He Has Given to the Son To Have Life in Himself (John 5,26) It could well be argued that John 5,19-30 presents, in condensed form, some of the central convictions of Johannine Christology. In v. 20, Jesus explains that the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself does. In vv. 21-22, Jesus explains specifically that he has been given the power to give life and the power to judge, the two powers that are most characteristic of God the Father himself (1). Then in v. 26, Jesus explains the specific basis for his power to give life: w{sper ga;r oJ path;r e[cei zwh;n ejn eJautw'/, ou{tw" kai; tw'/ uiJw'/ e[dwken zwh;n e[cein ejn eJautw'/. (For just as the Father has life in himself, so he gave the Son the power to have life in himself.) But just what does it mean to say that Jesus has life “in himself” (ejn eJautw) (2)? '/ * ** As far as I am aware, up to this time scholars have only been able to speculate, on the basis of the verse’s inner logic, that having life “in oneself” is a special property of God since it is said that just as the Father has life “in himself”, so he gives it to the Son to have “in himself” (3). Schnackenburg (4) expresses this possibility when he comments that “the Son has life fully in himself and therefore is a source of life for those who believe (cf 7,37). Believers have life, but not in the same original fullness and power as the Son has life ‘in himself’”. But Schnackenburg gives no evidence for this view other than the verse itself. Earlier Bultmann (5) had taken a somewhat different view and contrasted the believer who has life “in” Jesus with Jesus and the Father who have life “in themselves”. Bultmann supported his contention by appeal to 3,16 and 20,31. Although this contrast is appealing, it is not borne out by the texts cited by Bultmann. Neither text actually describes the source of the life of the believer as “in him [Jesus]”. 3,16 speaks of one “believing in him” (Jesus) and in the case of 20,31 refers to one believing “in his name”. (1) It is often suggested that the section has undergone editing, particularly in vv. 27- 29, but no attempt is made here to discuss that possibility since, even if editing is present, the meaning of v. 26 itself is not affected. (2) It should be noted that the same phrase appears associated with the believer in 6,53, but there it clearly does not have the same meaning but is simply a pleonasm that the believer who does not eat the flesh and drink the blood does not have life (i.e. “in themselves”). (3) That the Father was thought to be the source of all life is well attested in the Jewish scriptures (e.g. Deut 32,39; 1 Sam 2,6; 2 Kgs 5,7) and in the NT (e.g. Rom 4,17; 8,11). (4) R. SCHNACKENBURG, The Gospel according to St. John (New York 1980) II, 112. (5) R. BULTMANN, The Gospel of John. A Commentary (Philadelphia 1970) 260-261.