The Gospel of John: Beholding the Glory

by Lawrence R. Farley

The Gospel of John vigorously witnesses to Jesus, striving to persuade the hearts and minds of the undecided that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and the only source of eternal life. St. John, as one of the Twelve and a witness to Christ's glory, sets his Gospel in a cosmic context, revealing Christ as the eternal Light of God, the Truth and voice of the Father, the divine Glory shining in the midst of men.About the Orthodox Bible Study commentary was written for your grandmother. And for your plumber, your banker, and the girl who serves you French Fries at the nearby McDonald's. That is, it was written for the average layperson, for the nonprofessional who feels a bit intimidated by the presence of copious footnotes, long bibliographies, and all those other things which so enrich the lives of academics. It is written for the pious Orthodox layman who is mystified by such things as Source Criticism, but who nonetheless wants to know what the Scriptures mean.

Genres: Religion, Reference, Church

386 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2006

About the author

Father Lawrence, born in 1954, completed his M. Div. at Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology in 1979. After 6 years in pastoral ministry with the Anglican Church of Canada, he entered the Orthodox Church and completed a Certificate program at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986. Since 1987 he has served as the pastor St. Herman of Alaska Church in Langley BC, a missionary parish of the OCA (Archdiocese of Canada) founded by local laity, which has since grown to attain regular parish status and purchased its own building. Several priests, deacons, and lay members of new missions have emerged from the membership of St. Herman’s. Fr. Lawrence is the author of the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series from Conciliar Press, and of a number of other books and articles, and appears in regular weekday podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio. He lives in Surrey B.C. with his family.

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the introduction Fr Farley talks about John not writing a biography nor even attempting to narrate the basic facts of Christ's life but rather presenting "a vigorous attack on unbelief" and presenting "a case for the divinity of Jesus." Disappointingly, his commentary sticks to an idea that John is presenting literal and historical fact. He endeavors to try to show how John is factually consistent with what the Synoptics present and treats most of what John writes as literally true rather than allowing John to be guided by his attack on unbelief and argument for Christ's divinity. Someone might say the two aren't necessarily inconsistent - true enough, but he seems afraid to allow his introductory thesis to be true.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I participated in a small group Bible Study of the Gospel of John, and read this chapter by chapter along with the study. It is my first of Father Lawrence's books in this series, but probably won't be the last. While I didn't always agree with where his explanations came from, I still found that he brought up edifying and intriguing thoughts.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book I've ever read on the Fourth Gospel. Illuminated a number of points that were previously unclear to me. Written not for scholars but for non-specialists--me, in other words. Truly a worthwhile book.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deconstructs every verse - explains its meaning and context and how we can relate to it today. I highly recommend it and will be checking out Fr. Farley's other books in the Orthodox Study Bible series.

[Dr. Brian Keen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Canadian English translation!