The Gospel of John
The Gospel of John
Semi-technical
Evangelical

The Gospel of John

in New International Commentary on the New Testament

by J. Ramsey Michaels

3.75 Rank Score: 4.43 from 6 reviews, 1 featured collections, and 15 user libraries
Pages 1152
Publisher Eerdmans
Published 9/15/2010
ISBN-13 9780802823021
This commentary—part of Eerdmans’s acclaimed NICNT series—gives primary attention to John’s gospel in its present form rather than the sources or traditions behind it. J. Ramsey Michaels assumes that the John who authored the book is someone very close to Jesus and, therefore, that the gospel is a testimony to events that actually happened in the life of Jesus. Yet Michaels does not ignore the literary character of the gospel of John or its theological contribution to the larger Christian community from its own time to the present day. Through a detailed verse-by-verse commentary, Michaels reveals how the gospel of “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is a unified composition, intertwined with the synoptics, yet drawing on material none of them cover.

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Carson wrote that Michaels “may have provided us with the best one-volume commentary on John.” Michaels’s writing style is superb, and insights abound on nearly every page. He is committed to unpacking the text as we have it, Carson notes, “and as a result, he avoids addressing many important historical issues.” [Full Review]
Fernando Fernando September 27, 2020
Ramsey Michaels was an insightful scholar and a good writer. Here he set out to read and understand what John is saying. He is aware of all the scholarly work, but his book is about John’s gospel, not about what scholars have said about it in the past. The one downside is the size of the book. (Eerdmans would have served the author better by making it two volumes.) If you have the time to interact with it you will find this a valuable guide.
Joel B. Green Joel B. Green July 29, 2017
an essential resource for students of the book by someone whose decades-long appreciation of and engagement with the Fourth Gospel have led to fresh interaction with its literary-theological character.
Scot McKnight Scot McKnight April 15, 2012
Here’s what I will say: this Commentary will become standard; it is both conservative and original — it is exegetical, readable, and massively learned. What I like most is that Ramsey’s Commentary is really his own reading of the text and neither a summation or critical interaction with what others have said. It is more fulsome than those of late — Beasley-Murray, Carson, Koestenberger — and yet the G John deserves fulsomeness, and only Craig Keener (a student of Ramsey’s) has a commentary that rivals completeness. Not only is this Gospel 21 chps long, it is loaded with terms and themes that cry out for fuller explanation. Brief commentaries don’t do the job. I predict it will be the go-to Commentary for expository preachers for at least a decade, perhaps more. I know this: it will my first, and I just bumped it ahead of R.E. Brown’s work on my shelf. [Full Review]
J L Smith J L Smith October 28, 2010
After having posted the following link and giving this text a high mark: http://www.scribd.com/doc/38891147/michaels2 I have had a flick through this 'monster' commentary. I have to say that I am gravely disappointed thus far. Most of the information is simple stuff you already know. He does not go deep enough into thelogical debates and the linguistic difficulties for my liking. It is just 'prima facie' info. I had a look at the section on Lazarus' rising from the dead and I could not find anything on why this event is mentioned in John's gospel only. I find this to be sloppy. I purchase commentaries for insightful information that stretch me. Thus far nothing has come off the pages. It almost puts me to sleep. I also find that those who value the grammtico-historical hermeneutic tend to miss out so much of the Jewishness in Scripture. Michaels too easily dismisses the midrash/gammatria in the wedding in Cana account. There are plenty of great commentaries on John out there like Morris and Kostenberger that value this method. I just have found so far that this is a pointless addition to the NICNT series. I feel ripped off. [Full Review]