In my previous post, I claimed that the concept of 'sign' in John's gospel has a specific, intentional meaning. I suggested that part of this meaning is a miraculous activity by Jesus. However, in the interim I found this excellent essay by New Testament scholar Andreas Kostenberger. In it, Kostenberger points out that the Old Testament tradition of 'signs' moves away from the miraculous toward the non-miraculous. For instance, in the Book of Exodus, Moses is given the ability to perform miraculous deeds to authenticate the authority given to him by God (see Exodus 4:8-9). However, as the prophetic tradition develops, 'signs' take on a more symbolic function while still authenticating the prophets ministry (see Ezekiel 4:1-3 as a clear instance of this).
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Matthew Lee Anderson
Matthew Lee Anderson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology in Baylor University's Honors College. He has a D.Phil. in Christian Ethics from Oxford University, and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University's Torrey Honors College. In 2005, he founded Mere Orthodoxy.
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