Essays Introducing a Jewish Perspective
on the Gospel of John
Isbell is the Jewish Studies professor at Louisiana State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and is an original member of the translation committee for The New American Standard Bible. For additional biographic and bibliographic information about Dr. Isbell, see his website: www.cdisbell.online.
*Data sourced from Dimensions, an inter-linked research information system provided by Digital Science.
Article Information:
Author: Charles David Isbell
Title: "Essays Introducing a Jewish Perspective on the Gospel of John"
Journal: Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry
Journal Issue: Volume 2, Number 1
Date: Spring 2020
Pages: 17-26
Abstract
This article’s aim is to highlight the impact that plain sense readings of the Gospel of John have on educated Jewish and Christian lay persons but who typically do not aspire to learn or appropriate current scholarly theories seeking to explain sacred texts in a technical and often inordinately complex fashion. Essay topics include: 1) the anonymous author (“John”), the relationship of his gospel to the Synoptic Gospels, his interpretation of Jewish actions and customs, and his influence on a distinct group of early Christians, the “Johannine” community; 2) John’s portrayal of Jesus’ self-identification in using the divine name YHWH; 3) John’s description and interpretation of various Jewish responses to Jesus, as well as the author’s understanding of the reasons for Jews rejecting the message and person of Jesus; and 4) John’s portrayal of the early break between Judaism and Christianity, laid entirely at the feet of “the Jews.”
Keywords: Gospel of John, New Testament, Jewish-Christian Dialogue, Johannine Studies, Anti-Jewish Semitism in John
More From the Author:
If you see a problem with this webpage, find some of the links are not working, or are unable to properly view the article, please contact SHERM immediately.
Citation Examples:
Turabian/Chicago:
(footnote) Charles David Isbell, “Essays Introducing a Jewish Perspective on the Gospel of John,” Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry 2, no. 1 (Spring 2020): 17‒26, https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2020.vol2.no1.02.
(bibliography) Isbell, Charles David. “Essays Introducing a Jewish Perspective on the Gospel of John.” Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry 2, no. 1 (Spring 2020): 17‒26. https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2020.vol2.no1.02.
MLA:
Isbell, Charles David. “Essays Introducing a Jewish Perspective on the Gospel of John.” Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry, vol. 2, no. 1, Spring 2020, doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2020.vol2.no1.02, pp. 17‒26.
APA:
Isbell, C. D. (2020). Essays Introducing a Jewish Perspective on the Gospel of John. Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry, 2(1), 17‒26. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2020.vol2.no1.02.
References:
Isbell, Charles David. “Emic or Etic? Interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures.” The Bible and Interpretation: Second Temple Judaism (2015). http://www.bibleinterp.com/PDFs/Isbell.pdf.
Isbell, Charles David. How Jews and Christians Interpret Their Sacred Texts: A Study in Transvaluation. Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, 2014.
Isbell, Charles David. “Paul and Judaism.” The Bible and Interpretation: New Testament (2017). http://www.bibleinterp.com/PDFs/isbellPaul.pdf.
Isbell, Charles David. “Saul the Sadducee? A Rabbinical Thought Experiment.” Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry 1, no. 2 (Fall 2019): 85‒119. https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2019.vol1.no2.01.
Neusner, Jacob. Jews and Christians: The Myth of a Common Tradition. 1991. Reprint, Eugene, CO: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2003.
Sandmel, Samuel. A Jewish Understanding of the New Testament. 3rd ed. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2005.