The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies

The contribution of the Johannine literature to the development of Christian theology, and particularly to Christology, is uncontested, although careful distinction between the implications of its language, especially that of sonship, in a first century 'Jewish' context and in the subsequent theological controversies of the early Church has been particularly important if not always easily sustained. Recent study has shaken off the weight of subsequent Christian appropriation of Johannine language which has sometimes made readers immune to the ambiguities and challenging tensions in its thought. The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies begins with chapters concentrating on discussions of the background and context of the Johannine literature, leading to the different ways of reading the text, and thence to the primary theological themes within them, before concluding with some discussion of the reception of the Johannine literature in the early church. Inevitably, given their different genres and levels of complexity, some chapters pay most if not all attention to the Gospel, whereas others are more able to give a more substantial place to the letters. All the contributors have themselves made significant contributions to their topic. They have sought to give a balanced introduction to the relevant scholarship and debate, but they have also been able to present the issues from their own perspective. The Handbook will help those less familiar with the Johannine literature to get a sense of the major areas of debate and why the field continues to be one of vibrant and exciting study, and that those who are already part of the conversation will find new insights to enliven their own on-going engagement with these writings.

Judith M. Lieu, Lady Margaret's Professor, University of Cambridge,Martinus C. de Boer, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam

Judith Lieu is Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, and taught previously at King's College London and Macquarie University, Sydney. She has researched and published extensively in the Johannine Literature and in the formation of early Christianity in the second
century.


Martinus C. de Boer was Professor of New Testament at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam from 1998 to 2012. He taught earlier at the University of Manchester in England and at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey, USA. His primary areas of research and publication have been the Letters of Paul
and the Johannine Literature.

Abbreviations
List of Contributors
1. Introduction, Judith M. Lieu and Martinus C. de Boer
2. The Text of the Gospel and Letters of John, H. A. G. Houghton
3. Literary Sources of the Gospel and Letters of John, Michael Labahn
4. John and Other Gospels, Harold W. Attridge
5. The Story of the Johannine Community and its Literature, Martinus C. de Boer
6. The Beloved Disciple, the Fourth Evangelist, and the Authorship of the Fourth Gospel, Tom Thatcher
7. The Gospel of John and Archaeology, Urban C. Von Wahlde
8. The Jews of the Fourth Gospel, Adele Reinhartz
9. The Johannine Literature in a Greek Context, Gitte Buch-Hansen
10. The Johannine Literature and Contemporary Jewish Literature, Jutta Leonhardt-Balzer
11. The Johannine Literature and the Gnostics, Alastair H. B. Logan
12. The Fourth Gospel as Narrative and Drama, Jo-Ann A. Brant
13. Ideological Readings of the Fourth Gospel, Warren Carter
14. Gender and the Fourth Gospel, Colleen Conway
15. Social-Scientific Readings of the Gospel and Letters of John, Philip S. Esler
16. Symbolism and 'Signs' in the Fourth Gospel, Dorothy A. Lee
17. Dualism and the World in the Gospel and Lettters of John, Jörg Frey
18. Eschatology and Time in the Gospel of John, Ruben Zimmermann
19. The Person of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John, Udo Schnelle
20. The Purpose of the Ministry and Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John, Jean Zumstein
21. Faith, Eternal Life, and the Spirit in the Gospel of John, Catrin H. Williams
22. Ethics in Community in the Gospel and Letters of John, Jan van der Watt
23. Temple, Festivals, and Scripture in the Gospel of John, Bruce G. Schuchard
24. The Johannine Literature and the Canon, Judith M. Lieu
25. Johannine Commentaries in the Early Church, William Lamb
Index Locorum
General Index