This Tragic Gospel

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This Tragic Gospel suggests that the "Gospel" of Johnintended to supplant the first three gospels and succeeded ingaining undue influence on the early churches. This study focuseson the tragic moment when Jesus prays for deliverance from hisimpending death in the garden of Gethsemane. Ruprecht contends thatJohn rewrote this scene in order to convey a very differentdramatic meaning from the one reflected in Mark's gospel. In John'sversion, not only did Jesus not pray to be spared, he actuallymocked this prayer, embracing his imminent demise with godlikeconfidence. Ruprecht believes that this dramatic reinterpretationundermined the tragedy of Jesus's death as Mark imagined it and sopaved the way for the development of a kind of Christianity thatfocused far less on compassion in the face of human suffering.John's Jesus offers the faithful food so that they will neverhunger, water so that they will never thirst, and the promise of aworld in which no faithful person ever sheds a tear. Mark'sChristians do suffer, but they witness to suffering and deathdifferently...with compassion. Mark's Christ suffers, like allChristians after him, but he embodies a tragic hope in the promiseof a faith shored up by love and compassion.

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Louis A. Ruprecht

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Despite the subtitle of this book, which some general readers may find alarming, Ruprecht's argument is well reasoned and reflects concerns not new to scholars and Bible translators. The author, who teaches religious studies at Georgia State University, places in juxtaposition the gospels of Mark and John, suggesting that John was written not to supplement Mark's book, but rather to replace it and create a more strident, less human portrait of Jesus. Ruprecht dissects the two gospels and shows how the Johannine influence has prevailed in Christian history, in particular with reformers like Martin Luther. He also explores how John's gospel may have fed into the centuries-old plague of anti-Semitism in the church and beyond. In contrast to the self-assured Jesus described in John, Mark's Jesus is conflicted and ambiguous, working miracles but commanding those he healed not to tell anyone. And where (in Ruprecht's view) Mark sees Jesus' suffering as without purpose, in John suffering was itself the purpose. Although Ruprecht's ideas may surprise and discomfit nonspecialists, they deserve a read and are accessibly presented. (Aug. 8) (Publishers Weekly, April 28, 2008)"If you really want to understand context, especially from acritical Christian point of view, then I strongly recommend readingLouis A. Ruprecht's This Tragic Gospel..." --Jewish Herald-Voice, December 11, 2008
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