the
Purifier
John’s Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical Jesus
Craig L. Blomberg
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
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.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Blomberg, Craig L., 1955– author.
Title: Jesus the purifier : John’s gospel and the fourth quest for the historical Jesus / Craig L. Blomberg.
Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, [2023] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022026502 | ISBN 9781540962959 (cloth) | ISBN 9781493439966 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493439973 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Jesus Christ—Historicity. | Bible. John—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Classification: LCC BT303.2 .B528 2023 | DDC 232.9/08—dc23/eng/20220803
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026502
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
whose persistent pursuit of a fourth quest
convinced me and inspired me to contribute to it
and whose encouragement and support
over the years have meant more than he realizes
1. The Original Quest for the Historical Jesus
3. Launching the Third Quest with a Jewish Jesus
4. The Jesus Seminar and Its Kin: A Step Back in Time
5. Has the Third Quest Played Itself Out?
6. Foreshadowing the Fourth Quest: Rehabilitating the Gospel of John
7. Purification, Baptism, and Transformation in John 1–4
8. Purification Starting to Change in John 5–11
9. Ritual Purity Fades Away in John 12–21
10. Purity and the Historical Jesus of the Synoptics
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings
In January 2011, I was privileged to teach a combined master’s- and doctoral-level seminar on the quests for the historical Jesus at Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in San Francisco. I confidently announced that they were receiving the results of my initial research for a book on that topic that I was going to write “over the next few years.” If any of my students even remember that statement, they probably have decided quite a while ago that I was a false prophet! One project after another intervened, usually at others’ requests, so the pace of my work on this book slowed to almost a standstill.
In 2016, nevertheless, Denver Seminary launched a ThM program, with one of the tracks for specialization ...
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About Jesus the Purifier: John’s Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical JesusThe third quest for the historical Jesus has reached an impasse. But a fourth quest is underway—one that draws from a heretofore largely neglected source: John’s Gospel. In this book, renowned New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg advances the idea that John is a viable and valuable source for studying the historical Jesus. The data from John should be integrated with that of the Synoptics, which will yield additional insights into Jesus’s emphases and ministry. Blomberg begins by reviewing the first three quests, reassessing both their contributions and shortcomings. He then discusses the emerging consensus regarding demonstrably historical portions of John, which are more numerous than usually assumed. Peeling back the layers, we discover in Jesus’s ministry an emphasis on purity and purification. The Synoptics corroborate this discovery, specifically in Jesus’s meals with sinners. Blomberg then explores the practical and contemporary applications of Jesus the purifier, including the “contagious holiness” that Jesus’s followers can spread to others. |
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