Date

12-19-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Mark D. Allen

Keywords

John 15, Mark 12, Isaiah 5, Isaiah 27, True Vine, Wicked Tenants, intertextuality

Disciplines

Christianity

Abstract

The relationship between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke is well known, but the question of John’s dependence has been researched by countless scholars since the first century without the formation of a consensus. This study seeks to enter this discussion through the examination of the relationship between Mark’s wicked tenants parable (Mark 12:1–12) and John’s true vine metaphor (John 15:1–17). John’s metaphor of the true vine is replete with images woven through the Old Testament and carried forward into the New. In John’s metaphor, Jesus presents himself as the true Israel and says that His followers are the ones who will fill the earth with fruit. John incorporates intertextual references in the metaphor of the true vine, drawing from various sources identified by many as texts from Isaiah (Isa 5:1–7, 27:2ff.), Jeremiah (Jer 2:21, 12:10ff.), Ezekiel (Ezek 15:1–8, 17:5ff., 19:10–14), and Psalms (Ps 80:9–16). While these passages hold significance on their own, it is possible that John also had access to other New Testament texts and aimed to connect his metaphor to a pericope presented by one of those authors. Intertextual analysis will be used to explore whether John intended for his readers to consider Mark's parable of the wicked tenants in relation to his metaphor. Through John’s interaction with Isianic texts as a framework and allusions to Mark’s parable depicting God's rejection of Israel's leadership, John presents Jesus and His followers as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vineyard theme. The relationship between John and Mark has not been studied, so Richard Hays’ seven tests of intertextuality are used throughout this research to demonstrate that verbal and thematic themes coalesce through the Isaianic, Markan, and Johannine texts in support of the thesis of this study. Isaiah, Mark, and John use the imagery of the vine/vineyard to present the unfolding story of God’s love and redemption. This study demonstrates the plausibility that the readers of Mark could have observed the textual echoes and thematic correspondence in John’s metaphor and concluded that John’s metaphor complemented Mark’s parable.

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