005_Tam_co_570-588 13/02/15 12:48 Pagina 570 When Papyri and Codices Speak: Revisiting John 2,23-25 1 When one reads the Gospel of John, one may easily overlook the author’s brief comments, viz., 2,23-25, between Jesus’ encounter with the disciples and his act of temple-cleansing in 1,35 – 2,22 and the pericope of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Scholars have speculated about the origin of these verses. Their role in the context in the final form of the Gospel has also been noted by commentators. In this paper, I will first review a near con- sensus among modern commentators regarding the role of 2,23-25. Then, I will turn to the earliest manuscripts to see the hints that were left there. In view of this evidence, I will suggest an alterna- tive view as to the role that 2,23-25 played. By highlighting its reas- onableness from a narrative perspective, I will show that 2,23-25 should be seen as an “anticlimactic concluding remark” connected to 1,35 – 2,22. I. Viewpoints of Modern Commentators on John 2,23-25 A cursory examination of commentaries in recent decades reveals that there is a near consensus concerning the role of John 2,23-25 in its literary context. C.H. Dodd in his Historical Tradition of the Fourth Gospel writes: “The three verses [2,23-25] are probably the evangelist’s introduction to the pericope of Nicodemus rather than a true transitional passage” 2. Similarly, Rudolf Bultmann 3, Rudolf 1 Earlier versions of this paper were read at the 2013 meeting of the British New Testament Conference (St. Andrews) and the Biblical Studies Research Seminar at New College, the University of Edinburgh. I am grateful for the helpful feedback offered by various participants. 2 C.H. DODD, Historical Tradition in the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge 1976) 235. 3 R. BULTMANN, Das Evangelium des Johannes (Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar über das Neue Testament; Göttingen 121952) 91-92. BIBLICA 95.4 (2014) 570-588