Femineity in the Gospel of John

Femineity, meaning womanliness, is here used to express both the presence of the female in the gospel and the female aspect of the Deity portrayed by John. Jung and others have maintained that every person has both a male and a female aspect; we propose that we use this principle as a lens through which to interpret John. Doing this, we find just as important as the male theology of Son and Father is Jesus' attention to the women one on one, the female aspect of the disciples, the female aspect of the story as a whole, and in particular the female aspect of Jesus himself. When Jesus, from the cross, says Behold your mother, followed by the issue of blood and water from his own body, it is Jesus himself who is named (by Jesus and by the Evangelist) as Mother. We might also speak of the Holy Spirit (or the creator) as midwife to the new creation. This is the point of the image of the new birth that is so prominent in John. Along the way to making that point there are several other themes, including: the one to one conversations between Jesus and women will be seen to develop an image of the true believer (one who delivers children for God); and after the resurrection appearances, the disciples' hearts become the womb into which the Spirit must enter and grow for the new creation to be born into the world. These images would have been clear to the First Century hearer of the story and deserve to be articulated for the reader of today. The Femineity is as significant for the gospel message as is the Son of God. Note: this presentation will expand upon a previous paper and hope to stimulate discussion toward further publications.