The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John - Softcover

Richard Bauckham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080103485X ISBN 13: 9780801034855

Publisher: Baker Academic, 2007

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Bauckham (PhD, University of Cambridge) is emeritus professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and senior scholar at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He is a fellow of the British Academy and the author of numerous books, including Who Is God?, Gospel of Glory, The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple, The Christian World around the New Testament, The Jewish World around the New Testament, and Jesus and the Eyewitnesses.

From the Back Cover

"The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple is more than a collection of Richard Bauckham's essays on the Fourth Gospel. Taken as a whole, it is a programmatic statement of the author's thesis and argument, the crux of which is embodied in the title. If one infers that Bauckham believes the Johannine community of scholarship has largely gone off the rails, that would not be wrong. He proposes to set it right by paying close attention to the Gospel's own data and claims and by canvassing and assessing the considerable body of evidence bearing on this Gospel in patristic sources. This has not been done in a long time, and perhaps never as thoroughly and with such penetrating critical insight. That Bauckham has a thesis to set out and defend makes his book all the more interesting and important."
--D. Moody Smith, The Divinity School, Duke University

"This collection of twelve essays on historical and theological Johannine problems is preluded by a comprehensive introduction containing a scholarly program for Johannine research in the future. These studies will give us quite new stimuli for our understanding of the Gospel of John, for Bauckham illuminates neglected historical and theological features of this unique text. The author demonstrates that in our exegesis of John philological accuracy, profound historical knowledge, and genuine theological understanding must work together to gain new insights."
--Martin Hengel, University of Tübingen

"As always, Bauckham is brilliant, providing a fresh rethinking of issues based on his breadth of knowledge of early Judaism and Christianity. While well conversant with current scholarly discussions, he marshals new data and new ideas in ways that invite new perspectives. This work offers insights on various Johannine topics and merits center stage in any new discussions of history in John's Gospel."
--Craig Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary

"This substantive collection of essays focuses and reenergizes the debate over the historical reliability of the Gospel of John. With probing questions, methodological rigor, and revisionist zeal, Bauckham challenges the 'dominant approach' at every turn. Whether he will manage to unseat it remains to be seen, but Johannine scholarship is well served by his thought-provoking critique."
--Jouette M. Bassler, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Edition details

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080103485X
• ISBN 13: 9780801034855
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 314