The Johannine Tradition as «Apostolic» Evidence
for Early Christian Pascha
Observance in the Quartodeciman Churches
Mitchell Alexander Esswein
Abstract
Pascha is the zenith of the Christian liturgical calendar since it commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ. The aim of my article is to provide a linguistic and thematic analysis of key texts that were potentially influential for the Quartodeciman observance. My study focuses on congruencies that appear in the ‘Aqedah (Genesis 22), Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, and John in relation to one Quartodeciman in particular: Melito of Sardis. I conclude that the Quartodeciman communities were heavily reliant on the Fourth Gospel due to John’s emphasis on Jesus as the (paschal) Lamb of God.
Sommario
Pascha è l’apice del calendario liturgico cristiano in quanto commemora la morte e la risurrezione di Cristo. Obiettivo del mio articolo e quello di fornire un’analisi linguistica e tematica dei testi chiave potenzialmente influenti per l’osservanza Quartodecimana. Questo studio si concentra sulle congruenze che appaiono in ‘Aqedah (Genesi 22), Esodo 12, Isaia 53 e Giovanni in relazione alla teologia di un Quartodecimano in particolare: Melitone di Sardis. Concludo che i Quartodecimani erano fortemente dipendenti dal Quarto Vangelo, in cui Giovanni raffigura Gesù come l’agnello (pasquale) di Dio.
Mitchell Alexander Esswein is an independent scholar of the New Testament and Christian origins. He is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and the University of Georgia.