The Gospel of John

This extensive commentary contains over 20,000 ancient extra-biblical references, making it the most thorough and thoroughly documented John commentary currently available. "Keener's commentary on the Gospel of John represents a striking achievement in the history of Johannine scholarship. It is meticulously researched, cogently argued, clearly presented, and it will not soon be surpassed either in comprehensiveness or in depth. Keener's commentary on John belongs on the shelf of every student of the Fourth Gospel. "-David E. Aune. , Walter Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Notre Dame"With his comprehensive treatment of the relevant ancient literature, Keener plants the Fourth Gospel deep in the soil of its time and place. The author's meticulous and encyclopedic documentation of both ancient and contemporary literature makes this a commentary of supreme importance for any who wish to crack the Johannine puzzle. You may not always agree with Keener, but I am confident you will admire and learn from his careful scholarship. "-Robert Kysar. , Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching and New Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University"This exhaustive commentary on the Gospel of John is an example of evangelical scholarship at its best. Keener relentlessly pursues all the possible sources for the Johannine story. The historical Jesus, early Christian tradition, and the Palestinian, rabbinic, and Mediterranean worlds are his regular points of extensive reference. Keener's reading of the Fourth Gospel as a story written for a rejected Jewish community, claiming they are the true Israel and that Jesus is the perfection of the gift of Torah, raises questions that must be taken into account by future Johannine scholarship. "-Francis J. Moloney, SDB. , Katharine Drexel Professor of Religious Studies, The Catholic University of America"Craig Keener has given us far more than a commentary. He has invited us into the world of John's Gospel and made it a magnificent window into the thought and practice of early Judaism and, to a lesser extent, the whole Greco-Roman world of the first century. The reader will find this work a treasure trove of information about the origins of Christianity, shedding light on such questions as, What is a Gospel. How reliable are the four Gospels in their portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. and in particular, How reliable is the Gospel of John. Keener presents a compelling case for viewing Jesus himself within the framework of early Judaism and for both the Jewishness and the essential reliability of the traditions about Jesus preserved in John's Gospel. The book is a remarkable achievement, and all who work on early Christianity in general or on John's Gospel in particular, whether they agree with Keener or not, will have to pay attention both to his facts and to his argumentation. In that sense, it is something of a milestone, not only in Johannine studies but also in the scholarly world's ongoing investigation of Christian origins. "-J. Ramsey Michaels. , professor of religious studies emeritus, Southwest Missouri State University"Keener's detailed knowledge of the ancient sources is enviable. He provides a wealth of documentation on the ancient Mediterranean cultural, social, political, religious, and literary milieu of the Fourth Gospel. On numerous occasions his discussion of Jewish and Greco-Roman cultural conventions aids appreciation of the details of John's narrative. His commentary is therefore a mine of illuminating background material for all students of this Gospel. Its social-historical focus makes it an excellent complement to those commentaries that concentrate more on literary and theological matters. "-Andrew Lincoln. , Portland Professor of New Testament Studies, University of Gloucestershire, England"Aimed primarily at situating the Gospel in its intellectual, theological, and historical context, this monumental commentary cites an unparalleled array of ancient sources. Scholars will be mining its references and citing its interpretations for decades to come. "-R. Alan Culpepper. , dean, McAfee School of Theology