Customer Reviews

The Gospel of John: Introduction, Exposition, Notes

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The late F.F. Bruce, a professor at the University of Manchester and author of many excellent New Testament commentaries, has produced an excellent work in his commentary on the Gospel of John. This book is intended to be read by lay members of the church, so there isn't an awful lot of Greek, nor is there jargon. In fact, he does such a good job avoiding such issues, that he "makes it look easy," the mark of one whose scholarly and writing skills have been finely honed.

The format is simple: Bruce translates a few verses of John, then offers an explanation (sometimes only a paragraph, sometimes a page or two). He comments on the historical/cultural context, Messianic expectations, the other three Gospel accounts, and other interesting literary or theological issues. One walks away knowing he has a better handle on John.

This reader appreciates F.F. Bruce's conservative theology. He argues that the disciple John wrote this Gospel (and effectively supports this argument), he does not speculate get into "development of the text" issues, and he places a heavy focus on Jesus, his work, and his teachings. Many excellent scholars are so focused on text-criticism issues, that they blind themselves to Christ himself.

Also of note is Bruce's treatment of the (controversial) passage concerning the woman caught in adultery. Added to the end as an appendix, he argues that while Johnnine authorship is in doubt, the passage is authentic Gospel and treats it quite fairly. In all, a very good commenary that I would recommend to laity and those who want a good introduction to John.

This commentary on the Gospel penned by the "disciple whom Jesus loved" strikes a balance between scholarship and accessability and in doing so provides the student of the New Testament a valuable resource that may either be used as a starting place for further study or a stand alone explanation of the issues in what is both the simplest and subtlest of the four accounts of Jesus' life. Based on Bruce's own translation of the Greek, the commentary untangles the more obscure puzzles found in the gospel and guides the reader to a deeper understanding of the possible motives of the writer. If the commentary has any weaknesses it might be in that it is not written with the intent of being devotional in nature. Readers looking for a work with this function would likely be better served using Barclay's Daily Bible Study series.

This is a very good commentary on John. The author demonstrates his mastery of the original language as well as other translations. Very understandable format maybe not as finely detailed as other commentaries not a strict verse by verse, every word explained type but very useful to a lay person like myself.

I have read many commentaries, but none were as clear-headed and consistently concisely informative as this one by F.F. Bruce. In picking up Bruce's "The Gospel of John" just to check out one particular verse or passage, I often found myself continuing to read several pages or more beyond what was necessary simply because Bruce is such an engaging author - it was hard to put down this book. Although many other lengthier commentaries are available for this popular Gospel, you find that Bruce has covered everything you really need to know and much more!

I can sum this up by saying that F.F. Bruce is both concise and engaging - a rare commodity! This is easily the very best commentary on the Gospel of John, or any other book of the bible, that I have ever come across. Bruce is throughly academic throughout without reading like an academic - the result is very easy to read and understand. A paperback bargain.