The Fourth Gospel and Its Predecessor: From Narrative Source to Present Gospel

This is the groundbreaking sequel to Fortna's The Gospel of Signs which reconstructed a source underlying the Fourth Gospel narrative. Here he not only brings that reconstruction up to date but also provides commentary, section by section, on both the text of the reconstructed Johannine source and its redaction in canonical John (Part One).

In Part Two, Fortna systematically draws together the theological movement from source to present Gospel covering such topics as Christology, the value of signs for faith, salvation, Jesus' death, eschatology and community, and "the Jews" in relation to geography in the Fourth Gospel. This work, then, provides a comprehensive and unique redaction-critical treatment of the whole Johannine narrative.

Robert Tomson Fortna is Weyerhaeuser Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York. His other books in Johannine studies include The Gospel of Signs (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1970), Jesus in Johannine Tradition (co-editor with Tom Thatcher; Westminster John Knox, 2001), and The Shepherd Discourse of John 10 and its Context (co-editor with Johannes Beutler; Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005).