What do you think?
Rate this book
IVP New Testament Commentary #4
John: A Commentary on the New Testament (Volume 4)
The Gospel of John declares its purpose clearly--"these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Thus it fulfills a dual function, encouraging believers and providing them with evidences for proclaiming that Jesus is God's Messiah, the divine, incarnate Son of God. Christians today, as in the first century, can draw strength and courage from John's telling of the story of Jesus, a telling that consistently reflects not only the words and deeds of Jesus but their inner significance. We are called to worship as we find the Father, Son and Spirit revealed in the Gospel. And as in Jesus we discover God's light, life and love, we learn to respond in faith, humility and obedience. Throughout, Whitacre explains what the gospel meant to its original hearers and its application for us today.
- GenresReference
526 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1999
4 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Rodney A. Whitacre
8 books7 followersRodney A. Whitacre (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of biblical studies at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He is the author of A Patristic Greek Reader and John in the IVP New Testament Commentary.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2017
Whitacre provides one of the longest and most exceptional commentaries in the respected IVPNT series edited by respected scholar Grant Osborne. If you search, I think you’ll find most reviews will agree with my assessment.
The Introduction begins by his confessing the awesomeness of John’s Gospel. He introduces the two views of authorship which are a single author versus multiple authors. He admits complexity and offers three possible explanations for it. He finally sees the profundity of John as the better explanation.
He writes well on chronological and other differences with the Synoptics. He lays out the options on date, location, and purposes with equal aplomb. He makes sense of John’s uniqueness and theology and themes. In his allotted space, Whitacre does a great job in the Introduction.
The commentary is ideal for a mid-length commentary and its target audience. This book is a winner.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
The Introduction begins by his confessing the awesomeness of John’s Gospel. He introduces the two views of authorship which are a single author versus multiple authors. He admits complexity and offers three possible explanations for it. He finally sees the profundity of John as the better explanation.
He writes well on chronological and other differences with the Synoptics. He lays out the options on date, location, and purposes with equal aplomb. He makes sense of John’s uniqueness and theology and themes. In his allotted space, Whitacre does a great job in the Introduction.
The commentary is ideal for a mid-length commentary and its target audience. This book is a winner.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
April 27, 2013
I've lived with Rodney A. Whitacre's commentary on John for the past year. Both as a working pastor and as a freelance Sunday School curriculum writer, I've turned to Whitacre again and again. Each time I've found this commentary to fill out my work.
This is a commentary for a working pastor or any person wanting to understand how John's complex series of Jesus' discourses and miracles fit together. This is not an overly scholarly text (though it always keeps an eye on the academic conversation about John--this is especially apparent in the Introductory material). But most weeks, when my sermon or study is running out of time, I'm not looking for the exhaustive foot-noting of a critical two-volume commentary.
That said, John is much more than a devotional work to read-along. Whitacre brings in the thick description of historical background and careful literary attention and analysis. And John's Gospel needs that--it's thick, mystical, easily misunderstood (as many of its characters prove again and again).
I do wish that this commentary chased down a few more of the cryptic sayings of Jesus. So often in John I'm left wondering why on earth Jesus says what he says when he says it. But to weigh in on every one of Jesus' remarks in the Gospel would require a much thicker, unwieldy volume. In the end, what it would gain in depth, it would lose in usability.
This is a commentary for a working pastor or any person wanting to understand how John's complex series of Jesus' discourses and miracles fit together. This is not an overly scholarly text (though it always keeps an eye on the academic conversation about John--this is especially apparent in the Introductory material). But most weeks, when my sermon or study is running out of time, I'm not looking for the exhaustive foot-noting of a critical two-volume commentary.
That said, John is much more than a devotional work to read-along. Whitacre brings in the thick description of historical background and careful literary attention and analysis. And John's Gospel needs that--it's thick, mystical, easily misunderstood (as many of its characters prove again and again).
I do wish that this commentary chased down a few more of the cryptic sayings of Jesus. So often in John I'm left wondering why on earth Jesus says what he says when he says it. But to weigh in on every one of Jesus' remarks in the Gospel would require a much thicker, unwieldy volume. In the end, what it would gain in depth, it would lose in usability.
July 14, 2017
The Gospel of John declares its purpose clearly--"these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Thus it fulfills a dual function, encouraging believers and providing them with evidences for proclaiming that Jesus is God's Messiah, the divine, incarnate Son of God. Christians today, as in the first century, can draw strength and courage from John's telling of the story of Jesus, a telling that consistently reflects not only the words and deeds of Jesus but their inner significance. We are called to worship as we find the Father, Son and Spirit revealed in the Gospel. And as in Jesus we discover God's light, life and love, we learn to respond in faith, humility and obedience. Throughout, Whitacre explains what the gospel meant to its original hearers and its application for us today.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews