ST. CATHARINES CONCORDIA - Brock University

Bruce G. Schuchard, Scripture Within Scripture: The Interrelationship of Form
and Function in the Explicit Old Testament Citations in the Gospel of John, SBL
Th~rtation Series 133 (Atlanta: Scholars Presu), 1992.
Roger J. Humann
Thc very first issue of this journal conhined the sludy, "The Funclion and Form of the
Explicit Old Testament Quotatiom in the Gospel of John" (LTR I: l, 1988189). The
twenty-three page article, which rcflcctcd studics undcrtakcn some years previously,
sought to answer two questions: what Sunclion do the thirteen explicit Old TeslomenL
quotations have within the structure of the Gospel? and what is the significance of the
form in which they appear?
That study concluded that the quotations were incorporated by the evangelist at
key points where they served the apologetic function of explicating Jesus' rejection
by IIis contemporaries, and where they were introduced in such a way as to focus upon
the hour of Jcsus' glorification as the fi~lfilment of the Father's purpose in sending the
Messiah. Tt further obsemed that while the text form of these citations did not
consistently reflect a single Old Testament text tradition (e.g., MT, LXX) the form
was always appropriate to its Gospel context. John reflected the MT where the
significance of the quotation demanded it, and other times the LXX was quoted
verbatim where this was appropriate. Frequently he cited in such a way as to indicate
thc fulfilment or application of the Old Testament to the current situation; or again,
the wording may simply have reflected his own style and vocabulary.
A NEW STUDY
Now we have a recently published monograph which examines the same data but
in significantly greater detail and depth and which brings the discussion very much
up to date as some of the recent dates on bibliographic entries would indicate (e.g., no
fewer than 45 entries, out of nearly 300, dated between 1988-90!) Scr.iptur-e Within
Scriptur-e is a PhD. dissertation submitted to Union Theological Seminary in Richmond,
Virginia, and published by the Society of Biblical 1,ileralure in ifs Dissertalion
Series. The author, Bruce G. Schuchard, is a 1976 graduate of Concordia Theological
Seminary, Springfield, Ill., and presently serves as pastor of St. Jamcs Luthcran
Church, Victor, Iowa.
The goal of Schuchard's investigation was to exarnine the use of the Old Testament
in the Gospel of John, specifically to characterize "the interrelationship of form
and function in the explicit Old Teslarnent citations" in the Gospel (p. xiii). He limits
his investigation to those thirteen explicit Old Testament citations which are identified
by a formula. I
1 They are: 1:23; 217; 631, and45; 10:34; 12.14-15.38, and 40; 13:18, 15:25; 1924, 36, and 37. Excluded *re
738, and 42; 17: 12, and 19:28 since in these instances no dlsc~ctc Old Tcstamcnt passage i~ cited; ncithcr is
12: 13 cons~dered slnce it is not a rcfcrcncc to the Old Testament per se, but a rendering of a popula- Jewish