(2hrs)

Instructor: Bruce Sinclair

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A literary, historical and theological introduction to the Gospel of John and its place in the Bible.  Lectures will introduce students to the background and social context of John’s Gospel, its main themes, and its special contributions to the overall teaching of the New Testament.  Particular attention will be paid to John’s portrayal of Jesus Christ, especially in the relationships between the discourses and the narrative sections of the book.  Additional lectures will cover topics such as the historicity of John’s gospel, the relationship of John’s gospel to the Synoptic Gospels, the chronology of John’s account of the life of Christ, and special interpretive problems arising from John’s literary style.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

·       Summarize the content and structure of the Gospel of John.

·       List key facts related to the historical background of the Gospel, including the internal and external evidence related to its authorship and composition.

·       Describe the literary characteristics of the Gospel of John (language, style, genre, narrative methods, etc.)

·       Describe the theology of the Gospel of John and its place in the overall teaching of the Scripture, drawing on the disciplines of biblical and systematic theology.

·       Point out the special contributions of John’s Gospel to the historical record of Jesus’ life and ministry.

KEY READINGS

Required:

Merrill Tenney.  John:  The Gospel of Belief.  Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1948.

“The Life of Christ” [timeline and map]. pp. 166–173 in Carl G. Rasmussen, Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1989). 

Recommended for Reference:

Joel Green et al., eds.  Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels.  Downers Grove:  Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. 

D. A. Carson.  The Gospel According to John.  Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1991.

Leon Morris.  The New International Commentary on the New Testament:  The Gospel According to John.  Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1995.

Samuel M. Ngewa.  The Gospel of John for Pastors and Teachers.  Nairobi: Evangel Publishing House, 2003.