The Davidic Christology of the Fourth Gospel

Abstract

The present article argues that the Messiah in John is davidic in two aspects. The first is that John presents a clear typology of certain actions of David, which are carried out by Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, but on a larger scale and with cosmic implications. The second, more subtle aspect is that at least three narratives suggest that the author of the book presupposes a davidic christology underlying the stories presented. In both the typologies and the narratives that presuppose a davidic Messiah, the central goal would be to lead readers to envision Jesus as the new David, without addressing directly his military conquests, but in his suffering and death, the latter being presented as his moment of greatest glory.