The present volume contains the papers read at the 54th Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense (July 27-29, 2005). The general theme of the meeting was "The Death of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel". Part I is comprised of fourteen "Main Papers" delivered by invited speakers. It includes contributions on the sign of the cross (G. Van Belle), the narrative and theological significance of the death of Jesus (J. Frey), the interpretation of the passion in the farewell discourses (J. Zumstein), the characterisation of Pilate (R.A. Piper), a study of God, Jesus, Satan, and human agency (C.R. Koester), two studies on the Lamb of God (R. Bieringer and M. Gourgues), the Markan and Johannine theology of the Cross (U. Schnelle), the anticipations of the death of Jesus (J.-M. Sevrin), the commandment of love interpreted from the perspective of the cross (D. Senior), a diachronical approach to "the lifting up and glorification of the Son of Man" (M. de Boer), a study on tradition, history and theology of the death of Jesus (J. Painter), the meaning of the "laying down" of life in Jn 10,11 and Jn 15,13 (T. Soding), and the role of the Jews in 19,16 (L. Devillers). Part II, "Offered Papers", includes 38 papers with thematic readings or studies on specific passages of the Fourth Gospel.

The Fourth Gospel is deeply shaped by its remarkably high Christology. It depicts the earthly Jesus, the incarnate one, as fully divine. This unrelenting Christology has led interpreters, both ancient and modern, to question the historical value of John's Gospel. For many, the Gospel is just theology. It is to the vexed relationship between history and theology that Jörg Frey turns in Theology and History in the Fourth Gospel. John's theological obsession with Christology might suggest that history counts for little in the Gospel. But, as Frey argues, the Gospel's clear and central claim is that John narrates the story of Jesus of Nazareth, his ministry, and his death, as "factual," and that this narrated "history" is foundational for the Christian message. Frey traces the Gospel's use of the available historical tradition by chiefly drawing from Mark and the Johannine community. Even if the Gospel of John used this received witness in a remarkably free manner, replotting and renarrating traditional episodes and even creatively staging new episodes, Frey contends that the historical life and person of Jesus remain central to John's enterprise. In the end, Frey warns that Johannine interpretation will miss the intention of the Gospel and the interpretive perspective of the evangelist if it remains preoccupied merely with questions of historical accuracy. The interpretive goal is to "let John be John," and, as Frey shows, readers will always yield to the priority of theology over history in the Fourth Gospel. In John's telling of the Christ story, the significance of history lies precisely in its disclosure of theological meaning, just as the significance of the historical Jesus is only understood in the theological language of Christology.

Craig Koester's respected study uses the symbolic language of the Gospel of John as a focus to explore "the Gospel's literary dimensions, social and historical context, and theological import." This edition is fully revised and updated and includes a number of new sections on such topics as Judas and the knowledge of God. Fresh treatments are given on a number of issues, including the Gospel's Christology. This new edition offers both new insights and proven worth for students and scholars alike.

This book's findings are rich and intriguing: In his death, Jesus--the chief architect in the production of space in the Christian realm--founds an alternative community that reorders space and creates a new reality for believers. This new community, which dwells in this radical new space, successfully resists the domination of oppressive regimes and mindsets, such as the Roman Empire. Suffering is transformed here. Many recent biblical studies have utilized various methodologies and historical-critical viewpoints, which have been helpful. However, drawing on theories of space and postcolonial approaches, Dr. Ajer breaks new ground in Johannine studies, a new terrain that will yield much fruit. The new understandings of "space" provide a key with which we may unlock more of the mysteries of the Fourth Gospel, as Ajer here demonstrates with powerful new discoveries and insights into John's Passion narrative.

Owen was a renowned theologian in his day and this work is a piece of theological brilliance in the reformed and protestant tradition. The death of Christ had a wide range of implications on the fate of humanity and the cause of redemption that Christ came to give to us all. This work goes over all the arguments that have been set up against the reality of Christ's death and Owen brilliantly rebukes these arguments and settles it all.

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.

The command to love is central to the Gospel of John. Internationally respected scholar Francis Moloney offers a thorough exploration of this theme, focusing not only on Jesus's words but also on his actions. Instead of merely telling people that they must love one another, Jesus acts to make God's love known and calls all who follow him to do the same. This capstone work on John's Gospel uses a narrative approach to delve deeply into a theme at the heart of the Fourth Gospel and the life of the Christian church. Uniting rigorous exegesis with theological and pastoral insight, it makes a substantive contribution to contemporary Johannine scholarship.