"Provides a unified, integrated, and convincing portrait of the Gospel of John that diverges in numerous ways from recent prevailing trends. . . . The collective force of these thirteen studies paves a way forward in Johannine scholarship."--Dane Ortlund, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

How do historical and literary details contribute to a coherent theological witness to Jesus in the Gospel of John? A leading British evangelical New Testament scholar answers that question with studies on themes from messianism to monotheism, symbolic actions from foot-washing to fish-catching, literary contexts from Qumran to the Hellenistic historians, and figures from Nicodemus to 'the beloved disciple' to Papias. Originally published in various journals and collections, these essays are now available for the first time in one affordable volume with a substantial new introduction that ties them all together. A must-have for serious students of the Fourth Gospel.

Endorsements

"This collection of twelve essays on historical and theological Johannine problems, written between 1993 and 2007, is preluded by a comprehensive introduction containing a scholarly program for Johannine research in the future. These studies will give us quite new stimuli for our understanding of the Gospel of John, for Professor Bauckham illuminates neglected historical and theological features of this unique text, which Clement of Alexandria rightly called the 'spiritual Gospel.' The author demonstrates that in our exegesis of John, philological accuracy, profound historical knowledge, and genuine theological understanding must work together to gain new insights."--Martin Hengel, University of Tübingen

"As always, Bauckham is brilliant, providing a fresh rethinking of issues based on his breadth of knowledge of early Judaism and Christianity. While well conversant with current scholarly discussions, he marshals new data and new ideas in ways that invite new perspectives. This work offers insights on various Johannine topics and merits center stage in any new discussions of history in John's Gospel."--Craig S. Keener, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary

"This substantive collection of essays focuses and reenergizes the debate over the historical reliability of the Gospel of John. With probing questions, methodological rigor, and revisionist zeal, Bauckham challenges the 'dominant approach' at every turn. Whether he will manage to unseat it remains to be seen, but Johannine scholarship is well served by his thought-provoking critique."--Jouette M. Bassler, professor emerita of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

"The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple is more than a collection of Richard Bauckham's essays on the Fourth Gospel. Taken as a whole, it is a programmatic statement of the author's thesis and argument, the crux of which is embodied in the title. If one infers that Bauckham believes the Johannine community of scholarship has largely gone off the rails, that would not be wrong. He proposes to set it right by paying close attention to the Gospel's own data and claims and by canvassing and assessing the considerable body of evidence bearing on this Gospel in patristic sources. This has not been done in a long time and perhaps never as thoroughly and with such penetrating critical insight. That Bauckham has a thesis to set out and defend makes his book all the more interesting and important. It should be set alongside his extensive treatment of the Fourth Gospel in Jesus and the Eyewitnesses."--D. Moody Smith, George Washington Ivey Professor Emeritus of New Testament, The Divinity School, Duke University

Professor Richard Bauckham (Ph.D. Cambridge; D.D, F.B.A, F.R.S.E.,) is Senior Scholar at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, he was professor of New Testament studies and Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He is a fellow of both the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Prof. Bauckham has published widely in theology, historical theology and New Testament. He is currently working on New Testament Christology and the Gospel of John. Prof. Bauckham's originality in defending both the historical Jesus and his divine identity has set a new standard in the academic world, most notably in his groundbreaking publications Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony and Jesus and the God of Israel: "God Crucified" and Other Essays on the New Testament's Christology of Divine Identity After his acclaimed and award winning commentary on Jude, 2 Peter (Word Biblical Commentary) and his interest in the Gospel of John, the arrival of his The Gospel of John in both the New International Greek New Testament Commentary and in Two Horizons New Testament Commentary Series, as well as edited works on John, The Gospel of John and Christian Theology and The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John, along with his volume on The Gospel of Luke (International Critical Commentary series) is much anticipated. His other published works cover a wide scope such as Jurgen Moltmann, James and Jude the brothers of Jesus, Gospel Woman, Mission, the Bible and Politics, Apocalyptic and Eschatology in the Tudor Period, the Book of Revelation, and the Christian Hope. Most recently he has published Living with other Creatures: Green Exegesis and Theology; The Jewish World around the New Testament; The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation (Sarum Theological Lectures)and Jesus: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)