11. John__Monotheism_&_Christ.mp4
11. Jesus_Claims_the_Absolute_I_Am.m4a
This topic meticulously explores how the Gospel of John achieves a profound Christology of divine identity by firmly grounding Jesus within the exclusive framework of Jewish monotheism. The analysis demonstrates that John integrates Jesus into God's unique nature, initially by identifying him with the pre-existent Word responsible for creation, and subsequently through his exercise of uniquely divine prerogatives such as judging and giving life. A critical point of evidence is found in the absolute "I am" sayings, which are shown to be a climactic fulfillment of the Old Testament self-declaration, "I am he," linking Jesus directly to YHWH’s unique deity. This theological approach ultimately redefines the concept of the one God, resulting in a christological monotheism where the inseparable relationship of the Father and the Son is intrinsic to the singular divine identity.
For centuries, readers have found the Gospel of John to be one of the most profound books in the Bible. It speaks of Jesus with a cosmic grandeur that is both captivating and, at times, puzzling. Its bold claims about Jesus's identity—that he was the Word who "was God" and who became flesh—can seem to create an immediate tension with the very foundation of the faith it emerged from: the strict, uncompromising monotheism of Second Temple Judaism.
This raises a central question: How does the author of John present Jesus as fully divine without violating the core Jewish belief in one, and only one, God? The answer is not that John abandoned monotheism, but that he radically redefined it from within. Scholars like Richard Bauckham describe John's approach as a "Christology of divine identity." The evangelist's goal was not to add a second, competing god to the pantheon, but to demonstrate that Jesus is included within the unique identity of the one God of Israel.
Drawing on this scholarship, this article unpacks four surprising and creative ways the Gospel of John uses well-understood categories of Jewish monotheism to achieve this.
The Gospel of John opens by deliberately echoing the first words of the Hebrew Bible: "In the beginning." This is no mere literary flourish; it is a signal to the reader that the author is retelling the creation story to make a foundational point about Jesus's identity. In Second Temple Judaism, God's status as the sole Creator of all things was a key marker of His unique identity. This created an absolute and unbridgeable distinction: there is God (the Creator) and there is everything else (creation). There is no middle ground.
John’s prologue makes its move in verse 3: "All things came into being through him [the Word], and without him not one thing came into being." By identifying Jesus as the creative Word through whom everything was made, John places Jesus unequivocally on the divine side of that absolute distinction. To a Jewish reader, this would not sound like the introduction of a second god. God’s own Word was not a created being but was understood to be intrinsic to God's own identity—the very means by which He acted. Therefore, to say Jesus is the Word who creates is to say he is included within the unique identity of the one and only Creator God.