146 - The World of St. John: The Gospel and the Epistles & Jesus in the Gospel of John

The World of St. John:
The Gospel and the Epistles
By E. Earle Ellis
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1984. 96 pp. $4.95.

Jesus in the Gospel of John
By Jacob Jervell
Minneapolis, Augsburg, 1984. 96 pp. $5.50.

These two slim books seem to have a common origin and purpose, namely exposition to layfolk in the biblical field. Ellis first published his study in 1965 under another imprint and has reissued it "as it was originally written." This was a mistake, as the 11-page bibliography (down to 1982) appended by Jervell to his study shows. Neither sketch is burdened with footnotes. Ellis's is pedagogically superior, which is regrettable, for many of the positions adopted, especially in the first chapter, "The World of St. John," are no longer tenable. Offsetting this is a good treatment of Johannine end-time thinking in relation to traditional futurist eschatology. Jervell's tone is sober, but his touch, as he examines what is practically John's only theme, is sound. The question of "the Jews" does not fare well at the hands of either author. For Ellis, they stand for "the world" which repudiates Jesus. Jervell, much as in his Lucan studies, sees in them an unfaithful Israel contrasted with the faithful Israel which the Johannine community conceives itself to be. Nuances regarding the state of late first-century Judaism are introduced

147 - The World of St. John: The Gospel and the Epistles & Jesus in the Gospel of John

by Jervell sparingly, by Ellis not at all.

Study circles in search of a satisfactory introduction to the wealth of the fourth gospel on its own terms are directed warmly to the monograph of the Norwegian scholar.

Gerard S. Sloyan
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pa.