The Women In The Gospel of John - Book Introduction
March 10th, 2010
The Women In The Gospel of John by Judith Kay Jones
I have lived with the women in the Gospel of John for thirty years. I have explored their stories in many ways, using many sources. The very structure of the Gospel suggests something is going on, something mysterious and evocative. This Gospel does not just include stories about women, it is structured around stories of women. In this unique testament, women and their encounters with Jesus provide the framework for the central message of Jesus. They are, in a sense, the heartbeat of John’s Gospel. The major themes of this Gospel are revealed through a series of seven encounters between Jesus and, not the twelve Disciples, but women of diverse backgrounds and of religious understanding. This series of encounters forms the backbone, the structure of the Gospel of John. Unlike the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John seems to have a female skeleton. Today, more and more scholars are turning their attention to the stories of those women, these mothers of the faith. The Gospel of John presents us with the ultimate mystery, God with us, and the witnesses to the revelation of God’s love. These witnesses who have, until fairly recent times, been silenced by prejudice and oppression, were the women who accompanied and who served, who loved Jesus, who were healed by him and who tended to him, who stayed with him until the end, at the cross, at the tomb. And whose voices then fall, inexplicably silent, leaving us to wonder—what did they really see? What did they really hear and understand? Most poignant of all, ¬¬¬¬ what happened to them? What happened to their stories, their traditions, the repository of their personal experiences? This book is an attempt to let their voices sing again, these women witnesses—and in so doing, breech the silence of the centuries and probe to the heart of the mystery that is the Gospel of John.
Rev. Dr. Judith Kaye Jones received her M.A. in Theology and the Arts from the Pacific School of Religion and her Th. D., also in Theology and the Arts, from the Graduate Theological Union, both in Berkeley, California. Judith has led workshops and retreats in the areas of worship and the arts, feminist theology and feminine spirituality at regional and national gatherings. In 1994 she served as Artist in Residence at the ICWF Quadrennial Assembly. She has created art installations, worship and drama for regional and national events, including the UCC Women’s Network and WomanSpirit (DOC). Her most recent publication is The Women in the Gospel of John: The Diving Feminine, published by Chalice Press.
Rev. Dr. Judith Kaye Jones received her M.A. in Theology and the Arts from the Pacific School of Religion and her Th. D., also in Theology and the Arts, from the Graduate Theological Union, both in Berkeley, California. Judith has led workshops and retreats in the areas of worship and the arts, feminist theology and feminine spirituality at regional and national gatherings. In 1994 she served as Artist in Residence at the ICWF Quadrennial Assembly. She has created art installations, worship and drama for regional and national events, including the UCC Women’s Network and WomanSpirit (DOC). Her most recent publication is The Women in the Gospel of John: The Diving Feminine, published by Chalice Press. 
