The Gospel of John, Volume One

New Daily Study Bible

by William Barclay

"The Gospel according to Saint John is to many people the most precious book in he Bible," states William Barclay. In order to help uncover the tremendous wealth of this Gospel, Barclay has provided his own unique translation of the text, a detailed commentary, and a comprehensive introduction. This new edition will help bring the book in which "many people find themselves closer to God and to Jesus Christ than in any other book in the world" closer to home and freshly relevant for today's readers. For almost fifty years and for millions of readers, the Daily Study Bible commentaries have been the ideal help for both devotional and serious Bible study. Now, with the release of the New Daily Study Bible, a new generation will appreciate the wisdom of William Barclay. With clarification of less familiar illustrations and inclusion of more contemporary language, the New Daily Study Bible will continue to help individuals and groups discover what the message of the New Testament really means for their lives.

Genres: Religion, Christian, New Testament, Nonfiction, Reference, Christianity, Biblical Studies

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2011

About the author

WIlliam Barclay was a Scottish author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. He wrote a popular set of Bible commentaries on the New Testament that sold 1.5 million copies.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Gospel According to Saint John is to many people the most precious book in the Bible," says Dr. Barclay in this first of two volumes.

In order to bring the tremendous wealth of this Gospel to the reader, Dr. Barclay has accompanied his unique translation of the text with a detailed commentary almost verse by verse. In many cases he has continued discussion of a passage for several units of study instead of limiting it to one. A comprehensive introduction presents additional material, for the author believes that "there is no book that gains so much from the background from which it emerged."

This Gospel, "overflowing with riches," is well worth detailed study. Throughout the book the deeper meaning of "the spiritual gospel" and its fidelity to the inner truth of Jesus' preaching is clearly and significantly brought home.

[Whitney Dziurawiec · Rating 4 out of 5]

give me more devotionals written by actual scholars! when this was good, it was really good. some of his background context I'd love to have seen some bibliography on, and he made VERY generalized comments on Jewish thought ("all Jews believed x about the Messiah" - Jewish thought was and is very diverse). So unfortunately it is a product of its time but I still enjoyed it, underlined a lot, and bought volume II.

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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* -:}|{}|{: = THE PERFECT VOICE = 4 THE BIBLE = DAVID SUCHET = ITS NO SUPRISE IN PSLAM 47 - THE LORD HIMSELF IN FLESH = DANCED IN A MYRIAD OF REFLECTIONS OF LIGHT - THAT CLEARLY - STATES - IN THE UNDOUBTABLE CLARITY ONLY THE LOOORDDSSS PHENIMINAL - ECXSTATIC INFNITE DANCE COULD - DESCRIBE IN AN INEPHABLE - WAY - WITH THE DEAPEST OF KNOWINGS - HIS GREATEST OF AL PRECEPTS ----> THO SHALT BE SMIGHTED - IF THO LISTENS 2 ANY OTHER AUDIO-VERSION OF THE BIBLE ( OTHER THEN DAVID SUCHET ) <--- - & THO SHALT FIND ONES SELF CONDEMMED 2 ETERNAL DAMNATION - & ONES SALVATION SHALL BE FOUND IN THE - GRACE FOUND IN THE NARRATION ONES LIFE IN ITS INTIRITY READ IN 0.25 SPEED BY DAVID SUCHET= }|{}|{:- *

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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~

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“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.” Nisargadatta Maharaj

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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~

Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct

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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”

Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous

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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind

A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through

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[Aaron Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of Barclay's NT commentaries that I've read. I really enjoyed this one. Barclay wrote engaging commentary for the average Christian. Highly readable without being dumbed down. I immediately started Vol. 2 after putting Vol. 1 down.

I deducted one star because of Barclay's tendency to rationalize the miracles of Jesus' earthly ministry, however I can understand that those explanations are already floating around and, in at least some cases, merit a bit of consideration. For example: John 6:19, where Jesus "walks on the sea." When taking into account the distance between the shores of of the Sea of Galilee and the distance the disciples had rowed, Barclay agrees with the rational explanation that Jesus was merely seen walking along the shore as the disciples had nearly completed a somewhat harrowing journey over choppy seas. Jesus's followers were calmed by the reassuring presence of their leader, and they gladly received Him into the boat at precisely the moment their vessel reached the shoals. Barclay even goes so far as to suggest that this has never been in dispute, but even casual research of other commentaries will easily turn up acceptance of this as a bonified, "walk on water" miracle. The startling appearance of their master striding upon the waves would have likely brought to the disciples' minds the scripture, and the realization that they were witnessing its fulfillment (Job 9:8 "He alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth on the heights of the sea"). I think the latter explanation better accounts for the disciples' terror and awe.

Much like my review of Barclay's The Letters to the Corinthians, there is much of value in this commentary, but I would warn readers to proceed with some caution. Barclay has a somewhat modern and liberal approach to scripture (although it's mostly orthodox and quite tame in comparison to more "progressive" commentaries today).

[Barbara Heerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Sunday School class read this in fall and early winter 2020. I wouldn't have attempted it alone, but I thoroughly enjoyed Barlay's knowledge of biblical history, archeology, and translations. Though some of the commentary is clearly from the 1950s (pre-Vatican II), it does give one a good understanding of John's purpose in writing for the Greeks and of what the Apostle John thought Jesus meant. Barclay's thorough knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments, empowered him to cite relevant scriptural references.

Interestingly this volume has motivated me to complete the second half of Barclay's interpretation in the second semester of the class and to select another volume to read on my own this summer.

[Simonfletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good commentary on the first half of the book of John. The only let down was when Barcley tried to rationalise some of Jesus' miracles, saying he was walking along the side of the lake, rather than walking on water. If Jesus can heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead - don't doubt he can walk on water too.

I enjoyed the deep thoughts, historical discussions and context, and the clean breaking down of the text into easy to grasp sections. Very good, overall.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have learnt so much from William Barclay’s Bible studies. He’s especially good about the context and life of early Christians. The studies themselves are really short and accessible and the fact the Bible passages are printed in the book too make them really portable. I love them and intend to read them all!!

[William Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent explanation my William Barclay. Highly remend Barclay for down-to-earth discussion and opinions of the gospel of John. Helps me to understand why the fourth gospel is unique among the gospels.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book Of John

This Book of the Gospel is so different from all of the others and William Barclay brings many strong points in his Bible study books. This series continues to be great.

[Robert E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots to discuss!

Now I’ll compare what Barclay had to say with what N. T. Wright has to say about these same chapters of the Gospel of John. Tough Gospel well analyzed.

[Kirby Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the first seven chapters in the gospel of John.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information.

[Matt Scherbarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, properly ecumenical reflections

[Larada Horner-Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a compelling in-depth study of John. Barclay personalizes it with quotes that make it all much clearer. Truly a book for someone who enjoys studying the Bible.

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally very good. A lot of helpful insights.

[Glenn I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding commentary

Barclay speaks the clearest most in depth commentary on John I have ever studied. I plan to read it again and again.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains how this gospel is different from the others.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Barclay is the source of a lot of "wow!" material in his Daily Bible Study Series. He was recommended to me years ago by my friend, Mary G., who is a Bible study veteran.

On Amazon I repeatedly saw reviewers mention that he was really great as long as you watched out for his theology. No kidding. My jaw literally dropped when reading about the Nativity and seeing how many alternatives Barclay offered that would allow Jesus' birth to be called "virgin" but yet really have Joseph as his fully natural father.

So why use his commentary? Barclay's strengths are his phenomenal knowledge of the Greek language, the Jewish culture and religion, and the Roman occupation during the New Testament era. He is wonderful at conveying this knowledge in a way that simple and easily understandable. He puts it in context so that you can understand what events meant to the people to whom Jesus spoke to 2,000 years ago.

His application of those events to modern lives is less successful. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but that is the case with a lot of commentary. The historical context is so wonderful that it makes threading your way through the wonky theology worth it.

It is really nice to take a long time to go through a gospel slowly and Barclay is a very good way to do it.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book by a friend, and having read it, have been busy recommending it to all my friends.

John is one of the most important, yet often baffling books of the Bible. Barclay makes it amazingly accessible to the reader in a style that is always informative, often lighthearted and enjoyable, and never patronising.

Barclay puts the words of John into context by explaining the historical background to the passages, and sometimes by giving his own translations direct from the Greek, which is always very enlightening. He also delves into the personalities of the people who crop up in John - the disciples and the everyday people who came into contact with Jesus. And of course, John himself.

For anyone, like me, who has read John and failed to feel like they've really got to grips with the messages within, I thoroughly recommend this study guide. You'll never read John in the same way again.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I finally made it through volume 1 of Barclay's analysis of John's gospel. Not sure when I'll make it through the second volume, but it was definitely worth the time. Some of the commentary is a little bit dated (i.e., he refers to the "dawning of the nuclear age" a couple of times), but all of it definitely captures the complexity and richness of John's gospel. I think reading a little bit of it at a time is a good approach because it helps to digest his comments on the text before moving on to the next passage. Overall a great book, and I would recommend it to others looking for a deeper understanding of the fourth gospel.

[James Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Barclay was an excellent interpreter of the teachings of Jesus. He translated the New Testament from its early Greek format. His method was to endeavor to convey the meaning of Jesus' teachings, rather than to ensure his translations conformed to the doctrine of a given Christian sect. For this reason, I feel they are the most useful translations of the New Testament gospels. As with his several other books on the New Testament, this Gospel of John is well worth reading.

[Russ Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, quite enjoyable and enlightening. My only regret is that Volume 2 doesn't seem to be available in the Kindle store. I may have to resort to finding my old paper copy!

No sooner had I posted this than I clicked on the Goodreads entry for Volume 2, saw a Kindle edition, clicked on the Amazon.ca tab, and was able to purchase it. Why it did not show as one of the 44 "William Barclay" search results is a mystery for another day.

[Joe Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Reading John for the First Time Again

This was the second time I read this book but what made the difference was the introduction. Once you read the backstory of John, you read the story differently. Looking forward to part two.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 1 out of 5]

As always with Barclay uneven. Overall weak, but periodically helpful.

[Ig-88 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarifies many of the references Jesus makes. Sets the gospel in its time and place.