A Divine Round Trip

How does the Evangelist utilize the Descent/Ascent Leitmotif to shape the telling of Jesus' story, and what is he conveying by incorporating this round trip language? The argument of this book is that the Descent/Ascent Leitmotif, which includes the language of not only descending and ascending, but also coming, going, and being sent, performs a significant literary and christological function in the Gospel of John. The Evangelist's Descent/Ascent Leitmotif becomes the Gospel's organizing principle, drawing together this constellation of verbs and a number of christological themes, including Jesus' origin, identity, relationship to God, authority, signs and works, life, and glory. Using a thematic structural method, this book illustrates the transforming influence of the Leitmotif on these themes from which John's Christology emerges. Additionally, this book examines the spatial dimensions and christological importance of the vertical and horizontal depictions of Jesus' divine round trip.