Imitation in Johannine Christianity

Abstract

Studies in Johannine ethics have flourished in recent times, but scholars have yet to reach the heart of the matter. My contention that imitation is central to Johannine ethics is perhaps surprising because the concept is not immediately evident in the Johannine writings. I will therefore explain how we can recognize and understand Johannine imitation, followed by an account of how John’s ‘imitation ethics’ works. Our findings will discover a tradition of imitation from Jesus in the early first century to Johannine Christians in the late first century, and on to the early Christian martyrs in the second century.