The Johannine Writings/Contents

CONTENTS

PART I

THE FOURTH GOSPEL IN COMPARISON WITH THE FIRST THREE GOSPELS.

INTRODUCTION, pp. 3-8.

CHAPTER I

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FIRST THREE GOSPELS AND THE FOURTH, pp. 9-46.

1. Duration of Jesus Ministry, 9 f.; 2. Scene of Jesus' Ministry, 2-13; 3. The Classes of people amongst whom Jesus moved, 13-16; 4. Course of  Jesus' Ministry, 16-18; 5. Jesus' works of wonder, 18-25; 6. The general picture of Jesus, 25-30; 7. Genuine human characteristics in  Jesus? 30-33; 8. Development of Jesus in the course of his work, 33-35; 9. Form of Jesus' discourses, 35 f.; 10. Subject of Jesus' discourses, 37-39; 11. Demands made by Jesus in his discourses, 40-43; 12. Misunderstandings as regards Jesus' discourses, 43-46.

CHAPTER II

ATTEMPTS TO RECONCILE THE FIRST THREE GOSPELS WITH THE FOURTH, pp. 47-68.

1. Earlier attempts to reconcile them completely, 47-49; 2. Modern attempts to reconcile them approximately, 49 f.; 3. Use of the Synoptics by Jn., 51 f.; 4. Is Jn.'s purpose simply to supplement and correct? 52 f.; 5. Jn.'s purpose not merely to supplement and correct, 53-57; 6. Are several journeys of Jesus to Jerusalem presupposed in Mt. xxiii. 37? 57-61; 7. Is Jesus relationship to God in Mt. xi. 27 the same as in Jn.? 61-66; 8. Inaccurate recollection on the part of the Apostle John? 67 f.

CHAPTER III

DECISION AS TO WHICH is THE MORE TRUSTWORTHY: THE STORY OF THE FIRST THREE GOSPELS OR OF THE FOURTH, pp. 69-139.

1. Reasons for favouring Jn., 691; 2. Preference for the Synoptics on  the whole, 71; 3. Influence of Jesus with his hearers, 71 f.; 4. Course of Jesus' public work, 72 f.; 5. Jesus style of speaking, 73 f.; 6. Misunderstandings as regards Jesus' discourses, 74; 7. Repetitions in  Jesus' discourses, 74 f.; 8. Leaves in Jn. wrongly arranged? 75 f.; 9. Careless description in Jn., 76-78; 10. Colourless descriptions in Jn., 78 f.; 11. The picture of John the Baptist, 79 f.; 12. Injudicious reliance on the Synoptics, 81-83; 13. Astounding nature of the miracles of Jesus in Jn., 83 f.; 14. Are miracles possible? 84-88; 15. Must we  believe in miracles? 88-93; 16. Silence of the Synoptics as to the miracles in Jn., 93 f.; 17. The miracles in Jn. symbolic, 95-100; 18. The Feeding a fact for Jn. in spite of all? 101-106; 19. Are the other miracles facts for Jn.? 106-110; 20. Traditions known only to Jn.? 110-112; 21. Amplification of the story of Lazarus on the basis of Lk., 112-115; 22. Other amplifications in Jn., 115-117; 23. Divergence as to  Jesus' death, 117-119; 24. Day of Jesus' death according to the Synoptics conceivable, 119-126; 25. The day of Jesus' death artificially fixed in Jn., 126-130; 26. The story of Jesus' resurrection, 130-134; 27. Introduction of conditions of a later period, 134-136; 28. Precise statements of time in Jn., 136-138; Conclusion, 1381

CHAPTER IV

FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL AND THEIR ORIGINS, pp. 140-166.

INTRODUCTION, p. 140.

1. Revelation through "the Word" (the Logos), 141 f.; 2. The Logos as  reason, 142-144; 3. Jesus as Logos in the New Testament Epistles, 144-146; 4. Mingling of religions at the time of Jn., 147 f.; 5. Gnosticism, 148-151; 6. The Prologue of the Fourth Gospel, 151-154; 7. Jesus as Logos throughout the Fourth Gospel, 154 f.; 8. Suppression of  human traits in Jesus, 156-158; 9. Kingdom of God and Kingdom of the Devil according to Jn., 158 f.; 10. Children of God and of the Devil, 159 f.; 11. Softening of the opposition, 160-162; 12. Difference between Jn. and the Gnostics, 162-164; 13. Jn.'s leaning to the teaching of the Church, 164 f.; Conclusion, 165 f.

PART II

ORIGIN AND VALUE OF THE GOSPEL, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION OF JOHN.

INTRODUCTION, p. 169.

CHAPTER I

AUTHOR OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL AND DATE AT WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN, pp. 170-203.

1. Papias' teacher in Ephesus: John the Elder, 170-173; 2. Polycarp's  teacher in Ephesus: John the Elder, 173 f.; 3. The Apostle John not in  Ephesus, 174 f.; 4. Confusion of the two Johns, 175-177; 5. Early death of the Apostle John (in Palestine), 177 f.; 6. Result as far as the Fourth Gospel is concerned, 178 f.; 7. The Testimony of the beloved disciple, 179-181; 8. Further witness of the author to himself (Jn.  xix. 35), 181-183; 9. No deception in writing under pseudonyms, 183-185; 10. Chapter xxi. an appendix from another pen, 186 f.; 11. The real picture of John the Apostle, 187 f.; 12. Mistakes as to the condition of things in Palestine, 188 f.; 13. John the Elder not the writer of the Fourth Gospel, 189 f.; 14. What kind of person was the Fourth Evangelist? 190 f.; 15. Date at which the Fourth Gospel was composed, 191 1; 16. The Apostle is not mentioned as the author until after the year 170 A.D., 192-194; 17. Value of these "external  evidences," 194-196; 18. The Gospel not used before 140, 197 f.; 19. Used without recognition in the years 140-170, 199; 20. Conclusion as  to the "external evidences," 199 f.; 21. Mention of Bar Cochba's  insurrection in Jn. v. 43, 200 f.; 22. The Fourth Gospel not the work of several authors, 201-203.

CHAPTER II

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN, pp. 204-212.

1. Main purpose: to oppose the Gnostics, 204 f.; 2. Agreement with Gnosticism, 206; 3. Nature of the opposition to Gnosticism, 207 f.; 4. The Epistle not by the author of the Gospel, 208-210; 5. Date of  composition, 210 f.; 6. Secondary purpose: recommendation of the Fourth Gospel/ 211 f.

CHAPTER III

THE SECOND AND THIRD EPISTLES OF JOHN, pp. 213-217.

1. Purpose of the two Epistles, 213 f.; 2. Address of the two Epistles, 214 f.; 3. Author of the two Epistles and date of composition, 215-217.

CHAPTER IV

THE "REVELATION" OF JOHN, pp. 218-232.

1. Various interpretations, 218 f.; 2. Combination of separate fragments, 219 f.; 3. A Leaflet on the fate of Jerusalem, 221; 4. Prophecy concerning Rome and the First Beast, 222-225; 5. The Number 666, 226 f.; 6. Time of composition, 227; 7. The author not the author of the Fourth Gospel, 227 f.; 8. The author not the Apostle John, 228 f.; 9. The author John the Elder? 229-231; 10. Spirit of the book, 231 f.

CHAPTER V

SPIRIT AND VALUE OF THE GOSPEL AND EPISTLES OF JOHN, pp. 233-258.

1. Admission of the Gentiles into the Christian body, 233-235; 2. Struggle with the Jews, 235 f.; 3. Appreciation of Montanism and Gnosticism, 236 f.; 4. Ideas about the state after death, 237; 5. Jesus the Son of God and Logos in heaven, 238 f.; 6. Emphasis on the Church, 239-241; 7. Jesus as a divine being upon earth, 241 f.; 8. Why did Jn. write a Gospel? 242 f.; 9. Some special ideas of abiding value, 244 f.; 10. Communion with God, 245 f.; 11. Redemption through Jesus, 246-253; 12. Spiritualising of materialistic ideas, 253-255; 13. Final appreciation, 255-258.

APPENDIX, pp. 261-280.

Note to page 248, 261-269. Note to page 250, 270-277. Books recommended, 279 f.

INDEX. . . . . pp. 281-285

BIBLICAL PASSAGES EXPLAINED. . . . . p. 287 __________________________________________________________________