The Gospel according to John presents Jesus in a unique way as compared with other New Testament writings. Scholars have long puzzled and pondered over why this should be. In this book, James McGrath offers a convincing explanation of how and why the author of the Fourth Gospel arrived at a christological portrait of Jesus that is so different from that of other New Testament authors, and yet at the same time clearly has its roots in earlier tradition. McGrath suggests that as the author of this Gospel sought to defend his beliefs about Jesus against the objections brought by opponents, he developed and drew out further implications from the beliefs he inherited. The book studies this process using insights from the field of sociology which helps to bring methodological clarity to the important issue of the development of Johannine Christology.

‘I would recommend John’s Apologetic Christology, especially to advanced students of the New Testament in need of a book that could provide an orientation to the study of John.’

Source: Bryn Mawr Classical Review

‘There is some especially interesting discussion of John 8:12-59 and 10:22-39 in which McGrath seeks to show how the Evangelist shapes the dialogue to answer potential Jewish objections. The theme of ‘agency’ is thoroughly explored, as are the tensions between Jesus as God’s ‘equal’ and the Son’s obedience to the Father.’

Source: Expository Times

'… Dell's analysis does demonstrate that wisdom literature and thinking, however defined, is not alien to the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures but is in a clear continuity with it. The demonstration of this point is a valuable contribution …'.

Source: Perspectives in Religious Studies