It is over ten years since the first edition of Discovering John was written. During this interval more than 15 commentaries have appeared in English, some very substantial, as well as several in German. There has also been a remarkable outflow of literature about John, in both journal articles and monographs.
The focus of this fresh scholarly output has been very varied. Questions relating to authorship, background and composition continue to intrigue, with considerable interest in the matter of sources. More scholars are now attracted to the idea of John’s dependence on Mark and possibly also Luke and Matthew; but others still maintain John’s independence, or influence from the Synoptics only at a later stage in John’s composition. In a massive work von Wahlde (2010) has subjected both Gospel and Epistles of John to a thoroughgoing source-critical analysis, arguing for three editions of the Gospel. Others prefer to think in terms of two editions (plus minor glosses), while a minority continue to maintain unity of composition. There has also been significant work on John’s textual tradition under the auspices of the International Greek New Testament Project, and a new edition of the standard Greek text (Nestle–Aland, 2012).
Interest has been renewed in the possibility of John’s Gospel incorporating historical tradition, including eyewitness testimony, as argued by Bauckham (2006). The ‘John, Jesus, and History Group’ of the Society for Biblical Literature has been particularly active in this respect. Other scholars remain sceptical. The Gospel’s social background and ‘community’ continue to stimulate scholarship, particularly among those with a social-scientific approach, though I confess I find the emphasis on ‘patron–client’ relationships excessive.
In recent years attention has also focused on the history of interpretation of New Testament texts, their patristic exegesis, and their influence in literature and art. For John’s Gospel, works by Hamburger (2002), M. Edwards (2004), Elowsky (2006, 2007), Bruner (2012) and Wheeler (2012) have been especially helpful. Other areas of interest include John’s Jewish context (particularly the relation of the Gospel to the Targums) and the problem of John’s attitude to ‘the Jews’. There has been a burgeoning of fresh literature on the Gospel’s literary qualities, especially its depiction of characters. John’s theology continues to rouse great interest, with the inevitable focus on Christology (including the question of whether this evolved partly in response to the Roman emperor cult). The Gospel also continues to be used devotionally, with some insightful work.
The sheer volume of newly published work has made preparing this revised edition a more formidable task than I had anticipated. The pressure on academics to publish, combined with the comparative ease of word-processing, and the development of computer-aided research and electronic publication, has led to the creation of what has been dubbed ‘the infinite library’ (Bockmuehl, 2006, p. 33). It is now virtually impossible to keep up with all the scholarly literature over more than a tiny subject – and John’s Gospel is not one of these! I have tried to access as much as I reasonably can, and where I have had to rely on secondary citation, I have sought to make this clear.
This second edition includes two new Excursuses, respectively on John’s textual tradition, not covered in the first edition (Excursus 1) and on the problem of eyewitness testimony, previously discussed only briefly (Excursus 2). Fuller attention is paid to Wirkungsgeschichte – the reception history and the influence of John – not just in the expanded Chapter 2, but also at other places in the work. I have assessed afresh the potential role of oral tradition and the value of John as a source for the ‘historical Jesus’, though I am well aware of the problems facing anyone attempting this. The Bibliography and Indexes have been updated.
I should like to express my thanks to Philip Law of SPCK Publishing for the invitation to update this work and for his enthusiasm for the ‘Discovering’ series, and, as always, to my husband, Patrick Edwards, for his unfailing support. It is my hope that this revised edition will be of increased usefulness both to students and to more experienced scholars, and that it will stimulate further interest in this intriguing and creative writing, which has shaped Christian doctrine and inspired readers since early times.
Ruth B. Edwards
Aberdeen