Biblica_1:Layout 1 21-11-2011 12:59 Pagina 389 389 JOHN 5,31-47 AND THE TEACHING OF JESUS IN THE SYNOPTICS sponded to Moses and the prophets” 35. Moreover, that the Scriptures actually point to and testify about Jesus as the expected Messiah is likewise a common theme in the other three Gospels. After his res- urrection, Jesus tells the disciples in Luke 24,44 “that everything written [gegrammena] about me in the law of Moses [Mwusewj], the , ?, prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled” [1/2-level of closeness; cf. Luke 24,27]. In Matt 5,17 Jesus explains that he himself is indeed the fulfillment of “the law and the prophets” [0/2-level of close- ness] 36. Additionally, without direct reference to Mosaic writings but alluding to other Old Testament scripture, the point made by Luke 4,21 and 18,31 somewhat resembles Jesus’ Johannine state- ment in essence: “Today this scripture [h` grafh,] has been fulfilled in your hearing” and “everything that is written [ta. gegramme,na] about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished” [thus possible 1/1 -levels of closeness]. * * * More than four decades ago, C.H. Dodd’s comparative analysis of John 5,19-30 led him to conclude that the words of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, though couched in uniquely Johannine idiom, con- vey a message that corresponds conceptually to a significant degree with the teaching of the Synoptic Jesus. The method introduced in this essay was developed in order to put these provisional inferences of Dodd to the test. In doing so, our primary task has been to address the question whether the prevalent negative verdict about the au- thenticity of Jesus’ words in the Fourth Gospel can be legitimately deduced from assumed differences between John and the Synoptics. Our approach was exemplified in this article through a detailed ex- amination of those Johannine words immediately following the verses tackled by Dodd. After a close comparison between the latter part of Jesus’ dis- course in John 5 and the Synoptic Gospels, we find ourselves in basic agreement with Dodd’s preliminary observations. Thus, we conclude (at least for this particular section) that to deny the possible authen- ticity of Jesus’ words in the Fourth Gospel based upon an alleged in- coherence with synoptic teaching is hardly justified in light of the 35 BOCK, Luke 9:51–24:53, 1378. 36 For this parallel cf. also KEENER, John, I, 661; as well as KÖSTEN- BERGER, John, 195.