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John, the Maverick Gospel

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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.

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.

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.

Prior to purchasing this small volume I of course read the available reviews. Without exception, the comments in those reviews were laudatory. Encouraged, I ordered the book. After receiving it in the mail, I read first the comments on the back cover and these included words such as "skillful," "trustworthy," "creative," "classic," and "foundational." I cannot vouch for earlier editions, or for the separate reviews I encountered, but in this 2007 edition I've just finished reading, not only did I not discover the characteristics represented by the adjectives on its back cover, I did not discover what other readers have lauded. The title of this book intriguingly implies that John's Gospel is non-conformist, especially as compared to the Synoptic Gospels. It would be more accurate to say that it is the author of the Maverick Gospel who is non-conformist or maverick.

In its present edition, John, the Maverick Gospel is a controversial book containing information that for many Christian readers could weaken or damage their faith if taken seriously. Though nowhere stated directly, implicit in what this author writes are a number of denials: a denial of biblical inerrancy, a denial of divine inspiration, a denial of the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit, and a denial of God's immutability, His eternality, His sovereignty, and His providence. This book treats an important portion of scripture as if it were ordinary literature. The author criticizes the work of the Fourth Evangelist in the same fashion he would criticize an essay or thesis paper submitted by one of his students. His comments about the Gospel's author are often personally critical and frequently uncomplimentary. The book is "higher criticism" disingenuously presented as spiritual edification for the layman. For these reasons and many similar ones, I cannot recommend the Maverick Gospel. Even absent the sections dealing with modernism and postmodernism, and the decidedly feminist discussion that strongly suggests the Gospel's author was a woman, Kysar's little volume mixes a bit of truth with a lot of speculative nonsense. I particularly object to Kysar's unsubstantiated assertion that John's Gospel is dangerously anti-Semitic, and I reject his call for Christians to denounce it at this specific point. If Kysar's conscience demands that he denounce any part of scripture, that is his business, but demanding a universal denunciation by the Christian community is not only unwarranted, it is a demonstration of the ultimate in hubris.

The author makes it clear that a postmodernist philosophy of "relative" truth, ambiguity in language, and the impact of culture is the foundation for his book's presentation of John's Gospel. His enthusiasm and reverence for this philosophy apparently far outweigh his enthusiasm and reverence for John's Gospel in this book. The last chapter of his book discusses reading the Gospel through postmodern eyes. The opening statement in that chapter is as follows:

"Back in the 1960s and `70s many of us were dreamy-eyed in our predictions of the radical change that was coming in North American culture and society. In the peace movement and the radicalization of the youth of the time, we thought we saw what was once called "the greening of America." Many of us thought or hoped that the industrial-military complex would crumble and a genuine social democracy would arise in our nation."

Kysar definitely includes himself in this group of dreamy-eyed, social democrats and this is born out elsewhere in his book. With the postmodern philosophy as a basis for his hermeneutic, he makes the following assertions about people who may be seeking to interpret the scriptures for their own purposes:

"...there can no longer be "experts" who determine the outcome of discussion, and a variety of groups will prevent the concentration of power in any one. Mutual respect and the assumption that no one has a corner on the "true" interpretation promises creative results. Note that our discussion returns again and again to groups, to communities... While valuing individuality, postmodernism will require individuals to participate in and depend on communities."

In other words, no individual, alone, will be able to achieve an understanding of the truths contained in scripture. Interpretive investigation, in Kysar's view, is necessarily a group function, albeit one that promises "creative" results. Implicit in this philosophy is the unstated necessity of soliciting the "group's" input before deciding that anything is true. This "it takes a village" approach to understanding the Bible denies what scripture teaches concerning the individual and the revelation of truth. It implicitly denies the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit in individuals, making individual Bible study a questionable pastime at best.

It has been precisely this postmodern approach to the truths of scripture that has led evangelical Christianity far from its orthodox roots over the last century or so; it is nothing less than the leaven of the Sadducees about which the Savior warned us. Evidently, I stand in the minority in my opinions on what Kysar has written here, but for readers who see our Christian faith rapidly eroding, the Maverick Gospel may be viewed as one of those small sandstorms that continue the process. Give it a pass.