The Betrayal of the Unreliable Narrator: Deconstruction, Dualism, and the “Other Disciple” of John 18:15–16
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One of the most troubling aspects of the Gospel of John is its tendency to create rigid dualisms between insiders and outsiders. This article uses the technique of deconstruction to undermine John’s characterization of the ultimate outsider: Judas. John inadvertently gives the reader the freedom to identify the anonymous figure of the other disciple who lets Peter into the high priest’s courtyard as Judas. Such identification leads to a deconstructive reading of the Gospel of John in which dualism collapses. With its ambiguities and aporias, the Gospel of John allows for the redemption of Judas when read deconstructively. The instability John’s dualism calls into question the validity of any strict binary that labels people as insiders or outsiders.
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Johansen (1994) has used the trickster model to interpret narration.
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Liddell et al. 1940: 958. As in Sophocles when Teucer uses the word to accuse Menelaus of cheating (Ajax 1135). Similarly, Aristotle refers to a logical fallacy as being “like the word of the κλέπτου” (Sophistici Elenchi 180.18).
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The Betrayal of the Unreliable Narrator: Deconstruction, Dualism, and the “Other Disciple” of John 18:15–16
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Myrick C. Shinall in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Christopher M. Hallum in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
One of the most troubling aspects of the Gospel of John is its tendency to create rigid dualisms between insiders and outsiders. This article uses the technique of deconstruction to undermine John’s characterization of the ultimate outsider: Judas. John inadvertently gives the reader the freedom to identify the anonymous figure of the other disciple who lets Peter into the high priest’s courtyard as Judas. Such identification leads to a deconstructive reading of the Gospel of John in which dualism collapses. With its ambiguities and aporias, the Gospel of John allows for the redemption of Judas when read deconstructively. The instability John’s dualism calls into question the validity of any strict binary that labels people as insiders or outsiders.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 477 | 51 | 2 |
| Full Text Views | 295 | 10 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 147 | 22 | 4 |