The Cross In The Johannine Writings

This book offers a rigorous analysis of the theme of "the cross" in the Johannine literature. After reviewing previous scholarship on the issue, Morgan-Wynne examines evidence that prima facie suggests that the evangelist, while maintaining the role of Jesus as revealer of the Father in his incarnate ministry, also saw something decisive for the salvation of human beings happening in the cross. Having established this, the work looks at John's understanding of sin and his concept of the purpose shared by the Father and Jesus, before reflecting on themes associated with the meaning of the cross. Of special importance is John 12, which connects the cross to the judgment of the world, the ejection of Satan, and the drawing of all to Jesus. The author examines what John considers to have been objectively achieved at the cross. A further section examines the meaning of the death of Jesus in the Epistle of 1 John, seen as the work of someone different from the evangelist but belonging to the same Johannine circle. The similarities and differences between Letter and Gospel are explored.

Johannine Christology explores the formation of Christology in the Fourth Gospel, the Hellenistic and Jewish contexts, the literary character of these writings, and Christology’s application for various audiences.

As ancient literature and a cornerstone of the Christian faith, the New Testament has exerted a powerful religious and cultural impact. But how much do we really know about its origins? Who were the people who actually wrote the sacred texts that became part of the Christian Bible? The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction authoritatively addresses these questions, offering a fresh perspective on the underpinnings of this profoundly influential collection of writings. In this concise, engaging book, noted New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson takes readers on a journey back to the time of the early Roman Empire, when the New Testament was written in ordinary Greek (koine) by the first Christians. The author explains how the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation evolved into the canon of sacred writings for the Christian religion, and how they reflect a reinterpretation of the symbolic world and societal forces of first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish life. Equally important, readers will find both a positive and critical reading of the New Testament--one that looks beyond its theological orientation to reveal an often-surprising diversity of viewpoints. This one-of-a-kind introduction engages four distinct dimensions of the earliest Christian writings--anthropological, historical, religious, and literary--to provide readers with a broad conceptual and factual framework. In addition, the book takes an in-depth look at compositions that have proven to be particularly relevant over the centuries, including Paul's letters to the Corinthians and Romans and the Gospels of John, Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Ideal for general readers and students alike, this fascinating resource characterizes the writing of the New Testament not as an unknowable abstraction or the product of divine intervention, but as an act of human creativity by people whose real experiences, convictions, and narratives shaped modern Christianity.

Throughout Christian history, the Gospel of John's distinctive way of presenting the life, works, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus have earned it labels such as "the spiritual Gospel" and "the maverick Gospel." It has been seen as the most theological of the four canonical Gospels. In this volume Richard Bauckham, a leading biblical scholar and a bestselling author in the academy, illuminates main theological themes of the Gospel of John. Bauckham provides insightful analysis of key texts, covering topics such as divine and human community, God's glory, the cross and the resurrection, and the sacraments. This work will serve as an ideal supplemental text for professors and students in a course on John or the four Gospels. It will also be of interest to New Testament scholars and theologians.

The Johannine Renaissance in Early Modern English Literature and Theology argues that the Fourth Gospel and First Epistle of Saint John the Evangelist were so influential during the early modern period in England as to share with Pauline theology pride of place as leading apostolic texts on matters Christological, sacramental, pneumatological, and political. The book argues further that, in several instances, Johannine theology is more central than both Pauline theology and the Synoptic theology of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, particularly with regard to early modern polemicizing on the Trinity, distinctions between agape and eros, and the ideologies of radical dissent, especially the seventeenth-century antinomian challenge of free grace to traditional Puritan Pietism. In particular, early modern religious poetry, including works by Robert Southwell, George Herbert, John Donne, Richard Crashaw, Thomas Traherne, and Anna Trapnel, embraces a distinctive form of Johannine devotion that emphasizes the divine rather than human nature of Christ; the belief that salvation is achieved more through revelation than objective atonement and expiatory sin; a realized eschatology; a robust doctrine of assurance and comfort; and a stylistic and rhetorical approach to representing these theological features that often emulates John's mode of discipleship misunderstanding and dramatic irony. Early modern Johannine devotion assumes that religious lyrics often express a revelatory poetics that aims to clarify, typically through the use of dramatic irony, some of the deepest mysteries of the Fourth Gospel and First Epistle.

Johannine Writings and Apocalyptic provides a wide-ranging and thorough annotated bibliography for John's Gospel, the Johannine letters, Revelation, and apocalyptic writings pertinent to these books. More inclusive than many other bibliographies, this volume provides reference to over 1300 individual entries, often including references to multiple works with a given description. Annotations are designed to provide guidance to a wide range of readers, from students wishing to gain entry to the subject to graduate students engaging in research to professors needing ready access to useful materials. The volume is topically organized and indexed for easy access.

The cry of Jesus on the cross described in the gospels of Mark and Matthew was a wail of pain and abandonment. Many Christians have been scandalized by it. On one hand it is an expression of the humanity of Jesus, while at the same time it links him with his Jewish heritage and the rich imagery of the psalms. Italian theologian Gerard Rosse has examined the many meanings of Jesus' cry. He first considers the historical question - whether these were truly the words of Jesus. If we assume that they are, what do the words mean? Was it merely a cry of despair, or does it reveal something of the relationship between Jesus and the One called Abba? Theologically, what light does it cast on the inner life of the Trinity? Rosse also considers the reality of abandonment in the world today and what the outcry of Jesus reveals about our solidarity with all abandoned people.