ABSTRACT
In John 8:44, Jesus says that his Jewish opponents are from their father the devil, a saying that has often been characterized as one of the most anti-Jewish passages in the New Testament (e.g., Becker 1991: 358). It is interesting, however, that the Johannine Jesus addresses these words to those who are said to believe in him (John 8:31). This harsh disapproval of Jewish believers is quite often explained by supposing that John refers here to some Jewish Christians in his surroundings. This explanation raises the question of why John reviles a group of believers who shared his faith in Jesus in some way or another.
