’s ministry pertain also the turning water into
wine, the driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, and the discourse
with Nicodemus. These all took place before the imprisonment of the Baptist,
and are related only by S. John. For before his imprisonment Christ had
committed to John the work of preaching, but now He took that office upon
Himself.”
And, speaking of the passage of a year between Mark 1:13 and
14, St. Bede the Venerable (cited in the Catena Aurea) writes:
“Let no one, however, suppose that
the putting of John in prison took place immediately after the forty days'
temptation and the fast of the Lord; for whoever reads the Gospel of John will
find, that the Lord taught many things before the putting of John in prison,
and also did many miracles; for you have in his Gospel, This beginning of
miracles did Jesus; and afterwards, for John was not yet cast into prison. Now
it is said, that when John read the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he
approved indeed the text of the history, and affirmed that they had spoken
truth, but said that they had composed the history of only one year after John
was cast into prison, in which year also he suffered. Passing over then the
year of which the transactions had been published by the three others, he
related the events of the former period, before John was cast into prison.”
Where Matthew, Mark,
and Luke pick up the story
The synoptic Gospels, however, only record a single
Passover. In fact, Matthew, Mark, and Luke only record the final year of Jesus’
public ministry.
After giving the account of Jesus’ baptism by John in the
Jordan, these writers jump ahead to the period after John’s arrest – though, it
is clear from the Gospel of St. John, the Baptist was not arrested until over a
year after the baptism.
It is clear that significant time must have passed between
our Savior’s baptism and John’s arrest because St. John the Evangelist records
a number of significant events (including the wedding at Cana, the cleansing of
the Temple, the discourse with Nicodemus, etc.) which occurred during this
period. Further, there was a time when John and his disciples were baptizing
and Jesus and his disciples were also baptizing (that is, the disciples were
baptizing in his Name) – consider John 3:22-25
After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the
land of Judea: and there he abode with them, and baptized. And John also was
baptizing in Ennon near Salim; because there was much water there; and they
came and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison. And there arose
a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews concerning
purification:
It was only after John the Baptist was arrested that Jesus
began to call his Apostles. Hence, Peter and Andrew (as well as John) were
called at least twice by Christ – once in the first year, when they were still
with John the Baptist (cf. John 1:36ff.); and a second time when they were
returned to Galilee and in their fishing boats (cf. Matthew 4:18ff.).
Another example:
Nathanael and Bartholomew
“Rupertus and Jansen in this passage think Nathanael is the
Apostle Bartholomew. They show this, firstly, because the other Evangelists
always join together Philip and Bartholomew, as John here joins Philip and
Nathanael.
“Secondly, because we nowhere read of Christ’s calling
Bartholomew, unless it were this call of Nathanael.
“Thirdly, because the other three Evangelists who make
mention of Bartholomew make no mention of Nathanael, and vice versâ with S.
John.
“Fourthly, because S. John (xxi. 2) associates Nathanael
with the Apostles Peter, Thomas, James, and John in fishing, and the vision of
Jesus. It would seem therefore that he was an Apostle, and yet it is not
apparent who else he could be if he were not Bartholomew.
“Fifthly, because Bartholomew does not seem to be a proper
name, but only to signify that he was the son of Tolmai; and his proper name
seems to have been Nathanael.
“Sixthly, because Christ said of Nathanael, Behold an
Israelite indeed, it whom is no guile. And then Christ promises him a vision of
angels ascending and descending upon Himself. Christ therefore seems to have
specially loved him, and to have chosen him for a friend and Apostle.”
(Cornelius a’ Lapide)
