John, a Postmodern Gospel

This study deals with the postmodern philosophy of language as developed mainly by French authors as R. Barthes, J. Derrida and J.-F. Lyotard. The four chapters of the first part are theoretical and relate the literary concepts of postmodernity, poststructuralism and deconstruction to the practice of biblical exegesis. One of the important conclusions is that deconstruction affects both diachronic and synchronic approaches of texts. Each chapter closes with -not suggestions but- implications for a postmodern, deconstructive strategy of reading. The four chapters of the second part apply this postmodern, deconstructive strategy of reading to the Fourth Gospel as a whole (chapter five), to John 6 (chapter six), to John 17 (chapter seven) and to John 21, 24-25 (chapter eight). This deconstructive reading shows the differential and apophatic character of Saint John's Gospel.

Patrick J.E. Chatelion Counet, Ph.D. (1995) in Theology, University of Nijmegen (Netherlands), is lecturer of the New Testament at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. He has published several books and articles on the Gospel of John and the letters of Paul from a deconstructive point of view.