This commentary on the Gospel of John (Pillar New Testament Commentary series) by the renowned D. A. Carson has stood as a giant among commentaries for several years now. Glowing reviews can be found in a multitude of places. Carson himself comes the closest to having a following of any scholar I know. Hes conservative, sharp, thorough, and never fears going on record with what he believes. My guess is that the publishers of this series will hold on to this title for a long time, and if theres ever any revision done it will be done by Carson himself.

Since Mr. Carson never beats around the bush about what he believes, he is particularly adept at writing an Introduction. He doesnt meander through scholarly prognostications, but lines them up, assesses them quickly, and shoots down the ones that dont deserve to stand. You will learn what he believes, why he believes it, and why it is right! Whether you will agree that he is right or not, his style of writing sticks in your mind and makes an impression long after other things would be forgotten.

He begins by explaining some distinctive characteristics of Johns Gospel. That section opens up issues that will reappear in many ways later. His second section has to do with the early reception of Johns Gospel. He sifts a lot of history quickly and makes a strong case for his opinion. As he moves closer to present times, he effectively banishes some of the stranger scholarly reconstructions that have been foisted upon John. In the third section on authenticity he gets into evaluating source criticism as well as some other critical analyses. To be the conservative hero that he is, he occasionally steps farther into criticism than I would expect, but his conclusions still come down firmly in the conservative camp. These discussions, of course, lead naturally to one about the relation of John and the Synoptics. At length, he gets to the section on the authorship of Johns Gospel. In my opinion, he particularly excelled in this section. After you read this section, you will see that attempts to discredit the possibility that John the Apostle wrote this gospel are more smoke and mirrors than reality. In the section on the date and provenance of Johns Gospel he well surveys the field before he arrives at a date around A.D. 80-85. Another section on the purpose of Johns Gospel is enlightening as is the one on the theological emphases in John. He barely discusses structure before he provides us with an outline.

The commentary proper is the same thoughtful, careful, determined work that you found in the Introduction. The Gospel of John is one of the most important books in the Bible, and I have two or three special commentaries on John that I never fail to consult when looking at a passage in John. This commentary is one of those volumes. You could almost label this commentary famous. Believe it or not, its quality can bear its fame.

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taking a BSF course on John and this book has been very helpful with additional information on the Book of John. Had actually ordered book when before I had signed up for the study so the timing was great. Keep up the good work

In preaching through the book of John, I've used many commentaries and have found Carson's to be the best work out there. I suggest one consult Morris (NICNT and Reflections on the Gospel of John), Ridderbos, and occasionally Beasley Murray (WBC) for other helpful works. Kostenberger's BEC work echo's most of the above and should really only be used if you are looking for a summary (though his footnotes can occasionally be helpful).

Carson's commentary on the Gospel of John (Pillar New Testament) is excellent, and arguably one of the better commentary. Thoroughly evangelical, biblically solid and clear, understandable sentences. He processes the Greek fluently and translates effectively. One of the "staples" in the commentaries on John - well worth owning!

This is an excellent commentary on the important book of John written by a respected expositor that I have personally heard him preaching in three sermons recently in a winter conference.