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John: A Commentary
Almost from the earliest days of the church, John's distinctive presentation of Jesus has provoked discussion about its place among the other Gospels. One cannot help but see the differences from the Synoptics and wonder about the origins and character of John. In this new volume in the New Testament Library series, Marianne Meye Thompson explores the ministry and significance of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the Gospel of John, paying special attention to the social, cultural, and historical contexts that produced it. John's Gospel, Thompson posits, is the product of a social-cultural world whose language, commitments, and contours must be investigated in order to read John's narrative well. In doing so, Thompson studies the narrative, structure, central themes, and theological and rhetorical arguments found in the Fourth Gospel. Thompson's expert commentary unpacks and illuminates John's unique witness to Jesusâ€"who he was, what he did, and what that means.
The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary; M. Eugene Boring, Brite Divinity School; and John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary.
The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary; M. Eugene Boring, Brite Divinity School; and John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary.
- GenresNew Testament
489 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 2, 2025
A robust commentary on the Gospel of John.
The author provides a well-rounded form of commentary. She provides a translation of each section, comments somewhat on significant textual variants and points of comment regarding the Greek text and grammar, and spends most of the time not only discussing the substance of what transpires within the text but also explains it in terms of the greater frameworks of the Johannine Gospel itself, Second Temple Judaism, and also in comparison to / contrast with the Synoptics.
I appreciated the author's willingness to understand the Gospel on its own terms; she does not subscribe to the "Johannine community development" hypothesis. Dating is assumed to be in the 70s or 80s, and she does not speculate much in terms of authorship. Much of what is set forth is generally conventional and remains mostly attached to context; denominational agendas are not advanced to any significant degree. I agree with her assessment of the pericope of the adulterous woman (John 7:53-8:11), as a legitimate story of the Jesus tradition but highly unlikely to be originally written where it is currently placed. The theory of Lazarus as the "beloved disciple" is interesting and creative although I do not ultimately find it persuasive.
Thompson’s commentary on John represents a really good sweet spot: her exegesis and exposition is thorough without becoming excessive or pedantic, her comments are well informed by the historical and cultural context, and her questions and challenges in terms of application and grappling with some of the more difficult questions which arise from the Gospel of John, especially in terms of how it portrays Jewish people, might be a bit too revisionist for me, but still represented a good conversation.
On the whole a well presented commentary, worthy of consideration.
**--galley received as part of early review program
The author provides a well-rounded form of commentary. She provides a translation of each section, comments somewhat on significant textual variants and points of comment regarding the Greek text and grammar, and spends most of the time not only discussing the substance of what transpires within the text but also explains it in terms of the greater frameworks of the Johannine Gospel itself, Second Temple Judaism, and also in comparison to / contrast with the Synoptics.
I appreciated the author's willingness to understand the Gospel on its own terms; she does not subscribe to the "Johannine community development" hypothesis. Dating is assumed to be in the 70s or 80s, and she does not speculate much in terms of authorship. Much of what is set forth is generally conventional and remains mostly attached to context; denominational agendas are not advanced to any significant degree. I agree with her assessment of the pericope of the adulterous woman (John 7:53-8:11), as a legitimate story of the Jesus tradition but highly unlikely to be originally written where it is currently placed. The theory of Lazarus as the "beloved disciple" is interesting and creative although I do not ultimately find it persuasive.
Thompson’s commentary on John represents a really good sweet spot: her exegesis and exposition is thorough without becoming excessive or pedantic, her comments are well informed by the historical and cultural context, and her questions and challenges in terms of application and grappling with some of the more difficult questions which arise from the Gospel of John, especially in terms of how it portrays Jewish people, might be a bit too revisionist for me, but still represented a good conversation.
On the whole a well presented commentary, worthy of consideration.
**--galley received as part of early review program
March 14, 2017
This commentary on the Gospel of John is one of the latest in the New Testament Library (NTL) series published by WJK. This volume is designed to be a major mid-length commentary for those who study in the Gospel of John. It is aimed more at those who teach than scholars. You will find it quite suggestive on many passages.
Marianne Meye Thompson explains in her preface that she has worked 17 years on this commentary. That’s a lot of time for mature reflection. It’s also fair to say that this is one of the more conservative volumes in this series. She chooses not to debate the historicity of the stories in John’s Gospel, but just comments on the text that we have.
I could not agree with her that the John of this Gospel was not the John, who was the son of Zebedee. Still, the Introduction to John’s Gospel she gave was filled with helpful insights. You could sense a love of the gospel of John as you read her comments. She makes some great comments on how John is different than the Synoptic Gospels. The discussion of Jesus as the son of God in both the Introduction and a later excursus (excursus 2) showed that this was an area of the author’s expertise. I thought her explanation of how matters affecting ritual purity were absent from John was well-made as well.
The section on structure was rather short though competent, and her opinion on the dating of John landed at the conservative position of the 90s. She stated that this commentary “focuses on the gospel’s account of Jesus of Nazareth: what he said, what he did, how is life ended, and what happened after his death.” To my mind, this commentary achieves the goals the author set out at the beginning.
Though it was not as in-depth as some of the major exegetical commentaries out there, I thought the commentary proper was both interesting and helpful. She wrote in a clear way that was easy to understand. I could not agree with all her conclusions, but I appreciated the way she wrote. I checked several passages in this commentary, and the quality was consistent throughout.
If you’re looking for an additional voice in your studies of John’s Gospel, you would do well to cure this volume for your shelves. I recommend it.
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.
Marianne Meye Thompson explains in her preface that she has worked 17 years on this commentary. That’s a lot of time for mature reflection. It’s also fair to say that this is one of the more conservative volumes in this series. She chooses not to debate the historicity of the stories in John’s Gospel, but just comments on the text that we have.
I could not agree with her that the John of this Gospel was not the John, who was the son of Zebedee. Still, the Introduction to John’s Gospel she gave was filled with helpful insights. You could sense a love of the gospel of John as you read her comments. She makes some great comments on how John is different than the Synoptic Gospels. The discussion of Jesus as the son of God in both the Introduction and a later excursus (excursus 2) showed that this was an area of the author’s expertise. I thought her explanation of how matters affecting ritual purity were absent from John was well-made as well.
The section on structure was rather short though competent, and her opinion on the dating of John landed at the conservative position of the 90s. She stated that this commentary “focuses on the gospel’s account of Jesus of Nazareth: what he said, what he did, how is life ended, and what happened after his death.” To my mind, this commentary achieves the goals the author set out at the beginning.
Though it was not as in-depth as some of the major exegetical commentaries out there, I thought the commentary proper was both interesting and helpful. She wrote in a clear way that was easy to understand. I could not agree with all her conclusions, but I appreciated the way she wrote. I checked several passages in this commentary, and the quality was consistent throughout.
If you’re looking for an additional voice in your studies of John’s Gospel, you would do well to cure this volume for your shelves. I recommend it.
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.
July 18, 2016
**Not a full review**
This excellent commentary deserves your attention.
Don't let the page count fool you, this book is accessible to even the most uneducated of Christians while offering insights that years of study may have never surfaced.
When somebody is looking for an introductory level commentary on the Gospel of John, I will not hesitate to point them in this direction.
This excellent commentary deserves your attention.
Don't let the page count fool you, this book is accessible to even the most uneducated of Christians while offering insights that years of study may have never surfaced.
When somebody is looking for an introductory level commentary on the Gospel of John, I will not hesitate to point them in this direction.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews