Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel: Meaning, Mystery, Community, Second Edition

by Craig R. Koester

Craig Koester's respected study uses the symbolic language of the Gospel of John as a focus to explore "the Gospel's literary dimensions, social and historical context, and theological import." This edition is fully revised and updated and includes a number of new sections on such topics as Judas and the knowledge of God. Fresh treatments are given on a number of issues, including the Gospel's Christology. This new edition offers both new insights and proven worth for students and scholars alike.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1995

About the author

Craig R. Koester is Vice President of Academic Affairs, Professor and Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Chair of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN.

Ph.D. (Union Theological Seminary)
Ordained (ELCA)
M.Div. (Luther Theological Seminary)
Biography
Craig Koester received a B.A. from Saint Olaf College, an M.Div. from Luther Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He served as a parish pastor for several years in Princeton, Minnesota, and joined the faculty of Luther Seminary in 1986. He was appointed to the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby chair of New Testament Studies in 2012.

An innovative teacher, Dr. Koester is known for his “Genesis to Revelation” course, which uses visuals, music, and drama to take people through the sweep of the biblical story in ten days. His other courses include John’s Gospel and Epistles, and the book of Revelation. Because of the high level of public interest in Revelation, he developed a course that explores the background and content of Revelation, as well as its impact on western culture. Entitled Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History, it was released on DVD through the GreatCourses.

As a scholar, Dr. Koester has contributed to discussions of Scripture in the academy and the church. His books include landmark commentaries on Hebrews (2001) and Revelation (2013 forthcoming) for the Anchor Yale Commentary series. In Johannine studies, he is known for his Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel (2nd edition, 2003), The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel (2008), and numerous articles. His book Revelation and the End of All Things (2001) is a popular resource among seminary and college students, and is widely used in congregations.

Dr. Koester is has led and organized seminars for the Society of Biblical Literature and Society for New Testament Studies. He has served as associate editor of the journals New Testament Studies and The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and regularly presents his work at international gatherings of scholars. He was a scholar in residence at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey in 1992-93 and 2007.

In the church, Dr. Koester speaks at theological conferences, synod gatherings, pastors’ workshops, and congregations. He is one of the designers of the Narrative Lectionary, which enables congregations to move through major sections of both Old and New Testaments from September through May each year. At the international level, he is involved in the work of the Lutheran World Federation on the interpretation of Scripture, and presented papers at the conferences in Nairobi, Kenya (2011) and Eisenach, Germany (2013).

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not always the easiest to read on account of the academic style of writing, Mr. Koester has done a fine bit of scholarly research into the various symbols in the Gospel of John. This is more or less an academic thesis that was turned into a book, so the amount of research that went into it is hefty. Additionally, the insights Mr. Koester sheds into symbolism is top notch. He stays conservative in his analyses (as in, he doesn't stretch to turn everything into a symbol) but also gives other people's views on potential symbols. In this way he broadens the scope of symbolism and allows readers to form their own opinions regarding potential symbols in John. Though he advocates for multiple writers of the Gospel (that's my assessment of reading between the lines, though I don't recall he ever explicitly states that view) he doesn't stand on a soapbox to argue for that position. Mr. Koester stays true to his intentions with this book, and he has turned out a book that is well worth reading, as it helps the reader discover additional layers of meaning in the Gospel of John.

[Mikayla Garren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A class I had taken in college used this as the text book, but I wanted to read it again years later so I could really dive in without worrying about other assignments. There are definitely some good theories and thought provoking sections, but around halfway through I felt like I was reading things I had already read in the first half.

If you really want to dive into the book of John and are interested in every theory you can find, go ahead and read this book. However, if that doesn’t interest you, don’t pick up this book.

[Travis Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a better book than I’m giving it credit for. But, falling in the overlap of my regular readings—between Biblical studies and literature—the promise of freshness gave way to diminishing returns. Koester is at his best when teaching how to fish for symbols and their meaning in the gospel of John; but it’s more a duty to read when he’s showing off all the fish caught. The former is about a fifth of the book… the latter is the rest.

[Ryan Sarver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book that I would recommend to anyone studying the Gospel of John. This isn't a commentary, per se, as it covers topics instead of going through verse by verse. Because it discusses topics and doesn't just move through the verses, it can get repetitive in spots.

Overall, great read and one that will make you think about the Gospel of John a little differently.

[Rick Mcgarry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for doing some preaching from the book of John next year, and found it very helpful. Good insights into John's intended audience, how the document fits into the Roman Empire in the first century, and good insights into some key passages as well.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot more going on in the Gospel of John symbolically than I had previously been aware of!

[Bledar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. It offers a solid introduction to the idea of symbol and then illustrates it well in the Gospel of John.

[Robert Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing read that is extremely useful for anyone who is wanting to study or teach the Gospel of John.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second work I have had an opportunity to peruse by this author and I am getting a great sense on his style and content. "The Word of Life" was a great book but I think that as valuable as it was this one was perhaps an even more profound and intriguing read.

As with the first book I read I can say that he reads easy and while it is deep it is not technical. This book on symbolism is so rich and vibrant. There were so many associations that he was able to make with the Old Testament that many commentators I have read basically panned over. He analyzes various motifs and connects them with Jewish thought such as light and ethics, water and the law, bread and the torah, etc...What I really like about what he does here is that also thinks about the possible ways that non-Jewish readers associated the symbols to their own cultures. He talks about Dionysius bringing wine out of the earth or the water coming from Jesus side might remind Greek readers that immortals bleed a clear substance, or the idea that water was associated with prophesy in the hellenistic world. Even though he suggests these he is careful to remain open about issues which are hard to examine.

Again I love the associations with the Old Testament. He compares the baptism of John with the anointing of Joshua by Moses and Elisha by Elijah. He draws parallels with John baptizing in Aenon near Samaria and Jesus'coming to Samaria. In the discourse John the Baptist made in chapter 3 Jesus is called a bridegroom while in chapter 4 he meets the woman by the well in the fashion that Jacob met Rachel. She leaves and brings the Samaritans back to "meet the bridegroom." He shows the significance of the pool of Siloam and the tradition about Isaiah going to the pool of Siloam under the directive of God to have thirst quenched. I love the way he matched and dovetailed ideas together throughout the whole narrative and for any study of extended nature this book is highly valuable.

Now the problem with the book is the same as with the last one. Koester is a big proponent of the Johannine Community model espoused by Raymond Brown. This is my 28th work on John (although I did not review all on here) and I can say that I have really remained unconvinced that this a tenable idea. I think that it is full of anachronisms, guess work, conjecture, and pure speculation. I don't see anything that seems to suggest that it is a very powerful idea and I think that it comes from a marriage to the establishment more than solid evidence. The last chapter was interesting but these ideas were not provable at all. There were also areas were he may have allowed his imagination to read more into the symbol than was needed. For example: he conjectures that Jesus calling his disciples friends meant that this is the way that the Johannine Community greeted each other. Well this may be one way John greeted others or the way George Fox and the Quakers greeted one another we cannot say that this was the way that any sect of Christians in the Ancient world did.

Overall, this is a fine work and I recommend it but I would warn you not to get caught up in the Johannine community model. It is really not a great model and more and more scholars are coming to reject it. Otherwise the book is fantastic.

[Ricky Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the factours that sets the Gospel of John apart from the Synoptics is the evangelist’s extensive use of symbolism, often in juxtaposition: light vs. darkness, belief vs. unbelief, knowing God (through Jesus) vs. not knowing God, water, bread, and others. Koester presents an impressively detailed explication of these symbolic motifs. Koester argues that the question John aims to answer is: How do people know God? He pedantically details John’s presentation of who Jesus is as the light of the world that enlightens the reader (pun intended) of who Jesus is as the Son of God. He defines a symbol as “an image, action, or a person that is understood to have transcendent significance” and are “things that can be perceived by the senses, such as light and darkness, water, bread, a door,” etc. (p. 4). These are understood through two types of symbols: core symbols, which occur most often, and “contribute most to the Gospel’s message” (p. 5); and supportive symbols, which “help to reveal the significance of the core symbols” (p. 6). For example, Jesus as the light of the world is a core symbol and Nicodemus is a supporting symbol of this motif.

Bottom line, the symbols he covers are extremely edifying especially when he provides valuable historical background to specific events. I often refer to it in my sermon prep work when I’m preaching from John’s Gospel, and I recommend it for any intrigued by hermeneutics.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept seems pretty academic, but Koester's writing is very accessible and interesting. I flew through the book, yet still stopped quite a bit to take notes. It was a great book for looking at deeper meanings behind the text.

[K B · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY good read!

[Jaelynn Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. There were several sections that dove deep into different symbols in John. ie- symbolic figures, symbolic actions, light and darkness, water, crucifixion, and community. It was very insightful! I never knew that there were so many symbols in the 4th gospel!