Abstract
The repetitive style of the fourth gospel is one of its most prominent and distinctive characteristics. It is largely through controlled repetition that the evangelist constructs the ‘spiritual’ quality of his narrative. Yet this stylistic feature resists simple structural analysis, not least as it is combined with variations and then woven into an intricate network comprising multiple layers of interlocking repetitions. This collection of essays, stemming from a project on Johannine literary unity at Leuven under the direction of G. van Belle, proposes a wide range of ways better to understand how John’s repetition works, and why he writes in this way. Three areas focus the discussion: history of interpretation and method, general and thematic studies, and studies on the text and structure. From the twenty-five essays grouped under these headings, it is possible here only to highlight a few contributions. Van Belle’s introductory overview of the scholarship on the theme draws attention to Thomas Popp’s analysis of the ‘spiritual grammar’ of John, emphasising that ‘repetitio’, ‘variatio’ and ‘amplificatio’ work together. Van der Watt focuses on ‘life’, ‘eternal life’, ‘love’, and ‘following’ to show that John’s variations in repetition are often structured and functional in developing and interrelating different concepts so as to build a semantic network within the gospel. J. Brankaer draws attention to John’s use of ‘internal citation’, including citations that mark a shift in meaning compared with the words cited; citations that go beyond the narrative, that’s to say ‘false citations’; and more or less literal citations. She exposes the variety of form and purpose within internal citation, and argues that it often serves progressively to deepen and develop the enunciation of christology in the Fourth Gospel. T. T. O. Nguyen explores the trinitarian relationships in John, showing how the ‘sending’ of the spirit corresponds to but also differs from the Father’s ‘sending’ of the Son, and drawing out the relation of both to the ‘sending’ of the disciples. From the mention of these few contributions it will be apparent that this is a rich and rewarding volume on a still understudied topic that is central to reading John well.