ABSTRACT

'A Rebellious Son? Hugo Odeberg and the Interpretation of John 5.18'

by James F. McGrath

In his 1929 book, Odeberg cited a rabbinic phrase which referred to a rebellious son as 'making himself equal to his father'. Subsequent research shows that Odeberg was mistaken, the phrase not being found in any ancient rabbinic source. Nonetheless, there is much literary evidence that in first-century Mediterranean cultures, sonship and equality were not corollaries but incompatible. This indicates a better way of translating John 5.18, and confirms Odeberg's overall interpretation: the Johannine Jesus is accused of being a rebellious son, and pleads 'not guilty'.

(forthcoming in NTS)