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| John the Evangelist, by El Greco Norma Boeckler will illustrate this book, so I am inserting what works for now. |
Introduction
Those who took the Greek class
from Bethany Lutheran Church in 2017 studied the entire Gospel of John in the
original text. The students asked for a book based on the lessons learned in
English.
The size of books on the Gospel of
John can thwart any student. Luther’s and Lenski’s commentaries are excellent
in detail, vast in knowledge, but overwhelming in size. The purpose of this
book is to introduce pastors and laity to the main themes of the Fourth Gospel
and provide insights directly from the Greek text. English-only readers can
skip the Greek section below each English part. However, those who want to
learn New Testament Greek can start with Paine’s superb textbook and use the
Greek portion as a guide. John’s Greek is easy and fun to learn.
The apostates declared war on the
Fourth Gospel some time ago, as soon as rationalism emerged from the Pietism of
Halle University. The objections from this quarter, disguised as Biblical
scholarship, have set aside this wonderful document and made it suspect in any
treatment of the mission of Christ Jesus, the Son of God, Savior.
St. John is clearly a Gospel
assuming the reader’s knowledge of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Synoptic or
seen-together Gospels. Because we already know so much of the basic narrative
from the Synoptics, the Fourth Gospel emphasizes the teaching of the Savior and
His purpose. This Gospel is attributed to “the disciple Jesus loved,” a modest
description from the pen of John, and gives this book the highest possible
authority.
St. John has three remarkable
characteristics, which set it apart from the New Testament.
1.
The language is
simple, basic, and the words repetitive. The best way to learn any new language
is to study the Gospel of John in that language. The grammar and vocabulary
will become natural by the end of the Gospel. Yale’s famous church historian,
Roland Bainton, used this method to learn 20 languages on his own.
2.
The message soars
above the rest, so the symbol of this Gospel is the eagle.
3.
Readers cannot escape
the feeling that they are eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses to Jesus, as recorded
by the Apostle. This is not to disparage the other Gospels in any way, but they
are more formal, while this one is more personal.
