Conquering the World: The Countercultural Victory of 1 John in Greco-Roman Context

Many scholars have interpreted the central issue in the First Letter of John to be a concern over budding heresies which created a sectarian divide among members of the Johannine community. While there is little doubt that there has been some intra-Johannine conflict, it is questionable as to whether the author of 1 John is simply addressing heresy when he repeatedly asserts that the young men of the community have “conquered the evil one” (2:13, 14), or even more prominently, that the Johannine believer “conquers the world” (5:4–5). This thesis reexamines the contention expressed through the conquering language in 1 John within the context of the Greco-Roman world. The approach to this study is both exegetical and contextual, with a philological analysis of the First Letter of John, and an attempt to understand possible cultural implications by drawing on classical sources, extant material culture, and secondary scholarly literature. This study demonstrates that the contention in 1 John extends beyond the Johannine community and that the writer is presenting a consistent countercultural narrative: he is identifying the Johannine community as separate and counter to the predominant customs and norms of the broader Greco-Roman culture. The analysis will show that the writer is concerned about the influences of the Greco-Roman world, and that he exhorts his audience to hold onto the countercultural victory of the Johannine pistis (belief/faith) over and against the prevailing polytheism of the Greco-Roman culture.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Kim, Ah Reum

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Van Kooten, George

• First Letter of John
• 1 John
• Johannine Letters
• Johannine Epistles
• Greco-Roman context

Licence

• https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/

Language dc:language

eng

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.86687

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/339279