Literary Styles and Structure in the Fourth Gospel

Fourth Gospel was documented over 80 years ago. It is worth noting that the literary feature that employs the exact intriguing words of Jesus, for example, to Nicodemus or the Woman of Samaria is bound to make the Fourth Gospel more appealing. If one judges from an imaginative point of view of an artist, the narrative may seem to be filled with blots, and awkwardness.The literary difficulties of the Fourth Gospel have not yet been resolved over time and some of the scholars confess in broad daylight that they cannot solve the problem of the literary forms and structure of the book of St. John. The story appears simple from the outlook. However, the writer is communicating deeper truths about a wide range of issues. Literary devices such as allusion and symbolism have been employed by the writer to communicate certain aspects of the gospel. The kind of words selected in the book is also unique in that it represents the most important sentiments that were uttered by Jesus before he went to Heaven.The words used in the story are meant to persuade the reader to make a commitment to Jesus. Therefore, understanding how the St. John’s Gospel is crafted is as critical as the message that it contains.

Multiple allusions have been used in the story. In more than one occasion, John’s expressions depict polyvalence. However, in certain situations, the book employs words that have one clear meaning which is for the same reason of alluding to another thing altogether. Additionally, the words selected mean differently to the reader, that is, lower or earthly what they denote about Christ who is heavenly or higher. A clear example of the literary style is when Jesus takes his body to represent the temple. On the other hand, some words of Jesus have no clear meaning or explanation, for example, when Jesus talks about “going up”, that is, to Jerusalem or to the Father. John used a large number of allusions to achieve a number of things; they allow him to create a literary device called understanding/misunderstanding or irony. Additionally, it makes it possible for him to easily make clear-cut theological statements in a manner that provokes the reader of the book. One of the best examples of this is the use of the word ‘follow’ in four ways which occurs in 1:37, 38, 40 and then finally 43. According to this book, one is made to believe that, at the end of the day, disciples will be made out of these men. The higher levels do not cancel out the lower regarding their significance but help in understanding the meaning in a better way. 

Additionally, now taking a closer look at misunderstanding as a literary technique, it comes out clear that it manifests itself in somebody when they do not understand the words of Jesus. In the same sense, the writer communicates delves deeper into the truths about themselves. Apart from being a literary device, it also plays an important role of denoting historical reality. Now, the most conspicuous trend seen in the story is Jesus making an unclear proclamation and then the writer going ahead to give an explanation. For example, in the book of John, Jesus is referred to as the living water, bread and food of life.

Misunderstanding has multiple effects on the reader. For example, it helps in the creation of a demarcation between what is termed as the “insiders” and the “outsiders”. For example, the reader is made to feel more important than some characters depicted as inferior. Furthermore, judgmental shadows are created on those who unknowingly reject Jesus Christ. Therefore, this creates a feeling for the reader that they are one of the insiders that know and understand the words of Jesus Christ and their implications.On top of that through the literary style, the narrator can preach the gospel by increasing the knowledge base of the readers about Christ. Finally, the style enables one to be in a better position of learning the gospel in that language is clearly spelled out, and therefore, the reader better understands that not getting the meaning of Jesus’ words is tantamount to being equal to the failed characters in the book. 

Iron was well developed in the gospel of St. John. It is clear that coming to terms with style is not a walk in the park; nevertheless, John has greatly employed it to pass the message across that he intended to pass. For example, the most recent research suggests that the author of the book does unimaginable things like “raising his eyebrows”, “winks” and then “smiles” as the story continues to take its course. Therefore, John has documented issues that the one who utters them is aware that they are accurate. The reader recognizes that they do lie but often than not on a higher and different sense. Therefore, to grasp the content of the book properly, the reader must always recognize that there might be two meanings of sentiments, that is, the one conveyed by the characters and the one that the writer intended to pass across. One of the most important examples of irony in the book is that Jesus is rejected by the same people that he was devoted to saving. In fact, Jesus dies on the cross to pay for the sins of the very people that reject Him. 

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All in all, the book is full of a wide range of literary structures and styles. The irony is well documented through such characters as Jesus Christ. Understanding and misunderstanding help to bring out the irony. However, allusions have not been left out in the story. Additionally, the literary structure of the book is not easy to understand, and therefore, one is supposed to scrutinize and analyze every word that is used.