With this study - companion to the masterful two-volume "The Gospel According to John" - Raymond E. Brown completed his trilogy on the Johannine corpus. Meticulous in detail, exhaustive in analysis, persuasive in argument, it examines controversies that have long troubled both biblical scholars and lay readers. Questions of authorship, composition, and dating, as well as the debate over source theories, are discussed at length; but these are kept subordinate to the overall question of meaning.What gives this commentary special interest and excitement is the bold, imaginative reconstruction of the setting of the Johannine work - in particular of the "opposition figures," who are only dimly sketched in the Epistles - so that we see clearly that the author is writing to his flock both about the dangers and difficulties confronting them, and about the eternal life that is theirs by the gift of God. In this way, the "Epistles of John" become intelligible as broadsides in a critical engagement between the forces of light and darkness.In addition to his superb textual analysis of the letters, Raymond Brown has brought to life the community in which these works were formed and shaped. We are forcefully reminded that the Gospel and the Epistles were addressed to very real people living in the first century a.d., people with religious problems not unlike our own. In all respects, "The Epistles of John" stands out as a model of biblical scholarship and study.
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Text: English, Greek (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Over his illustrious career, the late Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Ph.D., was internationally regarded as a dean of New Testament scholars. He was Auburn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Among his more than thirty-five books on the Bible are three volumes in the Anchor Bible series, as well as the Anchor Bible Reference Library volumes The Birth of the Messiah, The Death of the Messiah, and An Introduction to the New Testament, winner of the 1998 Catholic Press Association Award for Biblical Studies.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I probably own at least 20 commentaries on the Epistles of John and I consider this the best. With that said, however, it is not for everyone. Brown's commentary is exceptional for it's grammatical and syntactical interpretation, but would probably be too heavy for people without at least some knowledge of Greek. The commentary is light on theology, but heavy on grammatical interpretation. I consider this a strength, but again make sure it is what you want. One good point here is that while Brown is a Catholic priest, it is not filled with Catholicism. As a non-Catholic literalist Bible scholar, I consider this book invaluable for its pure grammatical analysis. I typically would run from a book by a Catholic priest, but this book is the exception.
If you are looking for an advanced Greek exegesis book to help explain the language of First John, this book is perfect. If you are looking for a readable overview of the Epistle or theological explanations of the Epistle, look elsewhere.
If you are looking for an advanced Greek exegesis book to help explain the language of First John, this book is perfect. If you are looking for a readable overview of the Epistle or theological explanations of the Epistle, look elsewhere.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Originally published in 1982, Raymond Brown's `The Epistles of John' is an instalment in Yale University Press' acclaimed Anchor Bible commentary series. Brown is a leading late twentieth century New Testament (NT) scholar.
Overall, this is an excellent modern critical commentary with much strength. From a structural perspective the text is laid out in the standard format for modern commentaries; a detailed introduction discussing dating, authorship, audience and situating the author's work within the broader body of scholarship followed by a section-by-section analysis of the text. The latter analytical portion is sub-divided into a general commentary discussing the section's main points as well as detailed notes on translation, textual and interpretive issues. While from a qualitative standpoint, as one would expect from the Anchor Bible series and Brown, this is an erudite, insightful and well written text.
Despite its clear strength it is important for prospective readers to recognize that this is an academic commentary and as such may not be the best starting point for readers seeking an initial overview of the epistles (some general NT introductions would be better starting points). While interesting and well presented, Brown's interpretation rests on speculative assumptions about authorship (late and not John the Apostle) and audience (parochial rather than universal). For instance, Brown posits the existence of a Johannine community, a small largely isolated cluster of churches in a particular geographic locale. While this `community' view is still popular it has been subjected to growing criticism by commentators such as Richard Bauckham and is beginning to look untenable when understood in a strong sense.
Overall, despite its limitations this is an outstanding critical commentary well worth a look by NT scholars and students. Readers interested in this subject may also enjoy an excellent series of audio lectures by Jack Crabtree on the Johannine epistles available through itunes u/Guttenburg College.
Overall, this is an excellent modern critical commentary with much strength. From a structural perspective the text is laid out in the standard format for modern commentaries; a detailed introduction discussing dating, authorship, audience and situating the author's work within the broader body of scholarship followed by a section-by-section analysis of the text. The latter analytical portion is sub-divided into a general commentary discussing the section's main points as well as detailed notes on translation, textual and interpretive issues. While from a qualitative standpoint, as one would expect from the Anchor Bible series and Brown, this is an erudite, insightful and well written text.
Despite its clear strength it is important for prospective readers to recognize that this is an academic commentary and as such may not be the best starting point for readers seeking an initial overview of the epistles (some general NT introductions would be better starting points). While interesting and well presented, Brown's interpretation rests on speculative assumptions about authorship (late and not John the Apostle) and audience (parochial rather than universal). For instance, Brown posits the existence of a Johannine community, a small largely isolated cluster of churches in a particular geographic locale. While this `community' view is still popular it has been subjected to growing criticism by commentators such as Richard Bauckham and is beginning to look untenable when understood in a strong sense.
Overall, despite its limitations this is an outstanding critical commentary well worth a look by NT scholars and students. Readers interested in this subject may also enjoy an excellent series of audio lectures by Jack Crabtree on the Johannine epistles available through itunes u/Guttenburg College.
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First Sentence:
Of the 27 books of the NT, all but 6 are commonly classified as epistles or letters. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
epistolary author, secessionist teachers, secessionist theology, scribal imitation, hots clause, epistolary instance, secessionist adversaries, secessionist christology, secessionist interpretation, pros parthenous, secessionist missionaries, truth that abides, spreading evil nonsense, final eschatology, disapproved conditions, epistolary use, doing iniquity, secessionist position, initial kai, secessionist propaganda, kai hymeis, everyone begotten, houtos estin, salvific importance, divine begetting Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jesus Christ, Johannine Christians, Johannine School, Beloved Disciple, Johannine Jesus, Elect Lady, John Prologue, Fourth Gospel, Codex Alexandrinus, New Testament, John the Baptist, Holy One, Spirit of God, First Epistle, Codex Sinaiticus, Ecclesiastical Redactor, New York, Asia Minor, Dead Sea Scrolls, Great Church, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius of Antioch, Jewish Christians, Codex Vaticanus, Last Supper New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Of the 27 books of the NT, all but 6 are commonly classified as epistles or letters. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
epistolary author, secessionist teachers, secessionist theology, scribal imitation, hots clause, epistolary instance, secessionist adversaries, secessionist christology, secessionist interpretation, pros parthenous, secessionist missionaries, truth that abides, spreading evil nonsense, final eschatology, disapproved conditions, epistolary use, doing iniquity, secessionist position, initial kai, secessionist propaganda, kai hymeis, everyone begotten, houtos estin, salvific importance, divine begetting Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jesus Christ, Johannine Christians, Johannine School, Beloved Disciple, Johannine Jesus, Elect Lady, John Prologue, Fourth Gospel, Codex Alexandrinus, New Testament, John the Baptist, Holy One, Spirit of God, First Epistle, Codex Sinaiticus, Ecclesiastical Redactor, New York, Asia Minor, Dead Sea Scrolls, Great Church, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius of Antioch, Jewish Christians, Codex Vaticanus, Last Supper New!
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 13
books:
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100
books
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- A Handbook on the Letters of John (Ubs Handbooks Helps for Translators) by C. Haas in Front Matter, and page 133
- The Old and New Testaments: Their Relationship and the "Intertestamental" Literature (Faith & Scholarship Colloquies) by James H. Charlesworth in Back Cover
- The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7: New Testament Articles, Matthew, Mark by George Arthur Buttrick on page 134
- Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature by Robert W. Funk in Front Matter
- The tests of life: A study of the First Epistle of St. John (Kerr lectures) by Robert Law in Front Matter
See all 13 books this book cites
- The New American Commentary Volume 38 - 1,2,3 John by Daniel L. Akin on 86 pages
- 1, 2, and 3 John (Sacra Pagina series, Vol. 18) by John Painter on 59 pages
- Letters of John, The by Gary M. Burge on 22 pages
- Church of Churches: The Ecclesiology of Communion by J.-M.R. Tillard O.P. on 5 pages
- The Christ Is Jesus: Metamorphosis, Possessions, And Johannnine Christology (Academia Biblica (Series) (Society of Biblical Literature)) by Pamela E. Kinlaw on 4 pages
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