The Gospel According to John

The New International Commentary on the New Testament

by Leon L. Morris

Recognizing the central importance of the Fourth Gospel in any series on the New Testament, Morris devoted more than ten years to preparing this volume. Written with considerable acumen and a thorough knowledge of the previous scholarly work on the Johannine text, The Gospel according to John is one of the largest and most comprehensive commentaries ever to come out of the evangelical community. This revised edition includes significant modifications and additions made in the light of more recent writings on John's Gospel. While maintaining substantially the same stance taken in his original work, Morris here references important secondary sources and studies that have appeared over the last two decades. The commentary is now also based on the New International Version.

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

936 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of years ago, I was encouraged to read the Bible slowly, using a commentary. So I used Leon Morris' commentary on Luke for my first attempt. It was a great journey. After I finished it, I wondered what book I should read next, and which commentary. Since I was acquainted with Leon Morris now, I decided to read through his commentary on John. Wow! What a great commentary. I cannot recommend this commentary high enough. The depth of insight, and devotion to the authority of God's Word, makes this book the best commentary I have ever read. Highly recommended!

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best evangelical commentaries on the Gospel of John. Morris writes clearly, argues carefully, and interacts fairly with other commentators. In the first edition (which I read), he brings in highlights from and evaluates the work of many Biblical scholars from the first half of the 20th century. But he also draws from Augustine and Chrysostom, giving this commentary excellent depth. Morris does not jump to conclusions but weighs the evidence for various textual-critical positions and identifies what is the most appropriate interpretation, based on that evidence (linguistic, historical, headcount of commentators agreeing or disagreeing, etc.). He starts the commentary with insightful yet concise essays on issues regarding the Gospel of John in general (background, historicity, theology, textual oddities such as dislocation of stories, etc.); and he peppers the commentary with more essays to expand the discussion of the Logos, "the world" in John, miracles, the Paraclete, and more. This book is thick for a reason (or several, as I have noted).

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful commentary on the Gospel of John.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dove headlong into Morris's masterpiece and swam in for months, consuming every word, every footnote, a half an hour at a time in my morning Bible Study.

I have never been so thankful for a man's dedication to exegesis as I have been for that of Leon Morris. His faithfulness to the text made this work as edifying as it was thorough.

[sam tannehill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific commentary, which is thorough but easy to understand with plenty of notes. It has taken me a little more than a year to go through it, but that is because it is worth spending time thinking about what is written in the Gospel, which is very different from the other Gospels. I have really enjoyed reading through John, and I have used the commentary to write weekly prayers reflecting on the verses that I have read.

[CJ Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid and safe. No exciting or fresh insights, but full of judicious exegesis. Corrects many tempting errors (John 6 as primarily referring to the Lord's Supper, authority given to individuals to bind/loose an individual's sins, etc.). Slightly defensive "commentary" tone throughout, but a worthy read.

Rejects the pericope of the woman caught in adultery, but expounds it in an appendix, challenging the idea that "anamartatos" refers to being innocent of the specific sin in question. It's a hapax legomena, and in the LXX, usage indicates innocence of various kinds of sin.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

My late teenage and early adult years were filled with books by Morris. When at Uni, I even got to spend a weekend camp with him as the guest speaker! I continue to appreciate his writings, long after he has gone to be with our Saviour.

This is my second complete reading of this particular commentary - though I refer to it frequently, especially when doing sermons on John. This second reading is over 30 years after the first, and I still find this to be a wonderful and inspirational coverage of this Gospel. Morris comes across as a kindly Mentor leading us through the theology and history that is contained in this book. I appreciate his conservative approach where he still includes alternate views, and is quite gentle with his arguments against them.

Highly recommended commentary for preachers and those who want to learn more. This is a very readable commentary :)

[Kevin Wolz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leon Morris is a highly respected commentator on the New Testament text. This volume shows his attention to detail, theological acuity, and clear prose. His handling of John 7.53–8.11 is perhaps the best I’ve seen, though his argument for two Temple Clearings is deficient. Good commentary for sermon prep, but I also want to say that he has a preference for sources that were dated even when he wrote his first edition (1970s) and even more so for the 2nd edition (1995).

[Matthew W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible Commentary on John’s Gospel

Deep, insightful, and worth not just the money but the time commitment. The footnotes are nearly 1/3rd of the book, demonstrating the completeness of the analysis and commentary. I cannot recommend highly enough.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend anything written by Leon Morris

[Becky Hintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very accessible and easy to read.

[Josh Dockter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrative details-There and fun.
Details on John's style-Present and informative.
Greek-Helpful when necessary.
Footnotes-Oh my.

Overall this was a great source. I'll be back.
3/5

[Kevin Burrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to pick one commentary on John, I’m pretty sure this would be the one. The exegesis is so thorough, and the footnotes are significantly helpful without being distracting.

[John Dube · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Only to be outdone by Carson. That being said, Morris's comments on each verse are a bit shorter than Carson, which makes this a little easier to read overall.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The NICNT series prides itself on presenting very thorough and scholarly-informed commentaries on New Testament books, and the author was very eager to live up to that reputation in his contribution with the Gospel of John.

I appreciated the author’s overall approach to the Gospel of John, and he provided plenty of detail in terms of comparisons and contrasts with the Synoptics and reviews of various positions staked out by various commentators.

But I felt the author seemed to go overboard in the amount of exposition, often spending a lot of time going into great detail in very basic matters and words. He also seemed to revel in aligning himself with the alternative or more speculative interpretations at many points in the text, although, to his credit, he did well at explaining contrary views with integrity.

This commentary is almost excessively thorough. Take that for what you will.

[Kristopher Schaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second-favorite John commentary, so I will describe it in relation to Carson. I liked Morris because whereas Carson was good at capturing the big-picture ideas, Morris paid more attention to detail. Carson built off Morris's work, so there were times in which Carson simply states something for which Morris expels a lot of energy arguing. It was nice to read those fuller arguments. On the flip side, there were times in which Carson departed from Morris and I couldn't quite buy his view, but Morris's view seemed better. Overall, I found this to be a very solid #2 commentary.

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, but I wish he discussed the nature of narrative application, and then applied that discussion throughout the commentary. Mind you, I haven't found a commentator yet who does this self-consciously...

[Ben Zornes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morris' commentary on John's Gospel was incredibly helpful, insightful and full of poignant, memorable quotes.

He defends the authorship of John, when many scholars contend for a later writing of the Gospel by anonymous authors; Morris shows how these scholars only attempt this because they are trying to organize John's writing according to our standards and sensibilities.

This volume was very thorough, helpful and it will be often referenced when the Beloved Disciple's Gospel is studied.

[Nathan White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about this commentary is how succinct it is, and how Morris carefully handles Greek text, bringing out nuances that are often overlooked. This commentary is the best place to begin with a study of John's gospel. (Begin here and move on to Carson, Brown, Ridderbos, and perhaps Barrett and you will do well!).

[Chris Comis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leon Morris is a top notch scholar and this book proves as much. A bit tedious at times, but well worth it if you can slodge your way through it.

[Andrew Mcneill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed but not particularly worship-inducing or practical. It is a very solid commentary and I find no fault with it but a greater emphasis on devotion would be better.

[James Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite commentaries on perhaps my favorite book in the bible. Excellent historical research, conservative and classic Christian approach. Splendid!

[Kingsley Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indispensable commentary on John.

[John Brackbill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second favorite commentary on John only bested by Carson. Always helpful.

[Michael Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent commentary in an excellent series. I have used this for years and finally finished preaching through the book, using this commentary throughout.