Marianne Meye Thompson

A robust commentary on the Gospel of John.

The author provides a well-rounded form of commentary. She provides a translation of each section, comments somewhat on significant textual variants and points of comment regarding the Greek text and grammar, and spends most of the time not only discussing the substance of what transpires within the text but also explains it in terms of the greater frameworks of the Johannine Gospel itself, Second Temple Judaism, and also in comparison to / contrast with the Synoptics.

I appreciated the author's willingness to understand the Gospel on its own terms; she does not subscribe to the "Johannine community development" hypothesis. Dating is assumed to be in the 70s or 80s, and she does not speculate much in terms of authorship. Much of what is set forth is generally conventional and remains mostly attached to context; denominational agendas are not advanced to any significant degree. I agree with her assessment of the pericope of the adulterous woman (John 7:53-8:11), as a legitimate story of the Jesus tradition but highly unlikely to be originally written where it is currently placed. The theory of Lazarus as the "beloved disciple" is interesting and creative although I do not ultimately find it persuasive.

On the whole a well presented commentary, worthy of consideration.

**--galley received as part of early review program… (altro)

While there are numerous studies of God in the Old Testament, the concept of God has largely been ignored as a subject of inquiry in contemporary New Testament theology. As this superb work by Marianne Meye Thompson shows, however, an understanding of the identity of God is central to the New Testament, particularly to the Gospel of John.

Thompson here offers the first comprehensive study of the concept of God in John's Gospel. She shows that one must first grasp the importance of God to John before one can properly appreciate the Gospel's Christology and overarching message. By arguing that John is rightly understood to be a "theocentric" work, Thompson challenges the prevailing theory that John is primarily concerned with Christology.

While Thompson uses traditional historical and exegetical approaches to the New Testament and ancient sources, her study is mainly theological in scope. She asks how John portrays God and how, after reading the Gospel, we ought to speak of the identity of God. Unlike many recent studies of John, this one does not try to reconstruct the history behind the text but, rather, tries to fully illumine the theological content of John's message.

A seminal study with lasting implications for New Testament theology, The God of the Gospel of John will become a standard text for students of the New Testament.… (altro)