The occurrences of «phaneróō» in John 21 and 1 John, example of the Johannine development of the revelation idea

Abstract

The present contribution, in two installments, explores the extent to which the occurrences of «phaneróō» in John 21, which describe the Resurrection appearances as a «revelation», represent an advance in the theological reflection of the Johannine community, since this verb, in John 1-20, is reserved for Jesus’ ministry as Revealer. A clue to the question lies in analyzing the occurences of «phaneróō» in 1 John, to verify whether the usages this writing assigns to the term remain in the same semantic field as in John 1-20, or whether they are extended to new christological dimensions. The analysis will show that 1 John, on the one hand, retains the usage that John 1-20 assigns to «phaneróō», with some nuances (1 John 1:2; 3:5, 8; 4:9), while, on the other hand, representing a new advance in qualifying the event of the parousia as an act of definitive revelation (1 John 2:28; 3:2). The consideration of the Resurrection as an act of revelation (John 21:1, 14), without espace among the usages that 1 John grants to «phaneróō», would point towards a new enlargement of the semantic field, which would refer to a different stage in the path of theological reflection of the Johannine community. Due to its extension, this installment will be restricted to the analysis of the occurrences of «phaneróō» in 1 John, leaving for a second installment those of the Gospel’s epilogue.