Social representation of knowledge in John 13:1–17: A sociological interpretation

Verbum et Ecclesia

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Social representation of knowledge in John 13:1–17: A sociological interpretation
 
Creator Faimau, Gabriel
 
Subject Biblical Studies; Sociology; Social Pscyhology foot washing narrative; biblical narrative; knowledge; social representations; sociological interpretation; the Gospel of John.
Description The washing of feet is one of the most famous biblical narratives recorded in the Gospel. While the narrative has received different interpretations, ‘knowledge’ has been identified as a significant theme. This article presents a sociological interpretation of this narrative through the lens of social representation theory. Furthermore, it reconstructs the passage and demonstrates a sociological interpretation of knowledge leading to an understanding of knowledge as service. I argue that the narrative functions as a communicative mechanism, through which a shared conception and social meaning of knowledge are established as a common ground for a shared identity among Jesus’ disciples.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article presents an interpretive reading of a biblical text by using a theoretical lens from the fields of sociology and social psychology as an analytical instrument. This implies that the social meaning of biblical narratives can be unveiled through an interdisciplinary dialogue and conversation between biblical and theological studies and the social sciences.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor —
Date 2025-04-21
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Literary Analysis
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ve.v46i1.3450
 
Source Verbum et Ecclesia; Vol 46, No 1 (2025); 8 pages 2074-7705 1609-9982
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3450/8681 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3450/8682 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3450/8683 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3450/8684
 
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Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Gabriel Faimau https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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