506 - The Gospel of John. Introduction, Exposition and Notes

The Gospel of John.
Introduction, Exposition and Notes
By F. F. Bruce
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1983. 425 pp. $13.95,

There is no shortage of commentaries on the Gospel of John. This one from the prolific pen of F.F. Bruce, formerly Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at Manchester University in England, is the fruit of thirty years of study. The commentary incorporates a series of articles published in several journals during that period.

It is "intended chiefly for the general Christian reader who is interested in serious Bible study, not for the professional or specialist student." Nevertheless, Bruce assumes that these general readers will have at least a rudimentary knowledge of Greek grammar.

The bibliography appended to the Introduction is extensive and up-to-date, yet there is little evidence of dialogue with differing views. Bruce shows a definite partiality to British authors, particularly Dodd, Barrett, Westcott, and Lindars, who. ate frequently cited in the notes. Others are indeed listed in the bibliography but nowhere cited (e.g., Rudolf Schnackenburg). The Introduction itself, written especially for the commentary, is quite brief. Even so, more space is devoted to the use of the Fourth Gospel in the second century than to such matters as authorship, the use of sources and traditions, the situation of the Johannine community, the inderided audience, and the message of the Gospel.In these matters, Bruce is cautiously diffident. This diffidence is evident throughout the book.

Martinus C. de Boer
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, N.J.