Challenging Perspectives on the Gospel of John

The essays collected here represent the cutting edge of study of the Fourth Gospel. They challenge widely held views about the Gospel and present new hypotheses about its origins and significance. Many papers employ new, narrative theological readings of John, while others challenge standard appraisals of the Gospel with new observations, new research, or new literary methods. Topics explored include a new appraisal of the authenticity of the sayings of Jesus in John; the witness of John to Palestinian messianism; evidence of the importance of the destruction of the Temple to John; the relationship of Luke and John; the reception of John in the second century church; the distinctive aspects of discipleship in John; the importance of Moses motifs in the depiction of the Johannine Christ. Several essays explore how the narrative of the Gospel contributes to the theology found in its expository passages. The book had its genesis at a conference held in Cambridge under the auspicies of the international center for biblical research at Tyndale House.