Johannes en de anderen. Wie zijn ‘wij’ in de proloog en de epiloog van het vierde evangelie?

Samenvatting

John and the others: To whom does the “we” in the Fourth Gospel’s prologue and epilogue refer? In both its prologue and epilogue, the Fourth Gospel uses a corresponding first person plural: we. For the reader, this raises a question: who are those saying, “We have seen his glory” (1:14) and “We know that his testimony is true” (21:24)? To answer this question, other textual indicators from the Fourth Gospel have to be taken into account, in particular where the reader is directly addressed by the author. Additionally, there is the evidence of the so-called Muratorian Canon, according to which the other disciples encouraged John to write his Gospel and read along with him what he wrote down. This article argues that the “we” in question must be interpreted as including the author himself as the chief witness. In the role of spokesman, he finds himself in the midst of a circle of eyewitnesses. Thus, the Fourth Gospel is framed by John’s testimony.