The Gospel of John

In this detailed, elegantly written commentary J. Ramsey Michaels gives primary attention to the Gospel of John in its present form rather than to the sources or traditions behind it. Michaels examines both the Gospel's literary character and its theological significance for the Christian community in its own time and through the ages. This landmark commentary - seventeen years in the making, reflecting fifty years of classroom teaching, and packed with fresh insights - will prove highly useful to scholars, students, and, especially, pastors.

"This is a commentary for which it was well worth waiting. The fruit of a lifetime's engagement with John's Gospel, it manages to be both conservative and original. Above all, it does superbly what the best commentaries do - immerse readers in the text itself. Michaels takes us with him deep into this Gospel's story of Jesus, expertly probing the narrative, asking questions about it that we may not have thought of, and pointing out details, nuances, and connections we may have missed, all the while ensuring we do not avoid the text's larger, sometimes uncomfortable, truth claims. Readers will emerge invigorated, enlightened, and inspired. ... The excellence of Michaels's substantial and intriguing close reading makes his commentary one to which readers will return again and again for continuing stimulus in their own study of John."---Andrew T. Lincoln University of Gloucestershire

"A senior Johannine scholar here weaves together fresh thinking on John's Gospel with his years of engagement with the Gospel and its earlier scholarly interpreters. This new commentary is attentive to the details of the text, to structural clues, and to the cohesiveness of John's narrative as a whole; while clearly sensitive to the Greek text, it is written to be intelligible for English readers."---Craig Keener Palmer Theological Seminary

"J. Ramsey Michaels has produced a masterful commentary, the fruit of well over half a century of careful study of John's Gospel. He draws upon a wealth of resources, ancient and modern, as he engages both the larger historical, literary, and theological dimensions of the text, as well as fine details of grammar and textual variants. His analysis is marked by many original insights that are grounded in careful attention to the text itself, and his clear, engaging style makes this commentary a page-turner."---Rodney A. Whitacre Trinity School for Ministry

J. Ramsey Michaels is professor emeritus of religious studies at Missouri State University and adjunct professor of New Testament at Bangor Theological Seminary. He is the author of several commentaries on the New Testament.