As I Loved You: Moral Progress, the Ethical Turn, and the Love Command in the Gospel of John

This thesis proposes a theory of ethics grounded in the love command in the Gospel of John (John 13:34 and 15:12), as situated in the narrative of the footwashing and Farewell Discourse (John 13-17), and integral to the Gospel’s overall theological intent. Though the commands to love the Lord and to love one’s neighbor appear throughout the New Testament, ostensibly they fail to effectively avert hatred, violence, and disregard often perpetuated by Christians. Johannine scholars often question the nature and extent of the ethical content evident in John’s Gospel. This thesis employs a multi-disciplinary approach to discuss the nature of ethical inquiry, arguing for a normative ethic of theosis that reflects the Gospel’s cognitive environment, employs techniques of mimesis, and resembles the virtue ethics that dominated 1st century ethical discourse. It thus offers a significant challenge to theories of Christian ethics that instantiate violence to accomplish moral objectives.