The Gospel According to John and the Johannine Letters: Volume 4 Volume 4

I started reading this book as part of a Bible study class on the Gospel of St. John. Events prevented me from participating in the class, but the book was an edifying read. It begins with an introduction. Throughout the book the top of the page contains the test of the Gospel or Epistle, with the commentary, identified by chapter and verse, on the bottom. The commentary certainly presented insights of which I had not previously thought. After reading this I have a greater understanding of the Scripture when I read any of the Johannine writings.

Fr. Scott, an associate professor of New Testament, speaks to the uninitiated in this work on the Gospel of John and the Johannine letters. To set the tone, he suggests that we approach the text as if reading it for the first time. "Let the text provoke, challenge, and enlighten you," he writes. "Don't be afraid to question the text or argue with it." Throughout, he compares John's gospel to that of the synoptic writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke: "One of the most striking features of the Gospel of John is its different portrayal of Jesus. In the Synoptic Gospels we see much more of the humanity of Jesus. In John, Jesus is a majestic, serene figure, omniscient and totally in control of his destiny at all times." Other points of difference occur across the text; for example, we learn that John is the only gospel writer to include the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In addressing the Lazarus story, Fr. Scott compares that miracle, which he describes as a resuscitation, to Jesus' resurrection. He makes the point that Lazarus emerged with his face still wrapped in cloth, but when Jesus rose, the face-covering "is rolled up and placed to one side in a definitive gesture." The book, which would make an excellent resource for faith sharing or adult faith formation groups, includes a bibliography, maps of Palestine and Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, and several pages of review aids and discussion topics.