The Gospel According to John I–XII (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary | AYBC)

by Raymond Edward Brown

Publisher:

Yale University Press

, 2008

Overview

In the first volume of Raymond E. Brown’s magisterial commentary on the Gospel according to John, all of the major Johannine questions—of authorship, composition, dating, the relationship of John to the Synoptics (Mark and Luke)—are discussed. The important theories of modern biblical scholarship concerning John are weighed against the evidence given in the text and against prevailing biblical research. In sum, what is attempted is a synthesis of the major scholarly insights that bear on the fourth Gospel.

The translation—as Raymond E. Brown states at the outset—strives not for any formal beauty but rather for an accurate and contemporary version: “the simple, everyday Greek of the Gospel has been rendered into the ordinary American English of today.” The result is a translation that will strike the reader with uncommon immediacy.

Brown also analyzes, in the appendixes, the meaning, use, and frequency of certain key words and phrases that occur in John, and examines the differences between the Johannine and Synoptic treatments of the miracle stories.

The chapters of the Gospel translated here (1–12) comprise the prologue, which opens with the famous “In the beginning was the Word,” and the Book of Signs, an account of the miracles of Jesus and of his ministry.

Key Features

• Offers original translations, including alternative translations, annotations, and variants
• Provides verse-by-verse commentary on the text
• Presents the reader with historical background, including analysis of authorship and dating
• Features an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary literature

Contents

• The Prologue
  • The Introductory Hymn (1:1–18)
• The Book of Signs
  • Part One: The Opening Days of the Revelation of Jesus
  • Part Two: From Cana to Cana
  • Part Three: Jesus and the Principal Feasts of the Jews
  • Part Four: Jesus Moves toward the Hour of Death and Glory
  • Conclusion: Evaluation and Summation of Jesus’ Ministry

Top Highlights

“First, there are differences of Greek style in the Gospel.” (Page xxiv)

“Second, there are breaks and inconsistencies in sequence.” (Page xxiv)

“This first day closes with a reference to the site where John the Baptist gave witness. Closing a section with a geographical reference is common in John (6:59, 8:20, 11:54). This site across the Jordan will be mentioned again by way of inclusion in 10:40, which in an earlier stage of the Gospel may have marked the end of the public ministry. John has other geographical information about John the Baptist not found in the Synoptics, for example, concerning John the Baptist’s ministry at Aenon near Salim (3:23). As Dodd, Tradition, pp. 249–50, insists, these geographical details lend color to the theory that the Fourth Gospel preserves independent tradition about John the Baptist.” (Page 54)

“John does not put primary emphasis on the replacing of the water for Jewish purifications, nor on the action of changing water to wine (which is not described in detail), nor even on the resultant wine. John does not put primary emphasis on Mary or her intercession, nor on why she pursued her request, nor on the reaction of the headwaiter or of the groom. The primary focus is, as in all Johannine stories, on Jesus as the one sent by the Father to bring salvation to the world. What shines through is his glory, and the only reaction that is emphasized is the belief of the disciples.” (Pages 103–104)

“John specifically relates it to the other miracles of Jesus and to a concrete place in the ministry of Jesus. Then John tells us what the sign accomplished: through it Jesus revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him. Thus, the first sign had the same purpose that all the subsequent signs will have, namely, revelation about the person of Jesus.” (Page 103)

Product Details

• Title: The Gospel according to John (I–XII): Introduction, Translation and Notes
• Author: Raymond Edward Brown
• Series: Anchor Yale Bible
• Volume: 29
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2009
• Pages: 688
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. John 1-12 › Commentaries
• Resource ID: LLS:ANCHOR64AJN
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:07:51Z

About Raymond Edward Brown

Raymond E. Brown was a Sulpician priest and bible scholar. He taught for many years at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was professor emeritus of biblical studies at the Union Theological Seminary in New York. Over his lifetime he was awarded more than dozen honorary doctorates from American and European universities and was commended by Pope Paul VI for his “learning, prudence, and Catholic regard for the Magisterium of the Church.” Brown was the author of three books in the Anchor Yale Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John. He died in 1998.