William Bonney

Caused to Believe: the Doubting Thomas Story at the Climax of John's Christological Narrative (Biblical Interpretation Series) William Bonney

This book is a literary study of John's gospel focusing upon the doubting Thomas story's role as its climax. The author analyses the Thomas episode in light of the roles played by the characters Jesus encounters throughout the gospel. They serve primarily to reveal how Jesus' identity as God's life-giving son is perceived in relation to humanity. For those who believe, he is simultaneously both the cause and the object of faith. In John, "faith" and "life" are inseparable. The life that faith engenders flows from Jesus alone, and the faith achieved by his followers comes only as a result of his causative action. Thomas' change from unbeliever to believer is the climactic illustration of this idea