'Darkness' in the Gospel of John
'Darkness' in the Gospel of John John 3:19-20 Excerpt ... [darkness] quality regarded as less valuable than light ( Eccles. 2:13 ). Imagery based on darkness is especially prominent in the poetic books where it represents destruction, death, and the underworld ( Isa. 5:30 ; 47:5 ; Ps. 143:3 ; Job 17:13 ; cf . Mark 15:33 ) in a manner similar to that known in other ancient Near Eastern cultures. Conceived as a curse or punishment ( Deut. 28:29 ; Ps. 35:6 ), darkness characterizes the coming Day of the Lord ( Joel 2:2 ; Amos 5:18 ). God’s appearance is often accompanied by darkness ( 1 Kings 8:12 ), which, according to Gen. 1:2 , prevailed prior to creation, although Isa. 45:7 and Ps. 104:20 assert that it was created by God . The Dead Sea Scrolls contrast light and darkness as representing the forces of good and evil, both metaphysically and psychologically; a similar view has been noted in the Gospel of John . Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper & Row and S...