A Christological-theological study into the exclusivism of the salvation concept

The thesis presented here is that the text of John 14:6—“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’”—cannot be read in an exclusivist manner. While this thesis may initially seem paradoxical, the argument presented here is that while the content may initially seem to be exclusivist when read in light of later historical developments, its form and original context indicate the necessity of an alternative meaning. John 14:6 is part of Jesus’ speech at the Last Supper, as presented in the Gospel of John, but this account of the Last Supper takes place at a confluence between two traditions: the Jewish practice of the Passover and the first shoots of a new tradition that would come to be identified as Christianity. The reality of such an intersection means that the text itself must be read in terms of at least these two traditions, Judaism and Christianity. To develop this argument, I undertake a careful analysis of the development of the Passover tradition (Chapter 1) and then an equally careful analysis of John 14:6 in light of the Johannine context (Chapter 2). The final chapter concerns the confluence of these two streams and the implications for understanding John 14:6. The conclusion considers the implications for multi-faith societies such as Indonesia and the potential implications for further scholarly research.