John, the Maverick Gospel [Paperback]

Robert Kysar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993 | ISBN-10: 0664254012 | ISBN-13: 978-0664254018 | Edition: Rev Sub

John, the Maverick Gospel has long been regarded as one of the most trustworthy introductions to the Fourth Gospel, paying special attention to the literary and theological dimensions of this Gospel without neglecting historical and other approaches. Robert Kysar, an international expert on John's Gospel, has now revised this useful classroom tool to bring the scholarly discussions up to date and to add sections on women in the Gospel of John as well as postmodern appraoches to the Gospel. This classic text provides an accessible entry into the important critical issues of John's Gospel, both on its own terms and in comparison to the Synoptic Gospels, offering a sure foundation for scholarly study of the book as well as theological interpretation and preaching.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Kysar is Bandy Professor Emeritus of Preaching and NewTestament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 157 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; Rev Sub edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664254012
• ISBN-13: 978-0664254018
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource on John!, July 3, 2001

By 

Paul N. Anderson, Ph.D. (George Fox University, Newberg, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John, the Maverick Gospel (Paperback)

Robert Kysar's book, John the Maverick Gospel, is one of the finest short introductions to Johannine issues ever written over the last half a century. Because of its brevity and clarity, the book is accessible for nonspecialist readers; and yet Kysar's familiarity with the vast array of international secondary literature makes his treatments worth considering for scholars and students alike. Dealing with such topics as John's relation to the Synoptics, John's distinctive Christology (esp. the Father/Son relationship), John's presentations of the Signs-faith relationship, eschatology, and dualism, Kysar introduces his discussions with helpful lists of relevant texts for the reader to explore first inductively. His excellent addition on the presentation of women in the Gospel of John is well worth the price of the book in and of itself! This book is an excellent resource for teaching, and I recommend it enthusiastically.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Preachers, April 4, 2007

By 

John D. White "camsterdad" (Cayce, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John, the Maverick Gospel (Paperback)

As an overview and introduction to the gospel of John, this book by Kysar is outstanding. Working thoroughly through the issues in Johannine scholarship, Kysar introduces us to every aspect of John's gospel. For a survey of the issues as well as a big picture look at this unique evangelist, Kysar cannot be beaten. For pastors wanting an additional resource besides the lectionary helps published on the gospel of John, Kysar's book here provides all the right stuff. My copy has been well-used and is quite appreciated.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great start for scholars, great guide for lay readers. Buy it now!, January 12, 2011

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John, the Maverick Gospel, Third Edition (Paperback)

John, The Maverick Gospel, Third Edition, by Robert Kysar

It is remarkable that after spending a few years in Lutheran `Sunday School' and two years in a Lutheran catechetical class, it was not until I took a secular course in Early Christian Theology that I discovered the great difference between the three `synoptic gospels' of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and the fourth gospel of John. This is the basis of the book's title, but one of the very few things with which I can find fault with is the fact that in much of Christian theology, John is at the center, and not a `rebel', as it were. Where the book eminently successful is in showing how much `modern' (meaning the last 200 years) Christian theology and exegetical practice can be traced back to John. One of this Gospel's main themes (which, of course, the Synoptics and Paul cover as well) is questions of the return of Christ, the parusia. Where a main theme in Paul and the Synopics is `don't shirk responsibility, be prepared, we know it's coming, but we don't know when', John offers a far more hopeful view that the time, and the rewards, of the last things is with us now. Almost 1900 years before the `demythologizing' `God is Dead' message of 20th century theologians, the fourth evangelist (whose identity we do not know) is interpreting or `decoding' end times language and showing how we are to interpret it today.

Kysar has written several books on the fourth Gospel, and is a recognized authority on the subject. True to his word, the book is scholarly, without having a lot of scholarly impedimenta such as tiny footnotes and words in Greek and Hebrew alphabets (although there are a tolerable number of Greek and Hebrew words transliterated into our alphabet.) There is not one ounce of speculation that I could detect, and no space spent on interpretations done either in the days of the patristic fathers, the medieval scholars, or the latest sensationalist. He offers no discussion on whether the evangelist's background was Jewish, Hellenistic, Gnostic, or some mixture. He does, however, dedicate a fair amount of space to the way in which the evangelist deals with what may have been a split between Jewish Christians and the Jews of a Synagogue to which both groups belonged.

While I agree with Kysar that the fourth Gospel is not a `philosophical text', I am quite pleased that Kysar identified `epistemology' as one of the four main topics of the fourth gospel, along with Christology, Eschatology (last things), and Dualism / Determinism. It is a subject one can hardly miss as you read the prologue (1:1 - 18). The most famous symptom of this important topic is the post-resurrection scene with the apostle Thomas, who will not believe in the resurrection until he sees the stigmata on the hands and feet of the risen Christ. The irony of this emphasis is that the evangelist spends 12 (out of 21) chapters on what is called the `Book of Signs', describing the eight signs witnessed by Jesus' followers, then shows us (and his audience which lives two generations after the execution of Jesus) that these signs are not what is important. Because, as Jesus says to Thomas, `Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe'.

Kysar's book may be the first example of a text for use by a truly `adult' Bible study class. Every section of three to five pages in length is introduced by a `Reader Preparation', where we are invited to read (or reread) passages from John which give exemplar texts for the topic. A class leader may still have to do a fair amount of preparation on the text, but if you wish to try a thorough albeit atypical approach to John, it is hard to see how you could do better than by using this book. (I know Kysar has written Bible Study guides for John, which may do this work for you, but I really like this book as a source for studying John.
Kysar offers a `postmodern' outlook on John in his summary of the book. Postmodernism is no stranger to Biblical interpretation, as we have been doing contextual interpretation, contextual exegesis, and even contextual theology since the time the Bible was made canonical, 1600 years ago. That is exactly what the fourth evangelist was doing with his interpretation of Jesus' signs. Kysar also adds a concluding chapter on the role of women in the Gospel, which goes far beyond roles they are offered in the synoptic gospels.
This is an eminently readable presentation of scholarly material done so that it makes sense to an educated lay reader who may have only a modest amount of Biblical knowledge. If one were to `study' John, it is worth their while to read this book before they read one of the big 2 - 3 volume commentaries on John.