Interpreting the Gospel of John

As the author himself has already pointed out, the reviewer who gave this book a one-star rating was a bit confused about the purpose of the book. This volume is not intended to be a commentary; it is intended to help students of the Bible to interpret it for themselves. This book and the other volumes in the 'Guides to New Testament Exegesis' series are certainly good beginning points, but it would be good if new editions were printed as the current ones are becoming a bit dated. While the exegetical approaches remain sound, it is the bibliographies - which are useful when current - that need to be updated from time to time; that way these guides would also continue to be helpful in directing students to other important sources. Those who intend to pursue serious exegesis have probably already invested in the standard, which is Gordon Fee's "New Testament Exegesis;" it is used at many seminaries. For those who want to advance both their Greek and exegetical skills, I recommend "Biblical Greek Exegesis" by George H. Guthrie and J. Scott Duvall. For the average lay reader who wants to become more proficient at interpreting and understanding the Bible, without necessarily wanting to take an in-depth and scholarly exegetical approach, I recommend either (or both) of the following: "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart and "A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible" by Robert H. Stein. Lastly, for those seeking good commentaries (like the unfortunate negative reviewer) and as a more up-to-date supplement to the bibliographies in the series of which "Interpreting the Gospel of John" is a part, I recommend D.A. Carson's "New Testament Commentary Survey," which is updated regularly; it is currently in its fifth edition, which was published in 2002, but a new, sixth edition is scheduled for release in January 2007.

Some readers (like one reviewer) purchased the wrong book. This is a college/seminary text showing students the history of interpretation and strategies for exegesis. For a comprehensive interpretation of John, see my volume, The NIV Application Commentary on John.