The Gospel of John: A Commentary
Pages
1152
Publisher
Eerdmans
Published
10/15/2011
ISBN-13
9780802866356
The author of a much-loved two-volume Matthew commentary that he revised and expanded in 2007, Frederick Dale Bruner now offers The Gospel of John: A Commentary — the fruit of his lifetime of study and teaching. Rather than relying mainly on recent scholarship, Bruner’s approach honors and draws from the church’s major John commentators throughout history, including Augustine, Chrysostom, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Henry, Bultmann, Barrett, and more.
Added to this “historical interpretation” is Bruner’s “contemporary interpretation,” which incorporates a clear translation of the text, references to major recent scholarship, and Bruner’s personal application of the Gospel to his own experience. Rich in biblical insights, ecumenical in tone, broadly historical, deeply theological, and lovingly written, Bruner’s Gospel of John promises to be an invaluable resource for pastors and teachers.
Added to this “historical interpretation” is Bruner’s “contemporary interpretation,” which incorporates a clear translation of the text, references to major recent scholarship, and Bruner’s personal application of the Gospel to his own experience. Rich in biblical insights, ecumenical in tone, broadly historical, deeply theological, and lovingly written, Bruner’s Gospel of John promises to be an invaluable resource for pastors and teachers.
Collections
This book appears in the following featured collections.
- Nijay Gupta's "Hidden Gems" Commentaries by Nijay K. Gupta
Reviews
PastorTimothy72
July 27, 2021
July 27, 2021
I have become a collector of commentaries ever since my seminary days in the 1990s. As such, I am only going to recommend the best overall commentary for each book of the Bible on this site. I am torn here. Bruner is excellent on John, as he also is on Matthew. Sometimes, though, I feel like Bruner gets too fixated on a theological issue and gets bogged down with it. So I could easily say that Leon Morris' "Expositions on the Gospel of John" would get my top nod (note: this is not the NICNT Morris, but the Eerdman's edition). As a side note, you also will glean more literary reflections from Thomas Brodie's commentary, which is fairly expensive.
stephenposey
September 13, 2020
September 13, 2020
In fall '19 / spring '20, my team and I took a couple hundred adults through active learning environments surrounding the Gospel of John in our local Tulsa church community. We recommended Colin Kruse's Tyndale commentary for our students, but we teachers found Bruner's commentary to be the most pastoral (by far). Jen Wilkin herself told us about this one, if that helps put it over the top for you? :) We also learned a lot from Richard Hays' Echoes Scripture in the Gospels, and Mary J. Coloe's GOD DWELS WITH US, Marriane Meye Thompson's commentary, and Michael Card's JOHN: A GOSPEL OF WISDOM are hidden gems to complement your study. But if I had to choose one resource, I'd go with Bruner!
Phillip J. Long
May 25, 2012
May 25, 2012
At nearly 1300 pages, Bruner’s commentary on John is a massive contribution to the study of the fourth gospel. This is not an exegetical commentary. In fact, rarely will Bruner comment on a Greek word or a syntactical detail. Where this commentary excels is in the section labeled “historical interpretation.” here Bruner gathers trenchant comments from a wide variety of interpreters, from the church fathers to modern scholars. Some of these are the usual suspects (Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Brown, Schnackenburg, Bultmann), but often Bruner cites obscure scholars or preachers, sending me to Wikipedia for a little biography. One of the things I really like about this commentary is the list of key quotes from scholars which serve as an introduction to the interpretation. These are thought provoking and focus my attention on important aspects of the text fort preaching and teaching.
[Full Review]