Looking at the interplay between the narrative structure an the ad hominem form of the parable, 'The Raising of Lazarus', an attempt is made here to answer the question, what is being communicated by St. John in this narrative text. Special attention is paid first of all to its intertextuality, to the different degrees of explanatory detail, and to the narrative structure. Against this background, it is shown that the text is concerned with a reflective narrative including specifically the person to whom it is addressed. It is a narrative discourse about the way, power, and relevance of faith in relation to the experience of death. The powerful Lazarus metaphor is used to distinguish itself from, and surpass Jesus as the 'giver of life' (John 5:25 f), in order to convince the reader of the gospel of the need to accept the victory of life over death and its inexorable reality.

Enthalten in:
Theologische Literaturzeitung; 1999/Nr.2 Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Theologie und Religionswissenschaft (1999)

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Serie / Reihe: Theologische Literaturzeitung

Personen: Reinmuth, Eckart

Schlagwörter: Neues Testament Wundergeschichten Narrative Theologie Lazarus, Biblische Person