“And his disciples remembered …” (Jn 2:17,22; 12:16). The Role of Memory in the Scriptural and Paschal (Re) interpretation of the Words and Actions of Jesus

Abstract

The article contains an analysis of the three texts of the Fourth Gospel in which the verb mimnh,|skomai “remember” (2:17,22; 12:16) appears. All of them constitute a kind of commentary by the Evangelist to the events recounting the cleansing of the Temple (Jn 2:13–22) and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (12:12–19) where the reference to the disciples’ memory, which allows the described episodes to be unequivocally interpreted, is clearly marked. “The memory of Jesus” is the focus of the gospel message, whereas “the memory of the Scriptures” and “the memory of the Passover” become the interpretative keys to the remembered history. The centre of it is always the historical Jesus, as testified by “the Law and the Prophets”. God’s plan of salvation, foretold by the Scriptures, is fulfilled in Him and a new perspective (a new history), initiated by His resurrection, opens up. Thus, the Gospel is “the memory of Jesus” and “the memory about Jesus”, the awareness of which is a prerequisite for its proper interpretation.