A Complicated Love Story
Focus on the Fourth Gospel
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2019
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Publisher's Description
The Fourth Gospel, otherwise known as the gospel of the beloved disciple of Jesus, has captivated the imagination of myriads of people worldwide. Echoing one of its major themes, namely water, this gospel has been described as one in which a child can wade and an elephant can swim. Of the four gospels in the New Testament, this one stands out from the other three at several levels. In the Fourth Gospel the extraordinary acts of Jesus are labeled consistently as signs, not miracles. In the second major part, however, the signs give way to reality found uniquely in the life and death of Jesus on behalf of benighted humanity. He is the true light that enlightens every one and every thing. There are no parables in the Fourth Gospel. A parable is something that is literally thrown alongside the ordinary world of the day. The Fourth Evangelist focuses on truth, one of its major themes. There are puzzling pieces mixed in with the good news, which serves to make this gospel captivating to the reader. Through all of the complex twists and turns in this gospel the theme of love shines forth brilliantly, especially so in the second half.
Endorsements (3)
“A Complicated Love Story is a truly engaging study of the Fourth Gospel. It is scholarly, while remaining very accessible to the general reader. It provides the reader with a good understanding of the Christian community around the turn of the first century. Readers will receive a better understanding of the unique perspective of the Fourth Gospel in relation to the earlier Synoptic Gospels. Shillington is passionate, personal, and courageous, asking questions which may unsettle some readers.”
“In this wonderful, brightly written book George Shillington offers his mature and wise insights to the ideas and language of the Fourth Gospel. Shillington’s clear and congenial style draws readers deeply into details and complexities with perspectives and new knowledge that delight and surprise. The interpretation is careful and thoughtful, working always with the words of the text, while recognizing larger contexts that illuminate understanding. Readers will wish they had been students in Shillington’s classroom.”
“Situating the book in a time of tension between a largely Gentile messianic community and a rebuilding Judaism, Shillington considers many of the unusual features and unanswered questions of the Gospel of John. Why does it not name the mother of Jesus? Who is the disciple whom Jesus loved? His gift for translating specialized scholarship for laypeople, combined with his careful, original study of the text, make for a rich and valuable resource.”
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