Opening John's Gospel and Epistles

Often while reading through the Gospels and Epistles readers have several questions about background things, "Why did they do that, what did he really mean, who was he talking to," etc. The everyday reader that does not have a seminary education or a set of commentaries on hand would get excellent use out of this book because it answers those very questions. Philip Comfort and Wendell Hawley wrote this book in such a way that it could be used by seminary educated or non-seminary educated and still be a valid and useful resource. The introduction itself is 12 pages long and gives the reader so much background information on John's Gospel and even gives the reader information about conflicts in information. Each chapter in the book gives you an exposition of the chapter, breaks down the passages, locks in on key words and phrases and finishes with almost verse by verse notes of the chapter. This book would be excellent addition for any student of the Bible looking for a concise and valid resource on John's gospels and epistles. Thank you to Tyndale publishing for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Written by Philip W. Comfort and Wendell C. Hawley initially as two separate works, one devoted to the Gospel of John and the other to the Epistles (In Tyndale's Cornerstone Commentary series), Tyndale as republished the works together, allowing the reader access to Johannine Theology. They are conservative, but not stodgy or predictable; evangelical, but not light weight. Written to any reader, the commentary covers a wide range of points, including textual criticism as well as the often unspoken canonical history. The entire work begins with a thorough introduction, not only to the commentary, but to John as well. The authors highlight commonly used words, giving an entry worthy of a lexicon. Each section begins with an Exposition, which summarizes and highlights important points, highlights key words and phrases, and ends with an examination, line by line examination of the passage under scrutiny. They are highly respectful of the text and tradition, but not to the point of merely rehashing what other commentators have said throughout the centuries. They recognize and speak to current criticism over authorship and initial audience. They arrive at a conservative viewpoint. Their notes are not highly scholarly, forgoing the use of Greek generally, trying to bring, what the title implies, an opening to what of the New Testament's much debated Gospels. In doing so, they do not diminish the depth and breadth of the Gospel. While engaging the Church Fathers, they don't take them as the end of the conversation, such as in 19.9-11 where the authors highlight the text over the conclusions drawn by Augustine and Chrysostom. Some of their conclusions are those that I have not been introduced to, such as their explanation of John 14.1-4. While using the NLT for John's Epistles (which is what the Cornerstone Commentary is based upon), they aren't hesitant about suggesting a different reading, such as in 1st John 4.20. This commentary should be made use of in personal studying, no doubt, but so too in group settings. A bibliography is provided for further reading, as is a listing of Greek manuscripts. It is important to study the Gospel of John, for no less reason than it is the single work written to prove the deity of Christ. It is a testament to an early community's contention that Christ was no mere mortal, prophet or teacher, but that He was the `I Am.' Comfort and Hawley do not disappoint in opening John's work to this understanding.

Opening John's Gospel and Epistles is a well-written commentary on the Gospel of John and his three Epistles. It is easy to read and even harder to put down. It's a scholarly work that is easy to follow and understand. The writers break the books down into an outline, and then comment on the passages within each section of the outline. It is well laid out, making it easy to find specific passages and topics. The commentary begins with an exposition of the passage. Then the authors discuss key words and phrases and give the Biblical references and Greek word studies. Next, there are lots of notes on every verse within the passage. Each passage ends with plenty of references. The book's introduction to the Gospel of John is one of the best introduction's I've read. It includes the authorship, place of writing, publication, circulation, the primary and secondary purposes of the Gospel, John's portrait of Jesus, word studies, and narrative structure that works as an outline to the book of John. I really enjoyed the commentary on the prologue of John. Rather than starting with "In the beginning" or "the Word", the authors start by explaining what a prologue is and give reasons as to why the prologue of John is among the best prologues ever written. The introduction to the Epistles of John includes information about the author, the date and occasion of writing, the audience, the canonicity and textual history, literary style, major themes, theological concerns, and a thematic outline. This book is very interesting and easy to follow. It is well worth reading. I highly recommend this book for personal and group study. Five out of five stars! I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers for this free review copy. I was not required to give a positive review. My comments and opinions are entirely my own.

Not everyone gets excited about reference books...but I do! Actually I think I like all things books. I was delighted to review Opening John's Gospel and Epistles by Philip Comfort and Wendell Hawley. Originally this book contained only the Gospel of John but thankfully it has been expanded to include John's three epistles. I knew immediately I would like this book when I read the very first sentence from the preface: For six years, early on Wednesday mornings, we laid the Gospel of John open before us to study it verse by verse. We asked God to open our spiritual eyes to see Jesus afresh, and he was faithful time and again to reveal living truth to us. The book begins with an introduction that includes authorship, purpose of the gospel, a portrait of John and key words used in the gospel. Each section of the gospel has an expository introduction, key words and phrases and notes taken verse by verse. The epistles are addressed in this same manner. I don't know how many times I have been reading the Bible and have wanted more commentary than my study notes provided. I have often turned to other resources only to find that the particular verses were not included in my search. Opening John's Gospel and Epistles has notes for every single verse. This book is geared towards pastors and teachers but I find that it is an excellent tool to aid in devotional reading. I believe that this book will be a resource that I will return to for years to come. The timing could not be more perfect as our church is studying I John for the next 3 1/2 months. I hope that this writing duo will consider other books to treat in this same manner. Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary book to review on this blog.

Opening John's Gospel and Epistles by Philip Comfort and Wendell Hawley is an excellent commentary to have on your shelf. Dr. Comfort is an established author and teacher and Dr. Hawley is a seasoned preacher and teacher. Their study is a blending of technical studies, devotional comments, and insights and background material for pastors and teachers and students of John's gospel and his epistles. This edition is a reprint wherein the epistles have been added to the original work first published in 2002. It is a well-documented book with notes and bibliography. It comes as the result of six years of painstaking and corportate study and searching and prayer and the results of rich rewards of study through the works of John. The content of the book is broken into a book outline with verse-by-verse commentary. A wealth of background material of authorship, date and place, publication, purpose of John's writings is provided. Word studies and major themes are expounded upon to aid the reader in his or her study. Devotional helps are also included for the reader. The authors are conservative in their theology and they provide an excellent blend of technical, devotional, and pastoral sermon helps. This is a helpful and insightful addition to any pastor's, teacher's, or student's library. This book was provided to me free for review by Tyndale Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review.