Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective (Encountering Biblical Studies) [Hardcover]

Andreas J. Kostenberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1999 | ISBN-10: 0801021502 | ISBN-13: 978-0801021503

The uniqueness of the Gospel of John is readily apparent. In contrast to the overlapping material in the Synoptic Gospels, John shares only about ten percent of its content with Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Johns distinct focus on Jesus life as the culmination of salvation history makes it the theological pinnacle of the gospel tradition and establishes its author, along with the apostle Paul, as one of the early churchs foremost theologians.

Not a traditional commentary on the book, this volume, like others in the Encountering Biblical Studies series, is designed especially for classroom use. A lucid writing style and a number of pedagogical enhancements make this a perfect tool for helping students master the content and key interpretive issues of the Gospel of John.

Kstenberger begins his survey with an orientation to the three facets of his investigation: history, literature, and theology. The student will discover how Johns Gospel came to be, as well as the Gospels literary components and theological themes: God, the Christ, salvation, the Spirit, the new covenant community, and last things.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Arguably the Gospel of John is the most widely read gospel and at the same time the gospel which is the most difficult to understand. Students who look for a comprehensive introduction into the Fourth Gospel need to look no further. A. Kstenberger has written the best college level introduction available. The book is packed with the most recent scholarship yet is not pedantic in its presentation of secondary sources. It regulary discusses differing views on numerous topics yet never loses its focus. It consistently introduces the reader into scholarly debates not for their own sake but for enhancing the understanding of the text of the Gospel. It demonstrates an admirable balance between historical, literary, and theological matters. And it seeks to help the reader to engage with the Gospel and with the Incarnate Word whom it portrays, on a personal level. I highly recommend the book -- Eckhard Schnabel, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Combines expert scholarship with skillful and attractive methods of communication. It is exactly what students of the Fourth Gospel need both to provide them with the scholarly information and to guide and stimulate their own exploration of the Gospel and the many issues it raises. A splendid contribution to this new series. -- Richard Bauckham, St. Andrews University

About the Author

Andreas J. Köstenberger (Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Missions of Jesus and the Disciples According to the Fourth Gospel. He is also the translator of the influential two-volume New Testament theology written by Adolf Schlatter. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 277 pages
• Publisher: Baker Pub Group (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801021502
• ISBN-13: 978-0801021503
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andreas J. Köstenberger is Director of Ph.D. Studies and Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is the author of numerous works on John, including his commentary in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series, 'John' in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, and 'John' in Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Intermediate Commentary, June 18, 2000

By 

David Croteau (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective (Encountering Biblical Studies) (Hardcover)

Dr. Kostenberger has done a good job in his commentary on John. It is written at a level that would stretch Bible college students and would be comfortable for most seminary students. He is a very clear writer and he summarizes frequently and effectively to help the reader gain the most from this book. Most of the charts and diagrams are very helpful as well as the study questions. The appendices are exciting reading into some insights he takes into the Gospel.

Dr. Kostenberger takes the generally accepted conservative stance on nearly all controversial issues. He supports Johannine authorship, a seven-sign structure in the Book of Signs, and the general coherency of the text. He views are supported heavily from the biblical data.

This commentary would do well to any student of the New Testament wanting a good intermediate commentary that does not go into the Greek or much syntactical analysis.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, Readable, and Scholarly Overview of John, November 22, 2002

By 

Todd Hudnall (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective (Encountering Biblical Studies) (Hardcover)

Encountering John is an outstanding college level volume on the fourth Gospel. The book is Evangelical, conservative and scholarly. I found it comprehensive in scope, while concise in content. Kostenberger occasionally presents his personal bias but always supports his views with reasonable arguments. Each chapter includes an outline, objectives, key words, interesting vignettes, and study questions. I would highly recommend the book to the serious student looking for a concise and readable overview of John's Gospel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Commentary and Then Some, June 29, 2009

By 

Olive Tree Ann "AHL" (East Stroudsburg, Pa.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective (Encountering Biblical Studies) (Paperback)

Encountering John by Andreas Kostenberger is part of the Encountering Biblical Studies series. These books use a commentary format (dividing Scripture passages into chapter and verse divisions) with a mixture of cultural and historical background, theological perspectives, pictures, literary analysis and application. The scholarship is excellent but not pretentious. Useful introductory material helps instruct the reader on how to use the book for personal study. Sidebars, tables, maps and supplemental essays are also indexed for quick reference. As a teacher, I bought this book for additional information to be used alongside the curriculum in my Gospel of John class. However, I found it to be a greater resource than I imagined and often used the applicational sections rather than that of the curriculum because they were so insightful. The Gospel is divided into 5 sections, each emphasizing a particular aspect of Jesus' ministry as John sees it (for ex. Part 3: Encountering the Earthly Jesus; The Mission to the Jews Including the Seven Signs and Part 5: Encountering the One Who Calls Us to Follow). I particularly like the cultural and historical background aspects of Biblical Study which I find to be a strength of this entire series (examples include: The Significance of Jewish Festivals in John, and the Chronology fo the Passion Narrative in John and the Synoptics). I think Encountering John is one of the best the Encountering Biblical Studies series has to offer (Some of the other volumes I own are Readings From the First-Century World and Encountering the Book of Hebrews).