This is the groundbreaking sequel to Fortna's The Gospel of Signs which reconstructed a source underlying the Fourth Gospel narrative. Here he not only brings that reconstruction up to date but also provides commentary, section by section, on both the text of the reconstructed Johannine source and its redaction in canonical John (Part One).In Part Two, Fortna systematically draws together the theological movement from source to present Gospel covering such topics as Christology, the value of signs for faith, salvation, Jesus' death, eschatology and community, and "the Jews" in relation to geography in the Fourth Gospel. This work, then, provides a comprehensive and unique redaction-critical treatment of the whole Johannine narrative.

This vital reference guide into the origins of the Fourth Gospel provides an important contribution to Johannine theology.

The effort to get behind the fourth gospel is no mere literary-critical game. The value we place upon it is inseparable from the way in which we understand its origins. The true relation to the Gospel to the beginnings of Christianity remains unsettled question of New Testament scholarship. Barnabas Lindars discusses the attempts to identify continuous sources, among them the discourse source emphasized by Bultmann, and the signs source recently reconstructed by R. T. Fortna. A more promising approach, he thinks, lies in considering John's technique as a writer who builds upon the primitive tradition--first in the discourses, then when miracle stories are used in conjunction with discourse, then in extended narrative. This provides the vantage point for a survey of the Gospel as a whole, from which its unknown author emerges as essentially a preacher, who presents the authentic challenge of the message of Jesus in a work of immense creative skill and compelling theological power.

This is the first comprehensive study of St John's Gospel for nearly forty years. The author provides new and coherent answers to its two most important questions: the position of the Gospel in the history of Christian thought, and its central or governing idea. In the course of the book, helooks at the Gospel from a variety of viewpoints: historical, literary, and theological. The discussion is balanced and comprehensive and brings into play questions of origins, content, and readership. Detailed exegetical arguments that advance scholarly debate, and intricate questions ofspecialized concern, are for the most part dealt with conveniently in five major excursuses. All non-English sources are translated.

The Fourth Gospel both blesses and betrays. It blesses readers who engage with its message, but it may betray those who read it nonchalantly. The notion that the Fourth Gospel is easy to understand is an enduring myth. This volume takes readers on a heuristic journey to discover the Fourth Gospel’s unique theological aspects, problematic historical matters, inimitable literary features, and various interpretive approaches using an accessible format and easy-to-read language. The purpose of this publication is to enable readers to appreciate the Fourth Gospel’s wide horizon, so necessary to understand its narratives in their historical and narrative contexts. Like the prologue of the Fourth Gospel that introduces and gives perspective on how readers should approach the rest of the Gospel, similarly, this volume introduces and gives perspective to studies in the Fourth Gospel. The text is divided into three parts, which examine its independent theology and argumentation, various outstanding issues, and its interpretation respectively. This volume is suitable for a wide readership, from Bible study groups to pastors and from undergraduate to graduate students.