R. Alan Culpepper Livres

This book is an attempt to make some initial tracing of what the gospel looks like through the lens of "secular" literary criticism. As an interdisciplinary study, the work is an effort to contribute to that dialogue by studying the narrative elements of the Fourth Gospel while interacting occasionally with current Johannine research. It is intended not as a challenge to historical criticism or the results of previous research but as an alternative by means of which new data may be collected and readers may be helped to read the gospel more perceptively by looking at certain features of the gospel. This process is to be distinguished from reading the gospel looking for particular kinds of historical evidence. Our aim is to contribute to understanding the gospel as a narrative text, what it is, and how it works. The emphasis will be upon the construction of hypotheses or critique of methods. The gospel as it stands rather than its sources, historical background, or themes is the subject of this study.

The book delves into the Gospel and Letters of John, exploring their unique relationship with the Synoptic Gospels and discussing authorship, sources, and composition. It reviews the history of the Johannine community and interprets the Gospel's narrative structure. Theological themes such as Christology and eschatology are examined, followed by a guided reading of the Gospel itself. The Letters are introduced with a focus on their connection to the Gospel, and the final chapter addresses the significance of Johannine literature as expressions of faith.

Exploring first-century Galilee, this book delves into the lives of the characters depicted in Jesus' parables, informed by Greco-Roman history, Second-Temple Jewish studies, and archaeological findings. It offers insights into the social dynamics and cultural context that shaped the narratives, enhancing the understanding of Jesus' teachings through the lens of the time and place in which they were told.

R. Alan Culpepper's critical commentary situates the Gospel of Matthew within the diverse dialogues of first-century Jewish and early Christian communities. By examining these competing voices, the author offers insights that clarify Matthew's unique proclamation of the gospel. Readers are encouraged to challenge their preconceived notions, fostering a deeper understanding of the text's significance in its historical context.

The essays in this volume from the 2017 session of the Colloquium Ioanneum in Jerusalem treat aspects of John 2:23-5:18, employing a variety of methods. These early chapters present interpreters with a challenging series of issues, including the strategy of revelation in John 3-4, the characterization of Nicodemus, the only references to the kingdom of God in John, Jesus' role as Son of Man, the erga concept in the Fourth Gospel and the references to John's baptism and Jesus' baptism, the background and universal program of the narrative of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the universal program in John 4, and the harvest proverbs in John 4:35-38. The last two essays explore the characterization of the royal official in John 4:46-54 and the evidence for associating the Pool of Bethzatha with healing. The essays demonstrate the astuteness of an observation made by Adele Reinhartz: the closer we look at a text the more it „pixilates“ and the more open to interpretation it becomes.

A collection of essays on John 6 illustrating various current approaches to biblical interpretation. To understand this chapter, one must deal with most of the issues that confront serious readers of the Fourth Gospel. Historical issues and questions regarding the composition of the Gospel, the nature of the Johannine community, the literary design of the Gospel and its theology all come to focus in a unique way in John 6. The essays in this volume are written by ten of the leading Johannine scholars in America, Australia, Europe and Scandinavia. The collection, therefore, provides an overview of current Johannine scholarship and a showcase for the various methodologies now being used in Gospel studies.

The essays in this volume provide significant insights into both the Gospel and current Johannine scholarship. The beginning of John's narrative presents interpreters with tantalizing issues. The elusive narrator introduces the witness of the Baptist, then leaves the scene. What is the function of the Isaianic quotation? What is the role of purification in John, the identity of the unnamed disciple, the meaning of the title, „the lamb of God,“ the „greater things“ Jesus promises the disciples will see, the role of the ascending and descending angels, or Jesus' curt response to his mother? Some of the essays ask how scenes in these chapters would have been read in Ephesus: the story of the wedding at Cana, or the story of Jesus' prophetic demonstration in the temple. The latter plays a strategic role in the imagery and theology of the Gospel. These essays also illustrate how, while the Gospel creatively develops and recasts traditional material, it also calls for its readers to actively engage in dialogue with the text.