A social analysis of 1 John, contributing to the understanding of groups and the Johannine Corpus

Abstract

During the time of the early church, there was much syncretism of religious thought in Asia Minor given the level of intellectual activity in those cities. A crisis arose in John’s group because of individuals who advocated a different understanding of Christ and the nature of Christianity. The author of 1 John tries imaginatively bond his readers to and involve them in a specific kind of family life. He binds people together for collective action and to distinguish them from other groups. This research project aims to demonstrate that a socio-rhetorical analysis on 1 John makes a unique contribution to the understanding of groups in the Johannine Corpus. The thesis focuses on (1) the collective binding action and the different groups seen in this Johannine group, and (2) applies social scientific models to 1 John, or better said, reads it through social scientific lenses to gain a new perspective on the groups in this circle. The result is an investigation into the relationship between identity and behavioural norms. During the time of the writing of 1 John, identity was threatened, and boundaries were renegotiated. The approach put forward in this thesis helps to form a better understanding of the interrelationships, values and symbols that characterize the Letter.