04_Parker_222_244_222-244 10/07/15 12:41 Pagina 233 233 IS THE SUBJECT OF tete,lestai IN JOHN 19,30 “IT” OR “ALL THINGS” ? 233 author had fulfillment in mind at all, he probably intended a partic- ular Scripture rather than the whole corpus of Messianic prophetic texts, since 19,28 used the singular form of the noun. (5) The use of tele,w for scriptural fulfillment in Luke-Acts is not analogous to that of John. The author of Luke recorded three passion predictions (Luke 9,22.44; 18,31-32), tied Old Testament prophecy to the third of these predictions (18,31), noted several fulfillments of specific prophecies within the passion narrative (22,37; 23,46), and, after the passion, looked back on the prophetic significance of Jesus’ suffer- ing (Luke 24,26.44-45; Acts 4,25-26; 8,32-33; 13,29). By way of contrast, John neither prepares his readers to look for such Old Tes- tament prophecies within the passion narrative nor mentions the ful- fillment of many specific prophecies within it (19,28.36-37). Others have proposed that “it is finished” (19,30) refers to the sin- gle OT prophecy mentioned in 19,28 (e.g., Ps 42,2; 63,1; 69,21) 40. The singular word “Scripture” (grafh,) might support that the author of John had a particular prophetic text in mind, although Gundry raises several valid objections to this theory. The word teleio,w is used to refer to the fulfillment of Scripture, not tele,w, with the result that the latter verb is unlikely to have reference to prophetic fulfillment in this passage. He also notes: “If ‘it’ refers to Scripture, the latter syntax contradicts the immediately preceding statement that all are ‘now’ (h;dh) finished. For all are not yet completed if the slaking of Jesus’ thirst with wine vinegar remains as unfinished business” 41. Robert Gundry promotes the interpretation that “all things” con- sists of the “works”, “signs”, and “words” of Jesus. As evidence for his view, he notes that these three words sometimes appear with pa,nta in other contexts 42, are neuter in gender, predominantly ap- pear in the plural, and are, therefore, fitting referents for the neuter plural pa,nta in 19,28, which he also regards as the subject of theme (7,42). The only use of the plural “Scriptures” is a reference to the en- tire corpus of Jewish writings (5,39). The singular of lo,goj in John is also used to refer to a single Scripture: John 12,38 (Isa 53,1); 15,25 (Ps 35,19 or 69,4). See also BRAWLEY, “An Absent Complement”, 434. 40 CHRYSOSTOM, Saint Matthew, 14.319. 41 GUNDRY, “New Wine”, 295-296. Also see LANGE, Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, III, 587. 42 GUNDRY, 292-293. Pa,nta appears with “works” (e;rga; 5,19-20), “signs” (shmei/a; 2,23; 4,45), and “words” (r`h,mata; 3,34-35; 14,26; 15,15; 16,15; 17,7-8a. 10).