Le « poème de la πίστις » : l’Évangile de Jean dans la Paraphrase de Nonnos de Panopolis

The Nonnus of Panopolis’ Paraphrase is a highly articulated and complex interpretation of John's Gospel. It is the result of an assiduous study of the Bible, the mature fruit of a technical skill underpinned by an exacting and profound spirituality. The choice of paraphrastic form and formal and metrical solutions, on the one hand, and exegetical methodology and the original interpretation of Johannine themes, on the other, are the fundamental themes to understand the poetic world of Paraphrase. Nonnus' operation recognises the strength and greatness of paideia and the contribution it makes to understanding the Gospel, although its possible openness to the Christian event is emphasised and it is valued in this direction. In Nonnus’ Paraphrase, the Gospel of John becomes the “poem of the πίστις”, in which the witnesses of exemplary faith are opposed to the unbelievers, represented both by those who resist faith in Christ, as fickle as the crowds, and by the enemies of Christ, like the Jews, mad with envy and strong with illegitimate authority.