“Dematerializing” Religion: Reading John 2–4 as a Chiasm 547 the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?” In contrast, the other stories in John 2–4 contain much more situational flavor and less theological style (see 2,4.7.8.16; 4,7.16.18). (c) The theological character of Jesus’ speech in John 3 goes back first of all to vocabulary that occurred previously only in John 1,1-18, such as lambavnw, gennavw, zwhv, fw'", ajlhvqeia, monogenhv", oujdeiv", kovsmo" (apart from 1,29) (93). This selection of key terms from the prologue (94) creates continuity with the interpretive opening of the Gospel, extends the hermeneutical lens provided at the beginning and thus highlights the theological significance of this monologue. (d) But even more than the retrospective link with the prologue, the monologue in 3,13-21 sets the stage for theological language and concepts that dominate the rest of the Gospel and are thus typical of the Johannine idiom. The following terms appear in John 3,13-20 for the first time in the Gospel: ajnabaivnw for Jesus’ ascent (3,13), katabaivnw for Jesus’ descent (3,13), uJyovw (3,14), oJ pisteuvwn (3,15.16.18.36), pa'" oJ pisteuvwn (3,15.16), zwhv aijwvnio" (3,15.16.36), ajgapavw (3,16.19.35), apollumi (3,16), ajpostevllw for God sending his Son (3,17.34), krivnw jv (3,17.18), swv/zw (3,17), h[dh (3,18), krivsi" (3,19), skovto" (3,19), ponhrov" (3,19), e[rgon (3,19.20.21), ejrgavzomai (3,21), misevw (3,20), ejlevgcw (3,20), fau'lo" (3,20), pravssw (3,20). Literally every sentence in this section introduces important language used later in the Gospel, as the highlighted terms in the following paragraph demonstrate: 3,13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven— the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up [also 8,28; 12,32.34] the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. 16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not judged, but anyone who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God. 19 “This, then, is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved (93) See zwhv (1,4; 3,15.16.36; etc.), fw'" (1,4.5.7.8.9; 3,19.19.20.21; etc.), ajlhvqeia (1,14.17; 3,21; etc.), monogenhv" (1,14.18; 3,16.18), oujdeiv" (1,18; 3,2.13.32; etc.). (94) The most important key terms in the prologue are the following: zwhv, fw'", skotiva, marturiva, marturevw, pisteuvw, savrx, ajlhvqeia, gennavw, monogenhv", Mwu>sh'", novmo". See KIERSPEL, The Jews and the World, 117, 138.