Zeteo - as an overarching theme in the fourth Gospel

Abstract

Mark W.G. Stibbe defines ‘themes’ as “the basic ideas of narratives, and their function is to give internal shape and completeness to a sequence of episodes. In other words, themes are ogranizing narrative concepts”1. Zeteo – ‘seeking’ seems to be one of these Johannine themes that deserve to be studied on separately as it seems to be particularly connected with the theology of the Fourth Gospel. The aim of this article is to establish the importance of zeteo in the Fourth Gospel. In return, this task will hopefully provide a home and a platform for further examination of the Fourth Gospel’s theology. We will place the present investigation under a rigid set of aspects, such as frequency of occurence and statistical checks between the Fourth Gospel and the Synoptics. We will raise the problem of the unity of the Fourth Gospel’s narrative by examining how the repetition of zeteo serves to bind this gospel to a central plot. The question of what is a plot will be discussed in terms of ancient literary genres.