At the very end of the pericope, however, when Mary Magdalene comes to the disciples, she announces (or proclaims, apaggelousa), “I have seen the Lord” (eoraka ton Kyrion) (Jn. There is no doubt that John’s central theme in the Thomas incident (Jn. This is a fundamental truth which makes the resurrection a firm reality, established on pragmatic and verifiable data, on plenty of eyewitnesses who were people difficult and slow of heart to believe (Lk. The experience provides the faithful significant content to listen to, watch, and read; in order to lead, grow, and inspire. Unable to add item to List. 20 and 21). They had to rely on the testimony of the preceding generation, of the apostolic witnesses who have seen the risen Jesus. Jesus er ikke længere en menneskelig profet, men selve Guds Ord, der » blev kød og tog bolig iblandt os « (Johannes 1,14). But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. Thomas’ response to the information/witness offered by the other disciples, includes in an emphatic way the very same verb of sight: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails … I will not believe” (ean me idon ... ou me pisteuso) (Jn. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. [35] As Brown remarks (The Gospel of John, 1048), Jesus here “praises the majority of the people of the new Covenant who, though they have not seen him, through the Spirit proclaim him as Lord and God. This sight then becomes instrumental in generating faith as it is reported by the Evangelist: “Then the other disciple (i.e. Suddenly he is convinced that the one whom he sees, is the risen Lord, the very same Jesus whom he knew, after having been with him for three years. The note possibly suggests that the disciples, because of their ignorance or lack of understanding of the Scriptures, did not actually expect the resurrection of Jesus. The verbs to show and to see, that is verbs related to direct optical contact and visual experience, are key words and concepts in the new condition of post-resurrection faith engendered in the hearts of the disciples. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you. Schnackenburg, Das Johannesevangelium, 399. Theophylact of Bulgaria on the other hand, in his Commentary on John (Ermhneia eis to kata Ioannen Euaggelion, PG 124,301), has a very different opinion and sees here not a desire for precision but a crude unbelief. The second part of John 20:29 is a beatitude, and the second part of John 1:50 is a promise of astonishing things to come. Christ being a full and whole human being, being in the flesh even after his resurrection, is for John a fundamental christological truth. On the other hand, the predominant feeling in terms of post-believing experience, is real jubilation, chara aneklaletos, which could certainly be considered a manifestation of true blessedness. This truth has been convincingly demonstrated in John 20 (also in John 21). 20:11-18), seeing seems not to be an adequate condition: Mary in the garden next to the burial place of Jesus, turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus (Jn. [25] Origen in his comments on this passage (Commentary on John, Vol. Seeing as leading to believing is central in John 20:24-29 within the larger unit of John 20-21, and is accompanied by joy, an indispensable component of blessedness. And if this is so for Paul, it is even more so for John, who writes almost forty years later to an even younger generation. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. There is an intriguing note attached by the Evangelist to the description of the above mentioned episode: For as yet they (i.e. The people then of the time of John’s Gospel, if they decide to join the Church and believe in Christ as Lord and God, have to rely on and fully accept the apostolic eyewitness and tradition about him. Cf. Thomas without “explicitly dismissing out of hand the other disciples’ confession,”[4] refuses, nonetheless, to believe that Jesus is risen, unless he sees him with his own eyes. Fast, FREE delivery, video streaming, music, and much more. A few decades before John, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, had already presented in a masterful way the same idea, i.e. Joh 15,15 EU).Der Name Thomas leitet sich ab aus dem aramäischen ta'am, was „gepaart“ oder „Zwilling“ bedeutet. The disciples, including the unbelieving Thomas, saw and believed that Jesus was risen indeed and that he truly is their Lord and God. 20:24-29). The big majority, if not all, of John’s readers were born after the time of the resurrection. John, with the story in John 20:24-27, might well be offering a corrective. Bultmann, Das Evangelium des Johannes, 538, Trembelas, Hypomnema eis tonkata Ioannen,712. 20:24-29). This is the incident of the appearance of the risen Lord to Thomas, brilliantly narrated by John (Jn. He assures these followers of all times and places that he foresees their situation and counts them as sharing in the joy heralded by his resurrection.”. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we do not use a simple average. [33] This passage reads: This text, in terms of formation and syntax, presents strong similarities to the passage John 20:29: (Thomas) “because you have seen me, you believed. Jesus, after greeting them with the traditional, “Peace be with you,” without any delay turns to Thomas and addresses him: “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side, and do not be unbelieving but believing” (kai me ginou apistos alla pistos)[9] (Jn. The Orthodox Observer places the Church in the context of the current world we live in through a diverse and informative experience — offering participants meaningful exchange with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, her ministries, and affiliates. Thomas was not denied his request to see the risen Lord in order to believe. [17] Cf. [5] The condition imposed by Thomas is clear and absolute: personal verification by sight, direct access by eye contact and nothing less. What is this meaning? Divine revelation is necessary.” An analogous case we encounter in the incident with the disciples in John 21:4-5, and with the two disciples going to Emmaus (Lk. Download Thomas Von Aquins Kommentar Zum Johannesevangelium Teil 2 Ebook Edition PDF Book Free Download Books Thomas Von Aquins Kommentar Zum Johannesevangelium Teil 2 Ebook The publishers of Thomas Von Aquins Kommentar Zum Johannesevangelium Teil 2 Ebook Ebook now understand some great benefits of reworking released ebook into audio books, epub, kindle and … 20:28). Your support helps us further the vital ministry work. In John 20:1-10, for instance, in the case of Peter and John, the two disciples enter the empty tomb of Jesus and see his burial cloths and his face napkin neatly folded. Believing after seeing the risen Christ, however, was a way limited only to the apostolic generation. Communion of the body and the blood of the risen Christ which occurs after believing, has become now the amazing alternative to seeing him before believing. Here at the very end of his Gospel, John is eager to maintain what he has declared at its very beginning: The Logos became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (Jn. But then we also have the crystal clear declaration/beatitude, “Blessed are those who have not seen and (yet) have believed.” This beatitude introduces in a drastic manner the great importance of believing in the risen Jesus without having seen him. Thus the Thomas event in John 20:24-29, beyond contributing to the very significant topic of seeing and believing, seems to be functioning as a critique to the possible speculation about Thomas, which was in circulation mainly in Syria but also in the neighboring areas, a speculation particularly dangerous as it was later shown in the course of the developing Gnosticism. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. John and Peter) did not know the Scripture that he (i.e. They needed visible, sense verifiable data. As Theophylact remarks (Commentary on John, PG 124,301), Christ issued the beatitude not in order to exclude Thomas from it but in order to give comfort to those who have not seen Jesus. The uniqueness of the appearance of these two words and their connection through the antithetical conjunction alla (but), emphasizes the importance of believing and unbelieving in the Thomas incident. This reason is perhaps the person of Thomas himself. In the scene that immediately follows, namely John 20:24-26, the disciples tell Thomas, “We have seen the Lord” (eorakamen ton Kyrion) (Jn. [13], Thomas’ exclamatory statement is followed by a very important response from Jesus. [36] Cyril (Commentary on John, PG 74,725) in his exegesis of John 20:29, offers an extensive passage, in which he handsomely connects the participation in the Eucharist with the question of seeing and of not seeing and believing. [21] The risen Lord does not discard the seemingly inappropriate request of Thomas. It is also characteristic, as we explained before, that in the episode of the appearance of the risen Lord to the disciples inside the house (Jn. . 1:14), was crucified and risen, and now in John 20:28 is acknowledged Lord and God. The information contained on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is for informational purposes only. He who has seen me has seen the Father. the veracity and facticity of Christ’s bodily resurrection based on a large number of eyewitnesses. We invite you to prayerfully consider sharing the resources given to you by God with a donation to the Archdiocese. See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see, for a spirit has no flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. Cyril, Commentary on John, PG 74,756. Auf der Grundlage dieses Gerusts werden dann die verschiedenartigsten Erklarungen gegeben, zum Beispiel sachlich-historische, betreffend etwa Gegebenheiten der judischen Religion und des Alltagslebens, die Topographie des Heiligen Landes, die Bedeutung von Orts- und Personennamen oder die Chronologie der Ereignisse im Leben Christi. And he took it and ate in their presence.”. Dodd (The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, 443), is right when he says that “this is the true climax of the Gospel, the rest, however true and however moving is mere postscript.”. No other disciple in the Gospel narratives has used such an advanced creedal formula for expressing his faith in Christ who is now called Lord and God. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” (idontes ton Kyrion) (Jn. Technically speaking, therefore, these people were excluded from the possibility of seeing the risen Lord. The magnificent chapter 6, stands out as a tremendously impressive text on the Eucharist. Paul has saved for posterity a magnificent text in which we see exactly the description of the phenomenon we are talking about. . [28] The Evangelist here, as Schnackenburg (Das Johannesevangelium, 391) pointed out, aims at addressing the question of believing without seeing related to the believers of the later times who, in contradistinction to the disciples, have no experience of any appearance of the risen Lord but who have to share the same faith with them. c) There might be another significant reason which explains why John mentioned the Thomas incident and concluded it with the beatitude, “Blessed are those who have not seen and (yet) believed.” This additional reason could be the liturgical orientation and content of the Gospel of John. There is, however, a special episode preserved by the Gospel of John that stands out from among the post-resurrection scenes. [16] Who are the recipients of such a blessing? An unyielding attitude is described here, a situation where believing seems to be unthinkable without seeing, without direct physical evidence and verification.[8]. Im Thomasevangelium sind nach konventioneller Zahlung 114 "Worte Jesu" (Logien) uberliefert. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. d) John might have one more reason, not strictly referring to the relation between seeing and believing, for including the Thomas incident in his Gospel. 20:8). 20:15), but the special tone in pronouncing her name, was necessary in this case, which may be a subtle hint that seeing and even hearing, as such, cannot be sufficient all the time. 20:20), probably is an implicit reference to Jesus’ promise at the Last Supper, “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice” (John 16:22). also Brown, The Gospel of John, 1046. Cyril (Commentary on John, PG 74,721): “Sight . What is Orthodox Christianity? 20:20). Having run quickly through the pericope John 20:24-29, we can now proceed with the discussion of the most important points related to the question of seeing and believing which constitutes the essence of Thomas’ episode. In a paradoxical reversal of terms, these people probably were now enjoying a most unexpected state of faith and existence: the state of seeing after having believed. [22] Schnackenburg (Das Johannesevangelium, 394-95, 396), has pointed out the interesting similarities between John 20:27 and John 1:47-50 (the episode with Nathanael), especially in terms of Christ’s supernatural knowledge and its connection to significant christological confessions. John is the only Evangelist among the four who speaks about Thomas. And after the meeting with him and Thomas’ astonishing confession of faith, Jesus unequivocally states that the previously unbelieving disciple has seen him and, as a consequence, has now believed. Among modern commentators there is no agreement on the subject. This is the incident of the appearance of the risen Lord to Thomas, brilliantly narrated by John (Jn. 20:27). This precisely will be our task in the present paper, a paper dedicated to the memory of Bishop Gerasimos of Abydos, the erudite and humble Hierarch, insightful thinker, researcher of the Scriptures, and indefatigable student of Christology. [28] And what would be more encouraging than a beatitude coming from the mouth of the risen Lord? 20:24-29). The Thomas episode eloquently attests to that truth. “a most remarkable faith.”. The specialty and the importance of this event lie in the fact that it presents the relation between seeing and believing in a splendid, superbly formulated manner. © 2017 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Dabei versucht Thomas, Erklarungen zu finden fur die Unterschiede der Darstellung zwischen den Evangelisten. Marrow (The Gospel of John, 364), notes characteristically that “it is for those who have not seen and yet believe that the whole Gospel was written.”, [29] It should he underlined again that this is not a simple, somehow limited beatitude, but a beatitude with a tremendous significance. A few years after the writing of the Gospel of John, Ignatios of Antioch in his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (3:1-3), returned to the idea expressed in chapters 20 and 21 of the Gospel of John with an overt reference to the resurrection: Ignatios’ reason for his statement is his anti-docetic polemic as it becomes obvious from Smyrnaeans 2. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Nonetheless, the significant aspect here is the tremendous emphasis on sense experience and direct eye witness as a basis for the proclamation of faith. The answer seems to be twofold. He does not, however, complete the test. [16] In the English translation of the second part of v.29, I put the word yet in parenthesis: … (yet) they believed. Viele dieser Logien erwecken in ihrer Thematik wie auch in der verwendeten Metaphorik (z.B. 20:27). Obviously, Jesus accepts the challenge, if not the provocation, of Thomas and invites him to proceed with the demanded test. Thus the inseparable connection between seeing and believing proclaims the reality of Jesus’ resurrection and, at the same time, his true, full, undeniable humanity. Prime members enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping, Free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery to select areas, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and more. This theme seems to run through the two final chapters of the Fourth Gospel (Jn. This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. For the Media. However, when he believes, he offers a terrific confession of faith, a really unique, “My Lord and my God.”. This site has been made possible by a grant from Leadership 100. Schnackenburg, Das Johannesevangelium, 398, Bultmann, Das Evengelium des Johannes, 539. Free & fast delivery, movies and more with Amazon Prime. By that time, as we already pointed out, more than fifty years had elapsed since the events described in the Gospel, and as a consequence, very few of the original eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection were still alive. [22] Seeing is again absolutely important here, and this time is directly proposed by Jesus as a means proving the veracity of his resurrection and as a way of passing from unbelieving to believing. Unable to add item to Wish List. Read Thomas von Aquins Kommentar zum Johannesevangelium: Teil 1 book reviews & author details and more at … Thomas von Aquins Kommentar zum Johannesevangelium: Teil 1: Michael Ernst, Wolfgang Schoner, Paul Weingartner: 9783525510056: Books - Amazon.ca [35] The Christians who at the time of John’s Gospel have believed without, of course, having seen the risen Christ, were truly blessed, because through their faith, they enjoyed in full all the promised experiences of greater things. Some ancient exegetes, like Origen (Commentary on John, Vol. german description: Der Kommentar von Thomas von Aquin zum Johannes-Evangelium ist ein Meisterwerk christlicher Exegese. [27] Paul the Apostle himself has received this tradition and transmitted it to the new believers, who have to accept the resurrection as a fact on the basis of the apostolic eyewitness and tradition, and not on their own eye witnessing. Hence, continues Chrysostom, Thomas would not trust even his own eyes and would look for evidence through the most crass of the senses (pachytate aisthesis), namely, touching and handling. [27] As C.K. In the incident with Mary Magdalene (Jn. Not seeing yet believing, on the other hand, involves more willingness, more decisiveness, more readiness for exposure to all kinds of probable dangers. [11] The change is radical. [25] In fact this declaration places the believers involved in this case in a special position and makes them "blessed" (makarioi), worthy of a special beatitude. [21] Attention should be drawn, however, to the fact that seeing as such and by itself does not automatically lead to believing. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with its headquarters located in the City of New York, is an Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, The mission of the Archdiocese is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian faith, to energize, cultivate, and guide the life of the Church in the United States of America according to the Orthodox Christian faith and tradition. He appears when Thomas is present among the disciples, and directly invites him to put his finger into the prints of the nails and of the spear and to see his hands (ide tas cheiras mou) (Jn. Of course, the above cited passage from 1 John refers basically to the reality of Christ’s incarnation and does not mention the risen Lord. CXXI,5), claim that Thomas did not touch the risen Christ. Hearing, not simply the voice, which happened before (Jn. In John 6.36, for instance, Jesus says to the Jews, “But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” And in John 14:8-11, in the episode with Philip, when he asks Jesus to show them the Father, Christ responds, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? a) The Gospel of John, as it is generally assumed, has been written during the last decade of the first century AD. The unbelieving disciple already sees Christ, but he is now asked to complete the test by adding the touching of the hands and of the side. John is emphatic on this subject. English summary: Aquinas' Commentary on the Gospel of St. John is his most mature bible-commentary and a masterpiece of exegesis. Barrett (The Gospel According to St. John [London: SPCK, 1956] 477) put it, “but for the fact that Thomas and the other Apostles saw the incarnate Christ there would have been no Christian faith at all” (Cited by Brown, The Gospel of John, 1050). The people of this category are called blessed, because they have reached an enhanced spiritual level, simply by following a very demanding path on their way towards faith. Brown (The Gospel of John, 1047), considers Thomas’ confession “the supreme christological pronouncement of the Fourth Gospel.” The addition of the personal pronoun my (My Lord and my God) gives a strongpersonal tone without detracting anything from the solemnity of the pronouncement. Sense perception and direct optical access were decisive factors for believing in the risen Lord. [6] Thomas even intensifies his terms by adding the need not only to see but also to touch Jesus at the very marks of his crucifixion: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe” (Jn. 10,43), Chrysostom (Commentary on John, PG 59, 473-74), Brown (The Gospel of John, 1050). His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Trakatellis, Seeing and Believing: The Thomas Incident (John 20:24-29). Blessed are those who have not seen and (yet) believe.” Both passages have a first part dealing with believing after sense related evidence. Cf. Cf. pulls to consent, somehow through necessity and force (e thea … ex anagkes kai bias elkousa pros sunainesin).”, [32] Cyril (Commentary on John, PG 74,735-36), characterizes this kind of believing as pistin axiologotaten , i.e. The disciples’ affirmation that they have seen the Lord is treated with utter skepticism that borders on rejection. Thomas Und Johannes - Johannes Und Thomas: Das Verhaltnis Der Logien Des Thomasevangeliums Zum Johannesevangelium: 79. [19] Only when Christ called her by her name she recognized him (Jn. Wasser, Licht, Leben, Sehen) den Eindruck einer gewissen Nahe zum Johannesevangelium. Es zeigt sich, dass die wenigsten Parallelen mit direkter literarischer Abhangigkeit zu erklaren sind, und dass viele Logien des Thomasevangeliums aus einem weiten Strom der Uberlieferung von "Worten Jesu" kommen, aus dem auch das Johannesevangelium schopft. The Archdiocese responds to the spiritual needs of the Greek Orthodox Christian Faithful through National Ministries, providing programs and services to your local parishes, Metropolises, and you. The new experience of believing and being united with Christ, which constitutes the main characteristic of the post-apostolic christian generations, is an event of heavenly bliss, of utter and ineffable joy. [30] Seeing produces a degree of compulsion,[31] somehow diminishes the risk and makes believing easier. This time Thomas was with them. Please try again. These greater things were fully manifested in the post-resurrection time, more specifically in the time after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the Church and endowed her and the believers with extraordinary gifts and amazing experiences. Upon hearing his believing words, Christ addresses him with a remark and a beatitude: Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. 20:14). [18] A characteristic text, indicative of the situation of the disciples is the passage Luke 24:36-43: “As they (i.e. Jesus) must rise from the dead (Jn. It is interesting to note that Thomas, the skeptical, unbelieving and tough disciple, utters at the very end of the Gospel of John a superb declaration of faith which reflects in a variation the majestic opening lines of the same Gospel: “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God” (Jn. Zigabenos, Commentary on John, PG 129,1489. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The same picture, intensified to be sure, is sketched in John 20:24-29. Cf. Chrysostom, Commentary on John, PG 59,129. At the same time, this type of believing after seeing the risen Christ, became a solid basis and unbeatable evidence for projecting the truth and the facticity of his resurrection. At the same time, the insistence on the visual experience as an undeniable evidence for the veracity and facticity of the resurrection, emphasizes the fact that the risen Lord is not a bodiless spirit but a complete human being. 20:27). Probably a number of the larger circle of the disciples who have not seen the risen Lord with their own eyes but relied on the eyewitness of the other disciples. In a sense, such an experience contains elements of a visual nature, but is much more rich and multifaceted. “For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. This truth has been handsomely formulated in 1 Peter 1:8: The passage by the repetition of the verb to see in a negative grammatical construction (ouk idontes, me orontes) underlines the fact that there is no seeing involved here. First, moving from the state of unbelieving to the state of believing, not through seeing but through relying on the apostolic eyewitness, seems to imply an increased amount of faith. 11:1). Therefore, the Thomas incident as it is reported in John 20:24-29, is worth investigating and discussing. [37] Cf. On the other hand, Bultmann (Das Evangelium des Johannes, 539), argues for the opposite by insisting on the “adversative relation” between v.29a and 29b. b) The beatitude[29] encountered in John 20:29, however, is not there just for reasons of encouragement. The Holy Archdiocese does not exercise any administrative oversight or assignment authority over clergy that are not part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. At the same time, however, he showed a pronounced skepticism and a crude realism which were not at all compatible with all the esoteric and mystical experiences, sometimes Gnosticizing, ascribed to him by the so-called Thomas tradition. The Orthodox Christian Faith proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles, and the tradition and life of the living Church worldwide through worship, communion, witness, and service. 13,30) and Cyril of Alexandria (Commentary on John, Hermeneia e Hypomnema eis tonkata Ioannen Euaggelion, PG 74,728), thought that Thomas actually put his hands on the marks of the nails and of the spear, whereas others like Augustin (In Johannis Evangelium, Tract. Damalas on the other hand (To kata Ioannen Euaggelion , 723), claims the opposite, namely, that here a pronounced difference in blessedness is clearly projected. [18] Seeing then the risen Jesus appeared to be indispensable as a way leading to believing in him. For those people, seeing the Lord the way Thomas did, is no longer needed. 20:25). Thus, when we come to the Thomas event described in John 20:24-29, we are already aware of the decisive significance of seeing related to believing. [2] The phrase, The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord (Jn. In the above mentioned appearance of Jesus to his disciples, he showed them his hands and his side (edeixen autois tas cheiras kai ten pleuran autou), and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord (idontes ton Kyrion) (Jn. Des Weiteren widmet Thomas von Aquin der Auseinandersetzung mit Haresien grosse Aufmerksamkeit, die er meistens durch den Nachweis eines Widerspruchs zu entkraften unternimmt, in dem sie zur Heiligen Schrift selber stehen. Cf. This is an interesting but rather untenable idea, in view of the context. Chrysostom (Commentary on John, PG 59,473): “It was not so much (on Thomas’ part) a refusal to believe the other apostles as it was more a conviction that resurrection from the dead is an impossible thing.”, [5] Nicholaos Damalas (To Kata Ioannen Euaggelion [Athens: Myrtides, 1940] 720), thinks that Thomas’ request has to do with his claim to his right to be granted a direct sight of the risen Jesus as it happened with the other disciples. The Christians of the time of John’s Gospel, and of the years and centuries to follow, are those who have not seen and (yet) believed (Jn.