Mary's Voice in the Gospel According to John: A New Translation with Commentary

by Michael Pakaluk

A New Light on John’s Gospel The Gospel according to John has always been recognized as different from the “synoptic” accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But what explains the difference? In this new translation and verse-byverse commentary, Michael Pakaluk suggests an answer and unlocks a twothousand-year-old mystery. Mary’s Voice in the Gospel according to John reveals the subtle but powerful influence of the Mother of Jesus on the fourth Gospel. In his dying words, Jesus committed his Mother to the care of John, the beloved disciple, who “from that hour . . . took her into his own home.” Pakaluk draws out the implications of that detail, which have been overlooked for centuries. In Mary’s remaining years on earth, what would she and John have talked about? Surely no subject was as close to their hearts as the words and deeds of Jesus. Mary’s unique perspective and intimate knowledge of her Son must have shaped the account of Jesus’ life that John would eventually compose. With the same scholarship, imagination, and fidelity that he applied to Mark’s Gospel in The Memoirs of St. Peter, Pakaluk brings out the voice of Mary in John’s, from the famous prologue about the Incarnation of the Word to the Evangelist’s closing avowal of the reliability of his account. This remarkably fresh translation and commentary will deepen your understanding of the most sublime book of the New Testament.

Genres: Catholic, Religion

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2021

About the author

MICHAEL PAKALUK is a professor of ethics and social philosophy in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. He earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at Harvard and studied as a Marshall Scholar at the University of Edinburgh. An expert in ancient philosophy, he has published widely on Aristotelian ethics and the philosophy of friendship and done groundbreaking work in business ethics.

Reviews

[booklady]

After reading Elizabeth A. Mitchell's excellent review in The Catholic Thing, I can hardly wait to read this. The publication date is February 16.

[Ted · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the idea for the book was interesting. Since Jesus on the cross tells John to take Mary home and treat her as mother, it seems reasonable that John's Gospel might show signs of Mary's influence. I just thought in the end the idea was not as profound nor obvious in the text. It might help support Marian piety or even add to it, but only for those already into that. It is a lot of conjecture and speculation as to what she might have influenced and it really is all argument based on silence (since there are no biblical or patristic texts supporting the idea) and there are some difficulties with the idea - John doesn't mention Mary by name and doesn't include any of the nativity stories which might only have been learned from Mary. Pakaluk follows traditional Catholic teaching in his interpretation of the texts and accepts the Assumption. He relies heavily on Cardinal Newman, Augustine and Aquinas for his interpretations. He does his own translation of John's Gospel, and I did think his arrangement of the text - differentiating dialogue sections from narrative sections - was interesting and helpful. Surprisingly the last section of the book is a criticism of David Hart's translation of one phrase about life everlasting.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gospel of John in a whole new, Marian light! This new translation of the Gospel according to St. John is masterfully lucid and truly breaks open the meaning of the sacred text, just as did Michael Pakaluk’s translation of St. Mark’s gospel (The Memoirs of St. Peter). And the commentary is extremely helpful and edifying, working under the thesis that the Virgin Mary (who lived with St. John for many years) influenced his gospel in unique ways. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to dive deeper into the Gospel and the Christian faith.

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the commentary is very good, I found the translation the most interesting part of this book. I am quite sure that the average reader has never read anything like it. It really brings the text alive and makes one feel right in the scene. The author has what is in essence an appendix where he discusses his approach which he calls "formal equivalence." Fascinating.

The author wishes to discern Mary's influence on John's approach to writing his gospel. He only proposes it and asks us to consider this lens but he takes pains to say that it may or may not actually have had the effects he proposes. Nevertheless, it does provide for some interesting considerations and insights into this gospel.

Not the first commentary to go to, but a welcome resource in any biblical library.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful reading of the Gospel of S. John, with an excellent commentary. I highly recommend it. The basic premise - that the Blessed Virgin exerted a theological and spiritual influence over her adopted son, S. John the Evangelist, and so also on his Gospel - holds water incredibly well, although it may never be proved beyond doubt. Just as valuable in this book is its adherence to Catholic tradition and its love for the Church. Oh, five stars all the way.

[Maximilian Nightingale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this sort of book. A meditative commentary on a Gospel with attention to details related to a particular fact; in this case, the fact that John lived with Mary. Even where one might dispute an interpretation or inference, it is refreshing to read an intelligent take on the Gospel by someone who writes from a position of faith and from within the Church.

The translation is strange at times, but usually because he is trying to imitate the tenses in Greek. As for oddities in vocabulary, he usually explains these in comments.

I wish I had more books like this.

[Olivia Hofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing translation with insightful commentary. While Pakaluk approaches the text and the subject from a different theological/denominational foundation than I do, and occasionally I find his interpretations to be a bit of a reach, the commentary nevertheless added further layers of depth to my understanding of the gospel as he humanized its author and its characters.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh, eye-opening translation with helpful commentary (mostly based on Newman and Aquinas Catena). Well worth the read, esp if you liked Pakaluk's Memoirs of Peter. I'd love to see all four translations (eventually I presume) collected in a single volume for lectio divina.

[Cynthia Brown]

Wonderful. I love his translations and insight. It makes so much sense that we could get glimpses of Mary from John's gospel, and Micheal shows that, without overstating the case.

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting twist in reading the Gospel through the lens of Our Lady. Out of Pakaluk's books, I think this is the best. This is definitely better than the other book with St. Peter's voice.