Communal Holiness in the Gospel of John , livre ebook

“This work is a readable and balanced study of the vine imagery in John 15:1-17, arguing that its central theme is that of communal holiness. Kunene believes that the notion of covenant, with its associated ideas of holiness and corporateness, underlies John’s metaphor; while the Johannine understanding of the people of God, in his view, stems from the biblical motif of the covenant with Israel. This intriguing presentation will provide a fresh and helpful contribution to the field of Johannine studies, and I commend it to you warmly.”
Stephen S Smalley Dean Emeritus of Chester
“This book is a valuable reminder of the New Testament’s focus on the community of faith as the locus for holy living, an important corrective to Western individualist readings of Scripture. By bringing together a focus on the covenant motif, via the vine metaphor, with insights into ancient communal concerns by reference to his own Bantu tradition, Kunene presents a compelling reading of John that opens a fresh window for contemporary Christian interpretation and church practice.”
Dwight D Swanson Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow in Biblical Studies Nazarene Theological College, Didsbury, Manchester
“Studies on John 15 have either focused on its background or on the notion of the believer’s individualistic abiding in Christ. Dr. Kunene’s work fills a gaping hole in the interpretation of the vine metaphor in John 15 by ably demonstrating its implications for the understanding of communal holiness, situated in the context of Trinitarian theology. His work also shows that the teaching on holiness or sanctification is not to be confined to John 17 as is often done by those within the holiness movement. This book is important not only for its academic grounding of its thesis but also for its relevance to the life of Christian congregations as they continue the pursuit of holiness that is demanded by their covenant relationship with God.”
Prof. J. Ayodeji Adewuya, Professor of New Testament Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland, Tennessee


Communal Holiness in the Gospel of John
The Vine Metaphor as a Test Case with Lessons from African Hospitality and Trinitarian Theology
Musa Victor Mdabuleni Kunene

Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Abstract
List of Abbreviations
Foreword
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 The Project
1.2 Problems and Necessity of Research
1.3 Methodology
1.4 Scope and Limitation of Research
1.5 Definition of Terms
1.5.1 Relational Holiness
1.5.2 Communal Holiness
1.6 Working Assumptions
1.6.1 The Trinity as the Model of Holiness in the GOJ
1.6.2 Johannine Discipleship as Covenant Relationship
1.7. Outline
1.8 Preliminary Conclusion
Chapter 2: The Vine Metaphor in Recent Scholarship
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Vine Metaphor in the Old Testament
2.3 The Vine Metaphor in John 15:1-17
2.4 Conclusion
Chapter 3: Viticulture and the Vine Metaphor in the ANE and the OT
3.1 Introduction
3.1.1 Viticulture and the Vine Metaphor in Mesopotamia
3.1.2 Viticulture and the Vine Metaphor in Egypt118
3.1.3 Viticulture and the Vine Metaphor in Syria-Palestine140
3.3 The Vine in Jewish Metaphorical Usage
3.4 The Vine as a Metaphor for Israel in the OT
3.5 Conclusion
Chapter 4: The Vine Metaphor in 2nd Temple Jewish Literature
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Pleasant Planting
4.3 The Vine Metaphor as a Negative Portrait of God’s Covenant People
4.3.1 The Serpent’s Venom
4.3.2 “There will be no seed of the vine” (Jub. 23:18, 21)
4.4 The Vine as a Metaphor for Social Justice
4.5 The Vine Metaphor as an Appeal for True Worship
4.6 The Vine as a Metaphor for Blessing and Prosperity
4.7 Conclusion
Chapter 5: The Vine Metaphor in the Gospel of John
5.1 Introduction
5.1.1 John 15:1-17 in Context
5.1.2 The Gospel’s Relation to the Other Johannine Writings
5.1.3 The Nature of the Farewell Discourse
5.2 A Reading of the Metaphor (15:1-8)
5.2.1 The Image of the Vine (v. 1, 5)
5.2.2 The Image of the Gardener (v. 1)
5.2.3 The Image of the Branches (vv. 2, 5, 6)
5.2.4 The Image of Removing Branches that Do Not Bear Fruit (vv. 2, 6)
5.2.5 The Image of Pruning Branches that Bear Fruit (vv. 2-3)
5.2.6 The Image of Fruit Bearing (vv. 2, 4-5, 7-8)
5.2.7 The Image of Mutual Abiding (vv. 4-10)361
5.3 Conclusion
Chapter 6: Mutual Abiding and Shared Life in John 15:1-17
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The GOJ and the Mutual Abiding Motif
6.3 Kanagaraj and the Mutual Abiding Idea
6.4 Beyond Kanagaraj
6.4.1 Implications for Communal Holiness
6.4.2 The New Temple
6.5 Aspects of Mutual Abiding in John
6.5.1 Mutual Abiding: Father-Son
6.5.1.1 I and the Father are One (10:30)
6.5.1.2 “. . . the Father is in me and I in the Father” (10:38; cf. 14:11)
6.5.1.3 “We will come to them and make our home with them.” (14:23)
6.5.2 Mutual Abiding: Son-disciples (6:56; 14:20; 15:4-5)
6.5.3 Mutual Abiding: The Unity of the New People of God (17:11)
6.6 Aspects of Mutual Abiding in 1 John
6.6.1 Introduction
6.6.2 1 John 1:1-3
6.6.3 1 John 3:24; 5:20
6.6.4 1 John 2:2-11
6.6.5 1 John 3:17
6.6.6 Conclusion
6.7 The Means of Abiding
6.7.1 Chewing Jesus’ Flesh (6:56)
6.7.2 Drinking Jesus’ Blood (6:56)
6.7.3 Keeping Jesus’ Commands (15:10)
6.8 Conclusion
Chapter 7: Mutual Abiding as Johannine Hospitality Language
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The Case for Hospitality in the GOJ
7.3 Hospitality Among the Swazi: Community, Kinship, and Buntfu
7.4 The Case for the Trinity in John: The Nature of Implicit Trinitarian Allusions
7.5 Intra-Trinitarian Hospitality: The Model of Hospitality in John
7.6 Trinitarian Hospitality to Humankind
7.6.1 Trinitarian Hospitality to the World
7.6.2 Trinitarian Hospitality to Children of God
7.6.3 Trinitarian Hospitality to Children Who Drop Out
7.7 The Children of God as a Reflection of Trinitarian Hospitality
7.8 Conclusion
Chapter 8: Towards a Johannine Theology of Corporate Holiness
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Individualism and Corporateness in Recent Studies
8.3 John’s Corporate Metaphors for the People of God
8.3.1. The Vine Branches
8.3.2. The Sheep/Flock
8.3.3. The Children (1:12; 11:52; 12:36)
8.4 The Case for Holiness in John’s Corporate Thought
8.5 Aspects of Holiness in John
8.5.1 Holiness as Covenant Fidelity
8.5.2 Holiness as Cleansing from Sin (13:10; 15:3; 1 John 3:3)700
8.5.3 Holiness as Hospitality in John710
8.5.4 Holiness as Sanctification in John (17:17)
8.5.5 Holiness as Mutual Abiding in John (15:4-7)720
8.5.6 Holiness as Fruit Bearing in John731
8.5.7 Holiness as Incarnation in John (1:14)
8.5.8 Holiness as Love in John (15:9-17)739
8.6 Conclusion
Chapter 9: Conclusion
9.1 Summary
9.2 Contribution to Scholarship
9.3 Implications for Further Research
Bibliography
Notes
Copyright



Dedi cation
To Sinenkhosi,
my daughter diagnosed with
Myasthenia Gravis
in the process of writing this work,
for resilience.
And to my parents (now late),
Mr Petros Magotolwane and Mrs Janet Jabhile Kunene,
Who taught me to persevere and, as dad would say,
“keep your [my] mind straight”



Ackn owledgments
This thesis is a fruit of the communal efforts of many. I thank the faculty, staff, and students at Nazarene Theological College, for every support: especially the intercalations, encouragement, and prayers when my daughter was unwell. Special thanks to Dr. Kent E. Brower, my supervisor, for his patience, encouragement, guidance, and support throughout the writing of this thesis. He alone knows how far we have come. His quick and informative responses to my work kept me busy. I especially thank him for believing in me at times when I did not believe in myself. I am also grateful for the many expressions of hospitality he and his wife showed to my family, including the many hospital visits to my daughter.
I wish to thank my friends, Dr. Dwight Swanson, Dr. Ayodeji Adewuya, Dr. Tom Noble, and Dr. Jirair Tashjian, who have read parts of this work and offered constructive criticism. I owe special thanks to Rev. Dr. Deirdre Brower-Latz, for her painstaking proof-reading of the manuscript. I thank the Pastoral team and congregation of Longsight Church of the Nazarene for the love, care, generosity, and support they have given me and my family, including opportunities for ministry. I thank Mr. Bill Graham for proof-reading parts of the manuscript.
I am grateful to the organizations and individuals that have supported my studies: The Africa Region Church of the Nazarene, The Hynd Fellowship, The Souter Charitable Trust, Hiram F. Reynolds, Dr. Bruce Tailor, and the Margaret F. McLaren Memorial Scholarship. This thesis would not have been possible without these donors. I also wish to thank Dr. Arseny Ermakov, who kindly offered his IT skills. I thank my brother Mr. Themba Kunene and his wife LaMahlalela for their support, especially sending Themba to Manchester at their expense at the height of Sinenkhosi’s illness. Finally, I would