Augustine’s “Trinitarian” Reading Of John 5: A Model For The Theological Interpretation Of Scripture? -- By: Keith E. Johnson

Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 52:4 (Dec 2009)
Article: Augustine’s “Trinitarian” Reading Of John 5: A Model For The Theological Interpretation Of Scripture?
Author: Keith E. Johnson


Augustine’s “Trinitarian” Reading Of John 5: A Model For The Theological Interpretation Of Scripture?

Keith E. Johnson*

* Keith Johnson is the national director of theological education for the U.S. campus ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. He resides at 14610 Saint George Hill Drive, Orlando, FL 32828.

During the last twenty years momentum has been building toward the “theological interpretation” of Scripture—particularly as an alternative to historical-critical approaches.1 Although this movement is diverse, contemporary proponents of “theological interpretation” share several common concerns: (1) a desire to attend to the subject matter of Scripture—namely, the triune God; (2) a desire to read Scripture canonically as a coherent dramatic narrative; (3) a desire to read Scripture both within and for the Church; and (4) a desire to read Scripture under the guidance of the creeds.2 An example of the latter can be seen in the Brazos Theological Commentary series which aims at “providing guidance for reading the Bible under the rule of faith.”3

The purpose of this essay is to explore the role of the “Rule of Faith”4 in biblical interpretation by engaging a concrete premodern example: Augustine’s exposition of John 5:19-27 in his In Johannis evangelium tractatus.5 Augustine’s interpretation of John 5 provides an interesting test case for at least two reasons. First, through his exposition of this text, we are granted insight into the biblical foundations of two key elements of his theology: (1) his Trinitarian understanding of divine agency; and (2) his doctrine of

eternal generation.6 Second, the Rule of Faith plays an explicit role in his reading of this text. Although Augustine discusses John 5 in several other works (e.g. De trinitate), his In Johannis evangelium tractatus are ideally suited for this present investigation, both because they include a verse-by-verse commentary on the text and because Tractate 20 contains his most mature theological reflection on Trinitarian agency.

My analysis will be divided into three sections. First, I will briefly outline Augustine’s reading of You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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