John 4:1–42 among the Biblical Well Encounters: Pentateuchal and Johannine Narrative
Reconsidered. WUNT II 542. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. 2020.
This study proposes a new approach to an ongoing scholarly discussion. How can the
relationship among the encounters at wells narrated in the Pentateuch (Genesis 24 and 29,
Exodus 2) and the New Testament (John 4) be defined? Does the Gospel episode assume the reader’s familiarity with these Torah texts? If so, what sort of interpretation of them is
presupposed, and what significance does this have for the exegesis of the Gospel pericope?
What comes to light is a complex interrelation which does not fall neatly into a single category. There are numerous literary parallels, but in the Johannine rereading these have come to be thematically refocused, and intertwined with words and actions of Jesus. The resultant dynamic invites readers to interpret John 4:1–42 in light of three passages from the Pentateuch, and viceversa.
This monograph is based on the doctoral dissertation that I defended in March 2020. The
opportunity to undertake doctoral research has been a real blessing, after having taught Scriptureat our Salesian theologates in Mexico and in Jerusalem since 1999. I am grateful to my Salesian superiors, my Franciscan professors, our confrere and colleague Frank Moloney, Prof. Jörg Frey and the other editors of the WUNT II series, and the staff at Mohr Siebeck publishers.