A Journey Round John

In A Journey Round John Wendy E. S. North considers a range of themes relevant to the interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. First, the relationship between the Gospel and 1 John. North explores the value of the Epistle as a means of identifying traditional material the evangelist knew; on which basis she appeals to 1 John to account for the form of Jesus prayer in chapter 11. Second, Johns Christology in which North looks to Johns cultural roots in monotheistic Judaism to understand his capacity to align Jesus with God. Third, the crucial issue of the Jews in John, where North clarifies the data by observing a narrative logic in Johns use of the expression. Fourth, North identifies Johns anticipated eschatology as a consolation strategy aimed at a readership struggling under life-threatening circumstances in the absence of Jesus. Finally, North looks at John and the Synoptics, and demonstrates how evidence drawn from the Gospel itself can serve to indicate whether or not John composed directly on the basis of the Synoptic record. This collection draws together a number of ground-breaking studies from over thirty years of work on the Fourth Gospel, presenting a coherent development of thought on this crucial Christian text.