The Interpretation Of The Fourth Gospel

Since its publication almost forty years ago, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel has established itself as a classic of biblical scholarship. Regarded as a seminal text in Johannine studies, it provides a comprehensive and authoritative exposition of the major elements and themes contained in this more original and fascinating of ancient documents. The author reconstructs the background and intellectual milieu out of which the Fourth Gospel may be supposed to have taken shape. He then defines as precisely as possible the leading concepts that may be said to have determined the structure and arrangement of the book as we have it. The result is a massive achievement, and no serious student of the New Testament can afford to ignore this study's findings. The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel represents the culmination of a lifetime's reflection on its subject by one of this century's most distinguished New Testament scholars, and will continue to stimulate and provoke generations of readers.

This book surveys the Greek fathers' interpretations of the Gospel of John from the earliest surviving commentary (Heracleon, c. 170) up to the early fifth century. It examines key themes and passages from the gospel and the varying methods of exegesis applied to them by different commentators, giving special attention to the contrast between the schools of Alexandria (notably Origen and Cyril) and of Antioch (Theodore of Mopsuestia and John Chrysostom). Maurice Wiles identifies the distinctive insights of each commentator and teases out the rich diversity of interpretations that flourished in this early period. This discussion is set within the wider context of early Christian thought, including the controversies between the Gnostic, modalist and monarchian heresies and 'orthodox' Nicene doctrine.

This is the first comprehensive study of St John's Gospel for nearly forty years. The author provides new and coherent answers to its two most important questions: the position of the Gospel in the history of Christian thought, and its central or governing idea. In the course of the book, helooks at the Gospel from a variety of viewpoints: historical, literary, and theological. The discussion is balanced and comprehensive and brings into play questions of origins, content, and readership. Detailed exegetical arguments that advance scholarly debate, and intricate questions ofspecialized concern, are for the most part dealt with conveniently in five major excursuses. All non-English sources are translated.

About this Book: Gail R. O’Day’s Revelation in the Fourth Gospel set the stage for a new literary paradigm in Johannine studies, which has carried over into disciplinary advances in gospel criticism overall. With the addition of eight key Johannine essays and a state-of-the-art introduction by Alan Culpepper, this new publication as Volume 9 in the Johannine Monograph Series advances a fuller appreciation of her important work on John and new-literary biblical analyses overall. From the Preface: What becomes apparent in an overview of Gail O’Day’s work is her keen analysis of relations and functions of literary themes and features within the Gospel of John, as they further its rhetorical thrust, elucidating its meaning. Whereas diachronic approaches to John have tended to compartmentalize and divide sections and literary forms, O’Day shows time and again how things worked synchronically within John’s story of Jesus, challenging misinterpretations and opening doors to understanding more fully its message. The present collection highlights the dialectics between narrative and theology, time and space, and characters and plot in the Fourth Gospel, clarifying their tensive presentations within this classic narrative.

Craig Koester's respected study uses the symbolic language of the Gospel of John as a focus to explore "the Gospel's literary dimensions, social and historical context, and theological import." This edition is fully revised and updated and includes a number of new sections on such topics as Judas and the knowledge of God. Fresh treatments are given on a number of issues, including the Gospel's Christology. This new edition offers both new insights and proven worth for students and scholars alike.

Arguing that the thought-world of the Gospel is Jewish, not Greek, and that the text is composed over an extended period as the evangelist responded to the changing situation of the community, this book offers a partial answer to a key question: how did Christianity emerge from Judaism?