Jesus and the Visibility of God
Sight and Belief in the Fourth Gospel

This study argues that unless God becomes physically visible in Jesus, belief cannot be attained.

Luke Irwin (Author)

9781009477048, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 January 2025

255 pages
22.2 x 14.6 x 2.1 cm, 0.46 kg

'Recommended.' P. K. Moser, CHOICE

Although scholars have debated the link between empirical senses and belief in the Gospel of John, few have queried their own presuppositions about the invisibility of God. In this study, Luke Irwin establishes the value of God's physical incarnation for belief, arguing that the theological nature of belief derives from a God who makes himself physically visible in the world. Irwin builds on recent work on divine embodiment in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament and illuminates the Jewish context for John's Gospel. He also explains John's understanding of 'seeing' as a positive component of belief-formation and resolves the Johannine relationship between 'seeing' and 'believing'. Showing how God is the ultimate target of belief, Irwin argues that unless God becomes physically visible in Jesus, belief cannot be attained.

Introduction
Part I. God and Visibility: 1. 'My Lord and My God' In John 20:30–31
2. Divine Visibility
3. God on Earth
Part II. Seeing God: 4. The Efficacy of Empirical Vision
5. Seeing Jesus and Seeing God
Conclusion
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG]