the two pillars of john

"The prologue and the high priestly prayer are the two pillars on which the Gospel of John rests. They provide the key to understanding the whole of the gospel, and they reveal the central themes of John's theology. The prologue tells us who Jesus is, and the high priestly prayer tells us what he has come to do. Together, they present a comprehensive picture of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to save the world."

   German theologian Ulrich Wilckens 

Many scholars agree with Wilckens that the prologue and the high priestly prayer are essential for understanding the meaning of John's Gospel. Some of these scholars include:
C. H. Dodd, Rudolf Bultmann, Raymond Brown, Wayne Meeks, and Craig Keener.

According to Wilckens, the two pillars of John's Gospel are the prologue (John 1:1-18) and the high priestly prayer (John 17). The prologue sets forth the central themes of the gospel, including the identity of Jesus as the Word of God, the Son of God, and the one who brings salvation to the world. The high priestly prayer, on the other hand, reveals Jesus' love for his disciples and his desire for their unity. Wilckens argues that these two passages provide the foundation for the entire gospel and that they help us to understand the meaning of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

In this study we shall pay special attention to the interactions of the chiasmus of these two pillars, exhausting all probable thematic features relevant to unlocking the meaning in John's  narratives.