Page Range
94-113
Keywords
Shepherd, Hirelings, Good Shepherd, Johannine, Inter-testamental, Feast of Dedication, John 10
Abstract
This article will examine the Good Shepherd discourse attempting to analyze whether the Pharisees were in purview as false-shepherds as commonly assumed and finding that interpretation lacking. Given the events of inter-testamental history, septuagintal usage of μισθωτὸς, and the setting of the discourse occurring during the feast of dedication, this article will find that Jesus is drawing a contrast between the foreign false-shepherds found in the political rulers, as well as the hireling pharisee and himself as the true shepherds. Through a careful reading of the text, it becomes apparent that Jesus is not solely disappointed in the Pharisees actions, but that he is also offering a kingdom that contrasts to the foreign oppression that Israel had been subjected to for centuries by the political powers of the day. This slight nuance will aid the exegete in finding the root cause of the Pharisees eventual rejection of Jesus, as they seek to preserve their own office, abandoning the sheep by conspiring with the false-shepherds to kill the Good Shepherd in the remaining narrative of the Gospel.
Recommended Citation
McIntyre, Donald C.. 2022. "Shepherds and Hirelings in John 10: An Intertestamental Correction." Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal 6, (2). https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu/vol6/iss2/5
Included in
Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Jewish Studies Commons