This excellent commentary by Herman Ridderbos engages seriously the host of twentieth-century interpretations of John while also developing its own integral understanding of John in which the Gospel emerges as a profoundly theological work. Ridderbos presents John in its distinctively apostolic character and includes important criteria for the literary and homiletical exegesis of the Fourth Gospel.
The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Of the scholarly commentaries on John's Gospel (there are SO many), I put 4 on top of all others, yet have a hard time picking any of them as greater than the other, as they work so well together. These four are: Carson's Pillar commentary on John, Morris' NICNT on John, Keener's 2-volume Gospel of John, and this commentary by Ridderbos. Ridderbos' view of John is clear and concise with great insights into a very difficult book, especially in view of critiques of John in the past 70+ years. Interestingly, Carson, Morris and Beasley-Murray (the editor of the translation of Bultmann's commentary on John) all endorse this commentary on the back of the book.
This commentary is hefty enough for scholarly reference, while still remaining accessible to all levels of Christian studies due to the clear writing (not overly difficult to understand as many theological writings can be for laypeople) and does not heavily use Greek to make points (almost all Greek reference is found in his footnotes.)
Ridderbos does not spend a great deal of time on theological aspects such as unity and authorship in the beginning of the text. He discusses these issues throughout the text and touches finally on authorship at the end in an epilogue. Throughout, Ridderbos builds a picture of unity of the text, and while not ruling John-son of Zebedee as the dogmatic truth as author since he believes authorship was purposefully veiled, he does point heavily in that direction while discussing most major differing viewpoints.
He also does not presuppose or tie his commentary to any one translation like Carson and Morris do (both speak at length about the NIV, each in positive and negative aspects where they either agree or disagree with the translation.)
While strictly tagging Ridderbos as any specific mindset when he avoids describing himself in any such way would be unfair, his theology seems to fit with Evangelical theology of a conservative mold. This is said not to turn others off, because Ridderbos provides detailed evidence for his conclusions, but just to give my impression of the work.
Overall, this is one of my most valued books on the Fourth Gospel, and I highly recommend it as an initial/primary commentary or as a superb addition to the library of anyone studying the Fourth Gospel.
This commentary is hefty enough for scholarly reference, while still remaining accessible to all levels of Christian studies due to the clear writing (not overly difficult to understand as many theological writings can be for laypeople) and does not heavily use Greek to make points (almost all Greek reference is found in his footnotes.)
Ridderbos does not spend a great deal of time on theological aspects such as unity and authorship in the beginning of the text. He discusses these issues throughout the text and touches finally on authorship at the end in an epilogue. Throughout, Ridderbos builds a picture of unity of the text, and while not ruling John-son of Zebedee as the dogmatic truth as author since he believes authorship was purposefully veiled, he does point heavily in that direction while discussing most major differing viewpoints.
He also does not presuppose or tie his commentary to any one translation like Carson and Morris do (both speak at length about the NIV, each in positive and negative aspects where they either agree or disagree with the translation.)
While strictly tagging Ridderbos as any specific mindset when he avoids describing himself in any such way would be unfair, his theology seems to fit with Evangelical theology of a conservative mold. This is said not to turn others off, because Ridderbos provides detailed evidence for his conclusions, but just to give my impression of the work.
Overall, this is one of my most valued books on the Fourth Gospel, and I highly recommend it as an initial/primary commentary or as a superb addition to the library of anyone studying the Fourth Gospel.
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This work on John by Herman Ridderbos is simply magnificant in so many ways. It is trully a breath of fresh air in the ever stagnating pool of Johannine exegesis.
I have nicknamed Ridderbos 'the razor'. And this commentary on John is the prime reason why. Ridderbos does not mess around. He shaves off the 'later reading's into the text', to expose a true flowing narrative of John's words and redaction. Ridderbos wrestles with the theology of the 4th gospel in a way that is almost never seen in America.
In short, this could possibly be the most underrated work on John of the second half of the 20th century. It has challenged my views as few commentaries have. I recommend this work highly.
Rick E Aguirre, Southern California, (Aguirre100@aol.com) <><
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is truly a fine addition to the vast numbers of commentaries on the gospel of John. Ridderbos does an outstanding job in thinking theologically through the issues in John's gospel. As a Presbyterian pastor who loves to preach on Johannine texts, I have found Ridderbos' comments to be cogent, beautiful, insightful and preachable. I would recommend it highly for the pastor wanting resources on the gospel of John. My only complaint is that it is in paperback, I would have much preferred a hardback for wear and tear.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The first chapter of John's Gospel falls into two parts: vss. 1-18 and vss. 19-51. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bread discourse, passion announcement, fourth gospel, continuing fellowship, bread miracle, sacramental interpretation, farewell prayer, other expositors, reciprocal formula, salvific character, many expositors, farewell discourse, redemptive significance, messianic authority, beloved disciple, descent from heaven, original hymn, healed man Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, New Testament, Jesus Christ, Gospel of John, Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, Fourth Evangelist, Lord's Supper, Feast of Tabernacles, Synoptic Gospels, Johannine Son of Man, Jezus van Nazareth, Mary Magdalene, Jesus of Nazareth, Simon Peter, The Testament of Jesus, Jewish Christians, Joseph of Arimathea, Living One, Messiah of Israel, Mount of Olives, Sea of Tiberias, Spirit of God, God's Son, Logos Was the True Light New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The first chapter of John's Gospel falls into two parts: vss. 1-18 and vss. 19-51. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bread discourse, passion announcement, fourth gospel, continuing fellowship, bread miracle, sacramental interpretation, farewell prayer, other expositors, reciprocal formula, salvific character, many expositors, farewell discourse, redemptive significance, messianic authority, beloved disciple, descent from heaven, original hymn, healed man Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, New Testament, Jesus Christ, Gospel of John, Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, Fourth Evangelist, Lord's Supper, Feast of Tabernacles, Synoptic Gospels, Johannine Son of Man, Jezus van Nazareth, Mary Magdalene, Jesus of Nazareth, Simon Peter, The Testament of Jesus, Jewish Christians, Joseph of Arimathea, Living One, Messiah of Israel, Mount of Olives, Sea of Tiberias, Spirit of God, God's Son, Logos Was the True Light New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 30
books:
See all 30 books this book cites
10
books
cite this book:
See all 10 books citing this book
- The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel by C. H. Dodd on 13 pages
- Historical Tradition in the Fourth Gospel by C. H. Dodd on 9 pages
- Son of Man : The Story of Christ and Christianity by Father Alexander Men on 6 pages
- History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel, Revised and Expanded (New Testament Library) by J. Louis Martyn on 4 pages
- The Community of the Beloved Disciple: The Life, Loves and Hates of an Individual Church in New Testament Times by Raymond Edward Brown on 4 pages
See all 30 books this book cites
- The God of the Gospel of John by Marianne Meye Thompson on 5 pages
- Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity by John Piper on page 185
- Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology by Paul J. Achtemeier on page 205
- The Promise of the Father: Jesus and God in the New Testament by Marianne Meye Thompson on page 143
- The New American Commentary Volume 25 B - John 12-21 by Gerald L. Borchert in Back Matter
See all 10 books citing this book
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