Encountering John : The Gospel in Historical, Literary and Theological Perspective

The uniqueness of the Gospel of John is readily apparent. In contrast to the overlapping material in the Synoptic Gospels, John shares only about ten percent of its content with Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Johns distinct focus on Jesus life as the culmination of salvation history makes it the theological pinnacle of the gospel tradition and establishes its author, along with the apostle Paul, as one of the early churchs foremost theologians. Not a traditional commentary on the book, this volume, like others in the Encountering Biblical Studies series, is designed especially for classroom use. A lucid writing style and a number of pedagogical enhancements make this a perfect tool for helping students master the content and key interpretive issues of the Gospel of John. Kstenberger begins his survey with an orientation to the three facets of his investigation: history, literature, and theology. The student will discover how Johns Gospel came to be, as well as the Gospels literary components and theological themes: God, the Christ, salvation, the Spirit, the new covenant community, and last things.