Reading the Otherness In-Between

This chapter constructs the ambiguous otherness of Nicodemus (Jn 3:1–5; 7:45–52; 19:38–42) as resisting binary oppositions, engaging in Judith Butler’s theory of performativity. An elusive character, Nicodemus, crosses the borderlines among the Jewish, Christian, and Roman worlds in such a way that he undermines the hierarchy of powers. In turn, Jesus is transformed into a more fluid character by laying bare his double identity between heaven and earth, between a Galilean and a Jew, and between a ruled Jew and a ruling Jew. As a result, the otherness in-between as presented by Nicodemus disrupts the starkly dualistic worldview of John’s Gospel.