“Dematerializing” Religion: Reading John 2–4 as a Chiasm 531 seem to function at this point as a narrative partner in building the Gospel’s temple Christology. c) Nicodemus With regard to 3,1-21, Barrett rightly observes that Nicodemus “is quickly forgotten” (22) as the discourse shifts to a second plural in 3,11- 12 (ouj lambavnete ... 12 ... uJmi'n ... ouj pisteuvete) and then to the theological monologue in 3,13-21 (23). In my count, the author spends 193 words on Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus (3,1-11, see soi in v.11) and 193 words on further reflections in 3,12-21. Thus, summarizing all of 3,1-21 as “Nicodemus’ partial faith” does not fit at least half of the text. In addition, the generalizing language and gnomic style (kovsmo" and a[nqrwpoi in 3,16.17.19; pa'" in 3,16) direct attention away from the Jewish interlocutor (24). Nicodemus is thus introduced (a[nqrwpo" in 2,25) and interpreted (3,16-21) as a human example of someone whose lack of understanding and response to Jesus’ words and deeds reflects not merely a Jewish dilemma but an universal one. Moloney’s distinction into Jewish (2,1–3,36) and non-Jewish interlocutors (4,1- 42) is thus too neat. Also, in Moloney’s eyes, Nicodemus’ partial faith is characterized not by “refusal” but merely by “limitations of his understanding of Jesus (v. 2)”, by “a misunderstanding of Jesus’ words (v. 4)” and by “a stunned puzzlement (v. 9)” (25). Yet Jesus qualifies his signs-faith (see ejpivsteusan in 2,23) as ‘no faith’ because the teacher of Israel ironically does not “know” (ginwvskei", 3,10) what Jesus is talking about and becomes thereby the first narrative example of “the world” which “did not know him” (oujk e[gnw, 1,10) (26). Consequently, Jesus points out the Jewish leader’s representative unbelief at the end of his dialogue (ouj pisteuvete, 3,12), which is why he cannot reveal heavenly secrets to people like him. d) John the Baptist Furthermore, an alleged topos of John the Baptist’s “complete faith” is far from evident in 3,22-36 since it is nowhere mentioned (22) C.K. BARRETT, The Gospel According to St. John (Philadelphia, PE 1978) 202. (23) MOLONEY (Belief, 106) observes himself that “at best, Nicodemus remains in the background in vv. 11-21 …”. (24) L. KIERSPEL, The Jews and the World in the Fourth Gospel. Parallelism, Function, and Context (WUNT 2.220; Tübingen 2006) 149. (25) MOLONEY, Belief, 115. (26) The previous (and first) use of ginwvskw in the Gospel with a subject other than Jesus (so in 1,48; 2,24.25) is found in 1,10.