Stanley Porter has given us a rare book, neither an introduction nor a commentary, probing and precise but not technical. He starts by reminding us that the Gospel of John is, after all, about Jesus, and he listens for John's distinctive voice. Along the way, he examines various aspects of the Gospel, cutting through complicated debates with refreshing clarity. As a result, John, His Gospel, and Jesus leads readers on a rewarding exploration of the Gospel, while marking paths for further thought and future explorers.
-R. Alan Culpepper,
McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University
In this bold and insightful book on John, Stanley Porter plies the same rigorous scholarship he has demonstrated in Synoptic studies toward discerning the authentic voice of the Fourth Gospel. . . . Refusing to relegate the Johannine Gospel to the product of a backwater, sectarian community, Porter restores it to its rightful place at the table - at the center of Gospel and Jesus studies alike. This book will make waves; it is good.
-Paul N. Anderson,
George Fox University
Stanley Porter's studies on the Gospel of John are rich with grammatical, textual, and exegetical insights. Readers will especially appreciate how he integrates John's prologue, the I am' statements, and chapter 21 into the Gospel as a whole, in welcome contrast to scholarship that historically has tended to interpret these elements as in various ways alien or supplemental. Porter is a keen critic and master interpreter. Scholars as well as students have much to learn from him.
-Craig A. Evans,
Acadia Divinity College
These studies by Stanley Porter help to rehabilitate the Fourth Gospel when compared with the Synoptics. There is evidence that it is earlier, more unified, more historical, and more in line with mainstream early Christian theology than is often granted. This book is a welcome addition to the growing number of works treating John from this positive perspective.
-Craig L. Blomberg,
Denver Seminary
