The Gospel of John

A Commentary

Volume I & II

Craig S. Keener

Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 2003 by Craig S. Keener

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

Baker Academic edition published 2012

ISBN 978-0-8010-4675-9

Previously published in 2003 by Hendrickson Publishers

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the original edition as follows:

Keener, Craig S., 1960–

The Gospel of John: a commentary / Craig S. Keener.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-56563-378-4 (hardcover: alk. paper)

1. Bible. N.T. John—Commentaries. I. Title.

BS2615.53.K44 2003

226.5′07—dc22

2003016153

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

To D. Moody Smith, my doctoral mentor at Duke University

Table of Contents

Preface

Approach

Limitations of this Commentary

Nature of the Sources

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Genre and Historical Considerations

Proposals concerning Gospel Genre

1. Folk Literature or Memoirs?

2. Novels and Drama

Biographies

1. Greco-Roman Biography and History

2. How History Was Written

3. Evaluating the Accuracy of Particular Works

4. Jewish Biographical Conventions

The Gospels as Historical Biography

Noncanonical Gospel Traditions

Source Criticism of the Fourth Gospel

John, Historical Tradition, and the Synoptics

John and Historical Tradition

John’s Distinctive Style and Adaptation of the Gospel Form

Conclusion

2. The Discourses of the Fourth Gospel

Oral Traditions, Notes, and Memory

1. Oral Cultures

2. Note-Taking

3. Disciples, Learning, and Memorization

4. Memorization of Speeches

5. Sayings Traditions

Controversy Forms

John’s Discourses and Ancient Speech-writing

1. Speeches as Interpretive Events

2. One Jewish Historian’s Speeches

3. More Accurate Speeches

4. Stylistic Freedom

Special Factors in Johannine Discourse

Conclusion

3. Authorship

Who Wrote the Fourth Gospel?

John the Apostle

1. Internal Evidence

1A. The Identity of the Beloved Disciple

1B. Westcott’s Process of Elimination

2. Church Tradition

2A. The Gnostic and Orthodox Consensus

2B. Second-Century Orthodoxy and the Fourth Gospel

2C. Papias and John the Elder

3. Other External Evidence

4. Other Objections

Levels of Redaction?

1. Brown’s Theory of the Community’s Development

2. The Johannine Circle of Early Christianity

3. The Johannine School

4. Distinguishing the Beloved Disciple and the Author

5. Major Redaction in the Fourth ...