The interpretation of the final chapter of the Fourth Gospel (John) is conditioned by the interpreter's answer to two basic questions. First, is chapter 21 an appendix added to chapters 1—20 by a later redactor who intended to modify or even correct the theology of the Evangelist? Second, is this chapter intended to be a quasi-literal account of an historical event, or is it an essentially symbolic exploration of the postresurrection experience of the Johannine community with implications for the church of all time.