Conclusion

The Gospel of John is similar to Jewish apocalypses because it is revelatory literature with a narrative framework in which an otherworldly mediator discloses heavenly revelation to a human recipient. The Gospel of John is a revelatory narration of Jesus’s life. Modern genre theory’s use of prototypes to assess participation in a genre allows for a methodologically sound way to compare the Gospel to Jewish apocalypses. Although it is similar in numerous ways, the Gospel does not participate in the genre of apocalypse. Instead, it participates in the gospel genre, yet is qualified by the genre of apocalypse. This understanding of the Gospel as “apocalyptic” Gospel aids in the interpretation of John’s presentation of the Law of Moses and may have been influenced more specifically by its relationship with the Apocalypse of John. This apocalyptic mode explains John’s distinctiveness from the Synoptic Gospels and its affinities with Jewish apocalyptic tradition.