Radość przyjaciela Oblubieńca z powodu głosu Oblubieńca w J 3,29

Abstract

The article attempts to discover the meaning behind – and the rationale for – the joy experienced by John the Baptist in John 3:29, called there “the friend of the bridegroom”. John’s narration links this joy, which has already been fulfilled (as John himself professes), with the voice of bridegroom, who is identified as Jesus. Previous analysis of ancient Jewish wedding customs has yielded several possible explanations of the friend’s joy, however the present article seeks to focus on the reasons for this joy rooted specifically in his hearing the bridegroom’s voice. At the same time, our lack of full, precise knowledge of these wedding customs prevents us from drawing from them a single, compelling explanation. The article thus attempts to expand the discussion of this Johannine crux interpretum by reference to OT. It is proposed that the Evangelist can be seen alluding here either to Jeremiah’s prophecy or to the Song of Songs. Finally, the article seeks the reason for John the Baptist’s joy within the very theological context of the Fourth Gospel. The semantic analysis of the lexeme “voice” (fwnh,) in the Gospel produces the understanding that the true disciple of Jesus listens to Jesus’ “voice” and as a result experiences eschatological joy. Thus the Evangelist depicts John the Baptist, through his rejoicing, as a perfect disciple of Jesus.