Simulating Christ: luke and John, and the canonical control of meaning

I examine the effect that the 'synopsis' between the gospels of Luke and John have on the New Testament's intertextual construction of 'Jesus Christ'. I draw particularly on the theories of Deleuze and of Barthes. I conclude that Luke and John, in combination with the letters of Paul, form a simulacrum of Christ that overwhelms and absorbs any divergences that may appear in the other gospels. This in turn plays a large part in defining the Christian 'Gospel' as a theological/ideological construct. Copyright 2008 George Aichele. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means without the written consent of the publisher.