'Savior' In the Gospel of John and in the Hellenistic World
' Savior ' In the Gospel of John and in the Hellenistic World John 4:42 The confession of Jesus as “the Savi or [ sōtēr ] of the world” ( 4:42 ) is used only once in this Gospel and only once in the Johannine Epistles ( 1 John 4:14 ). In the Old Testament the designation of Savior is applied a few times to God as the saving one ( e.g. , Ps 24:5 ; Isa 12:2 ; 43:3 , 11 ; 63:8 ). It is used in a similar way of God in Luke ( 1:47 ), 1 Timothy ( 1:1 ; 2:3 ; 4:10 ), Titus ( 1:3 ; 2:10 ; 3:4 ), and Jude ( 25 ). It is applied to Jesus by Luke ( at 2:11 ; Acts 5:31 ; 13:23) and in a few other places ( Eph 5:23 ; Phil 3:20 ; 2 Tim 1:10 ; Titus 1:4 ; 2:13 ; 3:6 ; 2 Pet 1:1 , 11 ; 2:20 ; 3:2 , 18 ). For the early Christ ians the designation “ Savior ” was a strategic confession like “ Lord .” 205 In the Hellenistic world there were many gods and persons designated as “lords” and “saviors” including the Roman emperors such as Augustus, who was virtually deified in the sixth ...