Jesus as Prophet in the Fourth Gospel

All the Gospels recognize Jesus as a prophet, but it is above all in the Gospel of John that this dimension of his work is stressed. Cho explores the many elements in the Gospel that add up to what can rightly be called a prophetic Christology. He shows that many of Jesus’ words and some of his deeds are prophetic in character, and that Jesus is not just a prophet like the Old Testament prophets before him but the prophet like Moses expected for the times of the End.

Identifying Jesus as a prophet, Cho goes on to argue, is important within the narrative of the Gospel of John: it is a way-station on a journey of discovery towards a more profound appreciation of Jesus’ identity. Recognizing Jesus as prophet is for John an initial step in coming to faith, and, in the overall Christology of the Gospel of John a significant element in attaining a balance between a high and a low Christology.

The construction of Jesus as prophet, though well evidenced in the Gospel, has received remarkably little attention in recent scholarly study, and Cho’s work is a much-needed full-scale study of the theme.