For me the main difficulties about identifying the Beloved Disciple with any of the named disciples are that
a) at the Cross we see a cloak of protection. put around Jesus’ mother in response to his instructions. It happens within the hour and it comes from the BD’s private property. I can’t but read this as a statement that the BD owned a house within an hour’s walk of the scene. It’s very difficult to think of any of the Galilean disciples fitting this bill.
b) we need to ask whether the ‘Other Disciple’ who moves in High Priestly circles is the same as the BD. The language of the running to the tomb story suggests that he is but in that case his position seems even further removed from that of the Galileans. He doesn’t have a Galilean accent. If he isn’t then it becomes clearer that it’s quite important to John to keep a certain veil over the witnesses to whom he appeals.
c) there is an any event a certain veiling in the way John seals his work in the passive voice - ‘these things are written’ rather than ‘I have written these things’, an abstention, an abstention which means something, from identifying his principal eyewitness or claiming to be an eyewitness. Think how much clearer things would be if we read ‘These things are written on the testimony of Andrew, who saw everything’ or I Andrew have written these things which I witnessed.‘. What do we readers gain from something of this kind’s not being put to us fair and square if it was indeed the fair, square truth?
)d) this veiling is consistent with John’s telling us, which I think he does, that in addition to the Galilean disciples there was another cell of Jesus’ movement, this time in Jerusalem, more upper crust and more discreet. Joseph and Nicodemus and perhaps Lazarus are named but until the end they are not a troublesome presence to the authorities. Perhaps, we might think, there were others - maybe including the other on whose instruction the serving maid would admit strangers, even in a rather fraught situation, to the High Priest’s house. Maybe including the unnamed man who alone had the right to a certain physical intimacy with Jesus. These people emerge and briefly take charge in the moment after the crucifixion. And it is to their information that John appeals, noting how close they were to the action. We can perhaps assume that the OD was mingling with the Jewish leadership crowd before Pilate.
d) the transposition of a famous scene from Mark is very interesting and thank you for drawing attention to it. But surely the transposition can’t have as its central point the assignment of a central role to a Galilean. It must be making the point that it was not in Galilee but in Jerusalem that Jesus reached the greatest intimacy with those who would carry on his work.
For me the main difficulties about identifying the Beloved Disciple with any of the named disciples are that
a) at the Cross we see a cloak of protection. put around Jesus’ mother in response to his instructions. It happens within the hour and it comes from the BD’s private property. I can’t but read this as a statement that the BD owned a house within an hour’s walk of the scene. It’s very difficult to think of any of the Galilean disciples fitting this bill.
b) we need to ask whether the ‘Other Disciple’ who moves in High Priestly circles is the same as the BD. The language of the running to the tomb story suggests that he is but in that case his position seems even further removed from that of the Galileans. He doesn’t have a Galilean accent. If he isn’t then it becomes clearer that it’s quite important to John to keep a certain veil over the witnesses to whom he appeals.
c) there is an any event a certain veiling in the way John seals his work in the passive voice - ‘these things are written’ rather than ‘I have written these things’, an abstention, an abstention which means something, from identifying his principal eyewitness or claiming to be an eyewitness. Think how much clearer things would be if we read ‘These things are written on the testimony of Andrew, who saw everything’ or I Andrew have written these things which I witnessed.‘. What do we readers gain from something of this kind’s not being put to us fair and square if it was indeed the fair, square truth?
)d) this veiling is consistent with John’s telling us, which I think he does, that in addition to the Galilean disciples there was another cell of Jesus’ movement, this time in Jerusalem, more upper crust and more discreet. Joseph and Nicodemus and perhaps Lazarus are named but until the end they are not a troublesome presence to the authorities. Perhaps, we might think, there were others - maybe including the other on whose instruction the serving maid would admit strangers, even in a rather fraught situation, to the High Priest’s house. Maybe including the unnamed man who alone had the right to a certain physical intimacy with Jesus. These people emerge and briefly take charge in the moment after the crucifixion. And it is to their information that John appeals, noting how close they were to the action. We can perhaps assume that the OD was mingling with the Jewish leadership crowd before Pilate.
d) the transposition of a famous scene from Mark is very interesting and thank you for drawing attention to it. But surely the transposition can’t have as its central point the assignment of a central role to a Galilean. It must be making the point that it was not in Galilee but in Jerusalem that Jesus reached the greatest intimacy with those who would carry on his work.