Publisher's Synopsis
St John's gospel is often described as the mystical or most theological of the gospels, and from the early third century it has been called the spiritual gospel. The evangelist has been called John the Theologian and is represented in art as the eagle because his gaze into the mystery of God reminds one of the eagle that flies directly into the sunlight. Commentators have used many different methods in the interpretation of St John's gospel and now some of them point, with a degree of justification, to 'a conflict of methods' in Johannine studies. This present commentary is a commentary, and does not claim to be the interpretation of the text or any part of it. It draws on the insights of different methods but has three overall guiding principles. Firstly, the text as it now stands (with its well known variants), and not sources, hypothetical rearrangements or earlier versions of the text, is the canonical gospel and, like any literary work, it has its own structure and inherent dynamism, even if at times they have been somewhat 'imposed' on traditional material.;Secondly, the gospel is part of the canon of scripture and has its place within the greater understanding and interpretation of the whole. Thirdly, the story of Jesus is more than any one gospel, or any number of gospels or other writings, could adequately express. This commentary on John's gospel is offered as a textbook for students of theology and as a guide for serious readers in the hope that it will deepen their spiritual and theological insight, and bring them to a level of academic competence. It is also aimed at those many preachers who wish to underpin their preaching with serious reading and to the many people who practise lectio divina and other forms of spiritual reading. No prior technical knowledge of biblical scholarship is assumed. Technical terms are explained in the book, and important Greek and Hebrew words and expressions translated.
