The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary

Ridderbos shines in so many critical areas for an engaging commentary of John. First of all, Ridderbos has a very robust theology of the supernatural character and nature of the Kingdom. Many of the elements of his timeless work "The Coming Of The Kingdom" are reflected in his handling of the signs and miracles. The glory of Christ has been revealed by Jesus, given to the church by the Spirit in this present age, and will be fully revealed and enjoyed for eternity at Christ's return. Ridderbos also pays insightful attention the person of Jesus and wittingly gives justice to John's own priority of bringing life to the characters and people that encountered the Christ. While the commentary has a very deep academic flair, Ridderbos delivers on often neglected feature of the Gospel, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John's Gospel brings this to life and Ridderbos ensures that the reader doesn't fail to see this in John's account of Jesus. This is by far my favorite commentary of John.

While Ridderbos’ work was originally published in Dutch as a two-volume set (1987 and 1992), it has been translated into English as one 735-page volume. It upholds the reliability of John’s gospel and is dedicated more to explaining the book verse-by-verse than in engaging with contemporary theological controversy. [Full Review]

It seems like many people enjoy this commentary, but every singly time I go to it and give it another chance, I always think, "That was a waste. Kostenbergers was more helpful."

A masterful redemptive-historical commentary.

Reformed readers of this blog will recognize Ridderbos from his works on the theology of Paul and the kingdom of God. His theological commentary on John was originally published in Dutch in two volumes (1987, 1992). The English translation was first published in 1997. Ridderbos's commentary, as the subtitle suggests, focuses on the theological issues raised by John in his Gospel, in particular the identity of Jesus, the "Son of Man" and "Son of God." This is a valuable and insightful commentary. [Full Review]

[Full Review]