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By Paul N. Anderson
Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies, George Fox University

(LNTSS 321, T&T Clark; www.continuum.com)

60% DISCOUNT UNTIL 11/30! (Contact: abigail@continuum-books.com)

As a co-founder of the "John, Jesus, and History" Group (national SBL meetings), Paul Anderson has now levied his own challenge to the leading view among critical biblical scholars today: that because John is different and spiritual it cannot be considered a historical witness to Jesus.

Anderson assesses the strengths and weaknesses of six planks comprising each of two modernistic platforms: the de-historicization of John and the de-Johannification of Jesus. Upon critical analysis, though, none of these planks is sturdy. While John's differences from the Synoptics pose real problems, prevalent explanations are critically insufficient.

Building on his earlier book, The Christology of the Fourth Gospel, Anderson poses a new set of theories regarding John's "dialogical autonomy," composition, "interfluential" relations to other traditions, and situation history. Craig Keener (Eastern Seminary) calls these a "...nuanced critical approach and balanced conclusions that are sure to invite much rethinking of traditional paradigms."

Likewise, Robert Kysar (Emory University) concludes in the book's foreword:

"This volume challenges biblical scholars to rethink the foundations of much of our study. It will, I believe, make readers assess their own methods and stimulate new discussions of John and the quest for Jesus."

Just as John's Christology must be understood dialectically, so should John's historiography. In so doing, Anderson elucidates "Jesus in bi-optic perspective." In eight major ways John and the Synoptics agree, and in eight major ways each, the Synoptics' and John's presentations are shown to be preferable for a more nuanced analysis.

In mounting a critical challenge to the prevalent critical views of the day, this book will indeed provoke discussion and debate within biblical scholarship and beyond!

Martin Hengel (University of Tübingen) declares,

"This extremely interesting and instructive work...deserves attention!... I warmly recommend this book."

And, according to James M. Robinson (Claremont University),

"Paul Anderson has in his masterful The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus traced the history of the Gospel of John ever since its getting kicked upstairs as the 'spiritual gospel' by the early church down to its elimination from the quest of the historical Jesus in modern times; he then reassesses what role John might in fact play in learning more about the historical Jesus."

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