Customer Reviews

The Gospel of John (Sacra Pagina Series, Volume 4)

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Australia's leading Catholic biblical scholar, Francis Moloney, is the latest contributor to Liturgical Press' acclaimed series of New Testament commentaries, `Sacra Pagina'. The series is being written by an international team of Catholic biblical scholars under the general editorship of Daniel J. Harrington SJ.

Fr Moloney's contribution is the commentary on the Gospel of John, a subject on which he is a world authority. His expert publications on John range from the `Johannine Theology' article in `The New Jerome Biblical Commentary' through to an innovative three-volume scholarly commentary on the Gospel of John being published by Fortress Press.

Which begs the question, why do we need another commentary on John from Professor Moloney? The answer lies in the distinctive approach adopted by the `Sacra Pagina' series.

Produced with the needs of clergy, preachers, biblical professionals, graduate students, theologians, and religious educators in mind, the volumes present detailed, substantial exposition of the biblical texts, based on the best of modern Catholic scholarship while not bogging the reader down in the minutia of academic debates and references.

Moloney's volume is indicative of the well-structured nature of the books in the series. It begins with an introductory chapter that concisely examines general matters such as the Gospel's authorship and structure, as well as its theological contribution and contemporary significance.

The body of the commentary follows, the text broken down into major sections and subsections, according to the perceived intention of John's author. For each section, the book begins by presenting the text of John under consideration in English translation (Moloney uses the RSV with some alterations, including inclusive language; some other volumes have original translations). This is followed by the `Interpretation', which is the core commentary, and in turn by the `Notes'. The latter are where one finds the arguments for the particular positions adopted in the commentary, as well as presentations and evaluations of alternative points of view. Each section ends with a list of references and suggested further reading.

The beauty of this approach is that readers can easily access the level of commentary that they wish or require. Indexes of scripture texts, other ancient writings, and authors are also included.

Moloney's distinctive approach is to focus on the narrative design of John, aiming to trace the impact the Johannine form of the Jesus story makes on a reader, which brings its readers to a point of decision.

As with the other `Sacra Pagina' volumes, the intention is to present the best of Catholic biblical scholarship, but also never to lose sight of the faith context, to continue to see the scripture as `sacred page'.

Francis Moloney SDB is Foundation Professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University and was recently reappointed by Pope John Paul II to the International Theological Commission for a third five-year term, making him one of the commission's longest-serving members. [Book of the Month Selection, John Garratt Catholic Book Club.]

Many people have discovered the SACRA PAGINA commentaries and find these volumes both thorough and accessible for use. The volumes include an introduction to the overall work. The work itself is then exegeted. The author usually presents his/her own translation, an overall summary, and a line by line commentary. An extensive bibliography is included after each section which makes it ideal for students. Its ease of use makes it a valuable tool for preaching. Francis Moloney's commentary of John follows the same format as the other volumes in this series. It also follows the series reputation for excellence.

Moloney's approach to John's Gospel somewhat rejects what has commonly been believed about John's Gospel. Because so many of the stories seem somewhat disparate, it had been believed that the gospel was a collection of unrelated stories about Jesus. Moloney refutes this claim and sees John's Gospel as having a narrative unity and the stories and conflicts of the gospel reflect the concerns of the Johannine community. Therefore it is important to read his introduction prior to using this commentary. In the introduction includes what a reader should expect. He discusses the pertinent information about Johannine literature as well the controversies surrounding the author of this Gospel (Was the "Beloved Disciple" actually the Apostle John?) and information about the Johannine community. He also devotes some time to the use of the way in which the gospel's author uses the term "the Jews" and discusses the importance of sensitivity in using this work, something especially important as far as Jewish Christian relations would be concerned.

People who select this commentary will have to spend some time getting accustomed to it. It is organized in an orderly manner, but unlike other SACRA PAGINA commentaries, particularly Luke Timothy Johnson's volume on Luke and Daniel J. Harrington's commentary on Matthew, John's Gospel is less straightforward which requires a different approach in studying. Moloney's central themes resurface throughout the work so being familiar with his perspective is important. When Moloney's point of view is understood, readers discover one of the bets commentaries on John's Gospel available, and certainly the one of the finest Catholic commentaries that is both true to the gospel and offers a pastoral perspective as well.

Francis Moloney's `The Gospel of John' is an installment in the recent Sacra Pagina series of Catholic biblical commentaries. This series seeks to combine modern critical analysis with Catholic tradition.

With respect to strengths, Moloney is a well-known Australian scholar and his writing is of a high academic quality. The book's layout is also helpful; small sections of text, followed by analysis, end-notes and finally recommendations for further reading. Though my preference is have notes at page bottom (to minimize flipping back and forth), given the book's structure the end-note approach is effective.

While I enjoyed the text, Moloney's tone and style were distracting at times. On the issue of style, it is a perennially difficult task to strike the right balance between readability and academic rigor in biblical commentaries. That said, however, the text has a choppy feel, characterized by excessive references, sub-divisions and outlines. While with regard to tone, many of Moloney's assertions strike me as too definitive. For example, in analyzing John 11:33 he states that Jesus' emotion (tears) is a result of anger - while this is possible, it has often been interpreted as a more nuanced combination of frustration and empathy. The point is not that Moloney's assessments are wrong - in fact, I think he is correct in much of his analysis - it is rather that they are too bold.

Overall this is a solid commentary. Perhaps the biggest challenge it faces in getting an audience is the tremendous amount of outstanding Gospel of John commentaries that are available. For readers interested in this subject, I recommend Brown (Catholic) or Carson (Reformed).

This book is a help to put a pastoral insight on the gospels. Thus, it becomes a great help for homily preparation. Not overburdened with exegetical nuances or historical-critical method. Very weel done

The Sacra Pagina series on the New Testament is an outstanding reference work for any student of the New Testament. The book on the Gospel of John is written by Francis J. Moloney and Daniel Harrington. I was introduced to this series when I took a graduate level course in the New Testament. The professor recommended this series as excellent New Testament reference books. I lead a weekly bible discussion group and I have found this series to be of immense help. I am able to review John's gospel line by line and receive the benefit of knowledgeable Catholic bible experts. I may not share the same views as the author on every passage but I can review his analysis and he also points me to other sources. If you needed one book as a guide to John this is it.

As all others from the Sacra Pagina series, I have found The Gospel According to John very useful in obtaining a deeper understanding of the sacred writings. Time and time again I have found new or additional meaning in many passages that I had never fully understood. The format used in this series: passage, notes, interpretation, references helps the reader concentrate in one passage without having to read the entire book. "Notes" provides clarity with respect to individual phrases, especially when the word used in the original language cannot be translated exactly. The "Interpretation" section helps by offering a commentary on the passage as a whole, often reminding the reader of the historical context in which the writer of the sacred text lived as well as his intended audience.

I needed a good commentary. This is a VERY good commentary!

I liked the verse by verse comments, and the analysis sections with the verse references in bold type. It made digging out material on a single verse very easy.

I used this for a graduate course in the Gospels. It was worth the money.

Rather theological and deep explanation of the Gospel of John. Probably need some background to read it, but still can speak to all. Translations of parables are excellent and interesting issues are raised. Audience is more likely grad students and those somewhat steeped in theology, although it motivated me to take available classes and fill my gaps.