A revision of the author's inaugural dissertation, Faculty of Evangelical Theology, University of T'ubingen, 1973.

Bestselling and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong reveals the subversive, mystical wisdom of the writer of the Gospel of John and how his teachings point us forward in the twenty-first century In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Spong turns his attention to the Gospel of John, the fourth Gospel in the Bible. Contrary to what is most often believed, he writes that this gospel was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourth-century creeds to be a literal account of the life of Jesus. In fact, it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in Jesus’ life through the medium of Jewish worship traditions and fictional characters, from Nicodemus and Lazarus to the “Beloved Disciple.” The Fourth Gospel not only recaptures the original message of this gospel, but also provides us with a radical new dimension to the claim that in the humanity of Jesus the reality of God has been met and engaged. This book offers a fresh way to read the Gospel of John and a unique primer about how to be a Christian in the post-Christian twenty-first century.

John's Gospel directs attention to the vision of community. Andrew Byers argues that ecclesiology is as central a Johannine concern as Christology.

The Shema is arguably the most important creed the Jews, including the Christian Jews, ever have. Its importance can also be seen in the texts of the New Testament. This book attempts to explore the Shema's influence over the Gospel of John, especially the oneness language of that Gospel. Using John 10 as a sample, this book argues that the Shema helps us to understand the richness of the text, both theologically and contextually.

Recent studies of the Christology of John's Gospel have agreed in recognizing the centrality of the concept of messianism, but differ markedly in their interpretation of its character. Alongside the traditional understanding of messiahship in terms of a kingly role related to that of David, there is a newer understanding that is related to the role of Moses and has little or no Davidic background. Despite the broad scholarly consensus regarding the Johannine connection between crucifixion and messianism, little attention has been paid to the role of crucifixion in relation to the nature of messiahship and in particular to the possibility that this may shed light on whether or not John's messianism is decisively shaped by the kingly or royal background. In The Kingship-Cross Interplay in the Gospel of John Mavis Leung contends that the cross motif plays a major role in authenticating the royal character of messiahship in John over against views that deny or play down this element.

This highly accessible 2007 commentary brings readers into the cultural world of the gospel.

The essays in this volume, which span four decades, represent sustained reflection on the historical setting, narrative devices, and theology of the Gospel of John. Methodologically, the essays develop a narrative-critical approach to the Gospel, producing insights that have implications for historical and theological issues. Thematically, many of the essays explore the Gospel's ecclesiology, especilly its vision for the church and its mission. As a collection, this volume provides an introduction to the Fourth Gospel, analyses of major issues (including John's anti-Judaism, relationship to 1 John, irony, imagery, creation ethics, evil, and eschatology), and in-depth exploration of key texts, especially John 1:1-18, 2:20; 4:35-38; 5:1-18; 5:21-30; 10:1-18; 12:12-15; 13:1-20; 19:16-30; 20:19-23; and chapter 21.

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.

In John's Gospel, the Father and Son are described as being "in one another." This NSBT volume from Clive Bowsher shows that union with Christ in John's Gospel and letters is the in-one-another relationship of believers with the Father and Son by the Spirit—the intimate, loving, relational participation of the believer and God.

This doctoral thesis provides evidence that during the later part of the first century, certain Jewish Christians, who produced and propagated the Fourth Gospel, were perceived to be blasphemous and therefore "cut off" (karet) from the synagogue as reflected in John 9:22, 12:42, and 16:2. This study reviews recent research on blasphemy, offers analysis based on hundreds of ancient Jewish texts, and examines seven Jewish traditions pertaining to blasphemy, including cursing God, naming The Name, and sinning with a high hand. A composite portrait of blasphemy is sketched and compared with the theological claims of the Fourth Gospel. Three theological claims of the Fourth Gospel stand out as potentially blasphemous: Jesus is equal with God, Jesus and the Johannine Community constitute the New Temple, and Judean religious leaders are not of God. The perception of blasphemy and the inability to tolerate it explains why some Jewish Christians could not remain in the synagogue.