"The central aim of this book is to propose two sets of indicators. One is related to deciding when water imagery in the Johannine literature represents the Spirit. The other is related to determining whether or not instance of water imagery has a symbolic level of meaning instead of or in addition to its literal meaning. For the former I identified five indicators: (1) the water is given by Jesus; (2) the giving of water is linked to Jesus' crucifixion; (3) the water involves parallels to OT passages relating to the Spirit; (4) the presence of suggestive vocabulary in close connection with the Spirit; and (5) the Spirit is mentioned in the immediate context. For the latter I discerned six indicators: (1) whether the water or water-related imagery makes sense literally; (2) whether the proposed interpretation (literal or symbolic) coheres well with its immediate context; (3) whether other symbolic expressions are present; (4) whether water is highlighted in the narrative in which it belongs; (5) whether relatively detailed geographic or chronological information is present in the immediate context; and (6) whether vocabulary suggesting the use of symbols is present. The validity of these indicators was proved by applying them to six disputed water passages (1 John 5:6-8, Rev. 22:1-2, John 3:5, 4:10-14, 6:35 and 19:34)"--.