Reading John

by Christopher W. Skinner

The Gospel of John is often found at the center of discussions about the Bible and its relation to Christian theology. It is difficult to quantify the impact John's Gospel has had on both the historical development of Christian doctrine and the various expressions of Christian devotion. All too often, however, readers have failed to understand the Gospel as an autonomous text with its own unique story to tell. More often than not, the Gospel of John is swept into a reading approach that either conflates or attempts to harmonize with other accounts of Jesus' life. This book emphasizes the uniqueness of John's story of Jesus and attempts to provide readers with a road map for appreciating the historical context and literary features of the text. The aim of this book is to help others become better, more perceptive readers of the Gospel of John, with an ability to trace the rhetoric of the narrative from beginning to end. "Studying or teaching John? Reading John takes anyone interested in learning to read the Gospel of John and leads them step by step on a delightful journey into its strange and wonderful landscape, with the result that each chapter builds reading competence. Skinner is impressive as a teacher and guide, equally at home in the ancient world, the Gospel of John, and twenty-first-century culture, and he has a keen ear for the nuances of each. This guide is ideal for Bible study groups and college classes." --R. Alan Culpepper, Dean, McAfee School of Theology "In this fresh introduction to John, Christopher Skinner treats readers of John to some of the most valuable of recent approaches to the Fourth Gospel clearly and succinctly. Embracing the narrative through the lens of the Prologue, appreciating the sketching of characters, understanding misunderstandings, and seeing John as a two-level drama afford new insights that would otherwise be lost. Here we see John's theological, historical, and literary riddles addressed in helpful and compelling ways; Skinner's readers will not be disappointed!" --Paul N. Anderson, Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies, George Fox University Christopher W. Skinner is Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Mount Olive and Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at East Carolina University. His previous books include John and Gospels in Conflict? Johannine Characterization and the Thomas Question (2009), What Are They Saying about the Gospel of Thomas? (2011), and Character Studies and the Gospel of Mark (2014).

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Dr. Christopher W. Skinner is Professor of New Testament/Early Christianity at Loyola University Chicago. He holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from the Catholic University of America (2008). He previously taught at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore Maryland (2005-2010), and Mount Olive College in North Carolina (2010-2016) where he was the 2013-2014 Professor of the Year. He has also taught at East Carolina University (2014-2015) and Loyola University Maryland (2008-2009). In addition to publishing nearly three dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, he has authored or edited eleven books. His work explores the intersection of literary and historical questions in the narratives about Jesus both within and outside the New Testament.

Reviews

[Dominic Venuso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent, accessible introduction to moderate/progressive scholarly reading of John. Points to some other helpful resources for current study. Was able to read it free on Hoopla.

[Tim Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is more 3.5 stars but to the 3 star leaning.
Had some really good stuff in it.
I really enjoyed his discussion in characters and irony.
Chapter 7, where he brings the ideas he discussed to a test case, was informative at points.

But at times, the author jumped to conclusions that I didn't find convincing yet, sometimes not even close.
At times, there were other options I felt the author didn't show or look into much.
With John 21, maybe being a later addition, he mentioned it but didn't, in my opinion, even attempt a resolution or some options to think through.
The reflection questions were leading at times, and others were good.
At times, it was a bit ivory tower. Even where I learned something. The point I believe was to introduce lay people at times this was met at other times I felt lines were unnecessarily blured especially on if we can trust the gospel according to John and/or our nonexpert reading of it.
The theological reading part at the end felt like an afterthought.

The most frustrating part was the recommended reading, which was noticeable by omission that the author showed a theological bias a bit.

Overall, I still learned quite a bit, and the chapter on the prologue is probably still worth buying the boom for if one is starting out going deeper into John. That chapter I'd give 5 star probably. Maybe that was the problem it started at such a high point.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skinner's particular strength lies in his literary and close reading skill. Combining that with accessible writing, he offers an interesting approach to the book of John.

[Yajaira Marmolejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read and very informative. It's one of those books that are small but very valuable. Perfect introductory book for understanding the Gospel of John.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! Skinner proves to be a wonderful guide for people like me who want to engage in the academic study of the NT, but aren't quite acclimated to the rigor it requires. Good writing makes the more obtuse concepts accessible for the lay reader.