005_Tam_co_570-588 13/02/15 12:48 Pagina 584 584 JOSAPHAT C. TAM If, then, in 5,47 the Jews whom Jesus was talking to are appar- ently unbelieving, there is no reason to consider the Nicodemus in 3,12 as believing, since he is subjected to the same criticism. Of course, this does not mean that Nicodemus would remain un- changed after 3,12, especially in light of 7,50 and 19,39. In addition to these two points, from a wider context 2,23-25 has closer verbal connections with 1,35 – 2,22 than with 3,1-15. A number of important key terms in these three verses find their echoes in the preceding pericopae: (1) the believing motif in 2,23 echoes the same motif found at the end of the previous pericopae of the Temple cleansing, the wedding at Cana, and the calling of the first disciples (1,50; 2,11.22); (2) the seeing-signs motif in 2,23 echoes the same motif in the pericopae of the Temple cleansing and the wedding at Cana (2,11.18); (3) the knowing and believing mo- tifs in 2,24-25 are the reversal of the same motifs in these three pre- vious pericopae (1,48.50; 2,9.11; 2,18.22); (4) the witnessing motif in 2,25 represents a clarification of the role of different witnesses in these sections. Given these narrative echoes, the repetition of location and time in 2,13 and 2,23 can be read as reminders to the readers that the story has not yet ended. Thus, from a narrative point of view, al- though the subject seems to have shifted from the “disciples” in the previous pericopae to the “many” (πολλoi,) in 2,23, important con- ceptual linkages still remain. The author still has something to say be- fore going on to the next pericope. These narrative linkages deserve further exegetical reflection in light of the motifs used in 2,23-25. 2. Narrative Linkages with the Previous Context a. The seeing-signs-and-belief motif In 2,23, the author mentions that many people saw Jesus’ “signs” (qewrou/ntej auvtou/ ta. shmei/a a] evpoi,ei 2,23), just as his disciples did in 2,11 (evpoi,hsen avrch.n tw/n shmei,wn). Both the crowd and the disciples appear to have believed in Jesus’ name (evpi,steusan eivj to. o;noma auvtou/) (2,23 cf. v. 11) in the manner that is required in 1,12 (pisteu,ousin eivj to. o;noma auvtou/). From the perspective of the development of the narrative, faith in signs appears not alto- gether useless by itself. At least the disciples belonged to this cat- egory. The negative evaluation of the faith here may not be because of signs. It is not because of the people themselves either. This is