Imperfect Believers : Ambiguous Characters in the Gospel of John

"With certain characters, it is difficult for the reader to determine whether the character believes in Jesus or not. A second and more prominent ambiguity is that of characters who believe in Jesus and at the same time disbelieve or misunderstand a good deal about him. Finally, Jesus' character displays a different kind of ambiguity, one created by the many metaphors that characterize him. Jesus' character is unambiguously positive, yet the multiple metaphors John employs create an elusive character. The reader must simultaneously hold together multiple views of Jesus, some of which seem mutually exclusive or contradictory. These competing claims are all in some way possible and are necessary to understand Jesus' identity."

Susan E. Hylen is Mellon Assistant Professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt University.