The Testimony Of The Beloved Disciple

A leading New Testament scholar explores key issues in the Gospel of John.

How do historical and literary details contribute to a coherent theological witness to Jesus in the Gospel of John? A leading British evangelical New Testament scholar answers that question with studies on themes from messianism to monotheism, symbolic actions from foot-washing to fish-catching, literary contexts from Qumran to the Hellenistic historians, and figures from Nicodemus to "the beloved disciple" to Papias. Originally published in various journals and collections, these essays are now available for the first time in one affordable volume with a substantial new introduction that ties them all together. A must-have for serious students of the Fourth Gospel.

"The Beloved Disciple" is the trade book adaptation of the bestselling, video-based, interactive Bible study "Beloved Disciple." It shows readers that John was uniquely chosen to be the one who received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and that Christ still desires to reveal Himself to His disciples today.

"The Gospel of John refers five times to "the disciple whom Jesus loved." From the second through the present century, scholars have sought to identify this "disciple," traditionally concluding that he is the author of the Gospel and is indeed none other than John the son of Zebedee." "In recent phases of research, however, the identification of the Beloved Disciple with John the son of Zebedee has been exposed as weak and unpersuasive. Yet, according to James Charlesworth, even this new research is problematic in that it tends to ascribe priority in discerning the meaning of the Gospel of John to documents other than the Gospel itself. Moreover, this research tends to impute historical accuracy to documents that were not primarily intended to present histories." "Based on extensive research, then, Professor Charlesworth has concluded that the primary texts in the Gospel of John and the reflections of modern scholars indicate that any identification of the Beloved Disciple - whether with one of the disciples specified in the Gospel, with one who is anonymous in this Gospel, or with some symbolic theme - must provide credible answers to eight questions."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Noted New Testament scholar Bauckham challenges the prevailing assumption the accounts of Jesus circulated as "anonymous community traditions," instead asserting that they were transmitted in the name of the original eyewitness.

"The Gospel of John intrigues, fascinates...and confuses many. It is filled with compelling personalities who move on and off the stage. Each contributes to an overview of the meaning of Jesus and his life, death and resurrection." "The community behind this gospel - in particular the Beloved Disciple - has remained in shadows for centuries. New insights into how this community actually expressed their faith opens the gospel to further analysis and deeper appreciation of the life and spirituality of the early church at the end of the first century."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Authority of God¿s Word ¿All scripture is given by inspiration of God¿ (2Ti. 3:16a). Therefore, the record of scripture is true, and ideas that are contrary to the facts in scripture must be false. Nevertheless, the Bible lets us know that the traditions of men can deceive people into believing ideas that are not in the word of God. In the Bible ¿the disciple whom Jesus loved¿ is identified as the writer of the fourth gospel, he had access to the palace of the high priest, he was the first one who ¿believed¿ after Jesus¿ resurrection, and some thought he would not die. Scripture never identified this unnamed disciple as John, but tradition has convinced people that he was John ¿ in spite of the biblical evidence to the contrary. The truth in this case of The Bible vs. Tradition is found in scripture, so it will be the only source quoted herein. Integrity demands a hearing for the biblical evidence. But submitting to the authority of God¿s word on this issue reveals more than just the truth about this disciple. For, what this insight teaches us about relying on scripture is the key to a better bible study method.