Gospel of John

The topic that I plan on discussing in my paper is Rudolf Bultmann’s criticism of the Gospel of John. In brief, Rudolf Bultmann was a famous theologian who published his most famous works during the twentieth century. Throughout his life as a theologian, Rudolf Bultmann made numerous contributions to biblical studies, many of which were refuted by other Christian scholars. To elaborate on his adamant criticism towards the Gospel of John, one issue that Bultmann found to be especially prevalent throughout this particular Gospel was that it seemed to advocate that one should have faith that is solely based off of signs. Being an existentialist, Bultmann deplored individuals who were too infatuated by materialism to the point where they became incapable of having faith in God unless they witnessed visible signs that affirmed his presence. He believed that an individual should appreciate God’s law, and have faith that stems from the individual’s intellect.

There are a few passages from the Gospel of John at my disposal that I could potentially discuss, all of which were criticized by Bultmann. One of these passages is John 2:1-11, which details the incident where Jesus turns the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Second, another passage dealing with signs that I could potentially discuss is John 6:4-14, which deals with Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves. Finally, another verse that I intend to discuss is John 4:48. In this passage, Jesus tells the people of Cana that they will only believe in him if they see signs. Overall, I believe all of these passages relate to the subject matter that I plan on discussing. They are also passages that our class has frequently and thoroughly discussed throughout the semester. Assuming that my classmates are the audience that would be reading this paper, using passages that they are familiar