"Now shall the Ruler of This World be Driven out": Jesus" Death As Cosmic Battle in John 12:20-36‪.‬

How does the Fourth Evangelist interpret the death of Christ? This important question has not found a clear and satisfying answer. Some scholars, noting the paucity of references to sacrifice, have concluded that the cross has little importance in the theology of this Gospel, which puts so much emphasis on Jesus' exaltation and glorification. R. Bultmann asserts: "While for Paul the incarnation is secondary to [Jesus'] death in importance, one might say that the reverse is true in John.... In John, Jesus' death has no preeminent importance for salvation.... " (1) Similarly, E. Kaisemann, in his influential monograph The Testament of Jesus, says: Others have argued that, despite the scarcity of sacrificial terminology, the image of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb (1:29) is of primary importance for the Fourth Evangelist. (3) Still others hold that the Fourth Evangelist understands the death of Christ as revelation or as departure. (4)