In the previous two parts of this book we have considered what are very likely to be the two issues in the conflict between church and synagogue which had the greatest influence on the development of Johannine Christology. They were not the only ones, however, and in this chapter we will attempt to survey some of the other issues which may have been important to the Evangelist and led to the development by him of various earlier christological motifs.

The rejection of Jesus

The fact that the majority of Jews did not accept Jesus to be the Messiah promised in the Jewish Scriptures was a major problem, which called into question the validity of, and undermined the plausibility structure of, the beliefs of the early Christians. John is convinced that there are in fact many believers among the Jewish people and even among the leaders, who are afraid to admit this because they are afraid of the authorities (cf. 7.12–13; 9.22; 12.42–3). Yet he also places the objection on the lips of the Pharisees, ‘Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law, there is a curse on them’ (John 7.48). It appears likely that some opponents felt that only those who were ignorant of the Jewish Scriptures would be persuaded to believe in Jesus.