Mimesis in the Johannine Literature

2017 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences

Mimesis has attracted little attention from Johannine scholarship. This is unsurprising because Johannine ethics, of which mimesis is a part, has only recently received a new impetus and scholars have only just begun to explore its many facets. In addition, mimesis is not immediately evident in the Johannine text because the literal terms for mimesis are missing. This book is the first organized study on the concept of mimesis in the Johannine literature. This study establishes that mimesis is a valid Johannine concept, to explain its particulars and to show that mimesis is integral to Johannine ethics.

The book presents a fivefold argument: (1) the concept of mimesis is prevalent in the Johannine literature and manifests itself in two forms - performative and existential mimesis; (2) the concept of mimesis is a cognitive, creative process that is central to Johannine ethics, shaping both the imitator's behaviour and identity; (3) the paradigm for the believer-Jesus (and believer primary-God) mimesis is the Son-Father mimesis; (4) John's mimetic ethics is primarily family ethics in that mimesis is the primary means that constructs and shapes the believer's identity and behaviour within the divine family; (5) the believer's empowerment for imitating Jesus lies in the combination of a relationship with Jesus and the Spirit's didactic functions. The contribution of this study to the field of Johannine studies it that it provides, for the first time, a comprehensive understanding of the Johannine concept of mimesis and its inextricable relation to Johannine ethics.

Cornelis Bennema (Author)