Date

1-14-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Bitrus B. Cobongs

Keywords

Espoused Eschatology, Inaugurated Eschatology, John, Rapture, Millennial Reign, Escapism, Jewish Wedding, Mohar, Matton

Disciplines

Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

Jewish weddings are as important to Jewish culture today as they were in the time of Christ. There is a process to the event that begins with a betrothal period, followed by a wedding procession and a lavish feast. In ancient Judah, the groom brought his bride to a place he prepared for her at his father's house. The Gospel of John reveals a distinct methodical interaction with the cultural and institutional norms of Judaism, as is argued to reveal the motif of a divine betrothal process. While the Synoptics have been argued to be more concerned about historical matters, John might appear more theological. He does include the life, death, and resurrection accounts, which are historically aligned, but there is a significant message that John is presenting that stands out from the others. When John describes the born-again existence of the believer in his discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus, there is more to this account than on the surface. There is a reason that John begins his account of Jesus’ signs with a wedding in Cana, where he uses the Jewish stone jars reserved for purification rituals to lavishly celebrate a wedding feast. John authored his Gospel later in life, and not far from the period when he was banished to the Isle of Patmos and wrote Revelation. Even if there is no agreed-upon date for the latter, it falls within the latter part of the first century. There is undoubtedly an interconnection in his writing as these are the work of a mature John and are not only influenced by the biblical writings but also nuanced by his experience and relationship with Jesus. He specifically chose each event that he presents in his Gospel to add to his audience’s awareness that there is a divine wedding going to take place and that they have the opportunity to be included as the bride. This by no means is to say that John was more focused on the idea of marriage than presenting his account of Jesus’ life on earth, but it is apparent that John employed the notion of a bride betrothed to a bridegroom to describe his understanding of the eschatological process. He appears to employ what the audience would have thought about certain Jewish institutions, such as a wedding, the temple, the rabbinical structure, and social norms, as well as the Jewish feasts, to describe changes that Jesus would bring about following his resurrection. Most scholars would agree that the notion of the “already and not yet” is found throughout John’s Gospel and letters. I would add that certain events are presented as a shadow of what is later described in the book of Revelation. In his Gospel account, John is doing more than providing historicity of the happenings throughout Jesus’ life up to the ascension. He is methodically introducing his audience to view contemporary Jewish institutions and festivals through the lens of a bride who is receiving her dowry through the crucifixion and resurrection of her bridegroom. He does this while explaining the role of the Spirit of God in the life of the bride of Christ. Moreover, John reveals the need to abide in him and recounts the priestly prayer that Christ himself presented to the Father for his betrothed to help her remain faithful until that day when it is time for a wedding, and she is brought to her glorious groom.

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