A Way of Reading John's Gospel: Cruciform Structures in a Cruciform Gospel

John's Gospel presents a compelling eyewitness account of Jesus' mission. It is written in simple language but consists of a rich profusion of ideas and themes that challenge the most learned scholars and can overwhelm the understanding of ordinary readers. Surprisingly, part of this complexity arises from the observation that the text appears to be rich in chiastic structures. This literary form is a Jewish style of writing, in which a series of ideas or themes is developed and then repeated in reverse order. (This pattern may be represented as, for example, A-B-C-D-D′-C′-B′-A′.) When the reader takes cognizance of this literary convention, the multiplicity of ideas falls into a more tractable pattern. This book is written by a layman for other ordinary readers in the hope that it will facilitate understanding of this Gospel in church and home study groups, Bible classes and schools, and family and personal devotions.

About the Author :
Graeme Finlay taught scientific pathology at the University of Auckland and is a lay preacher. Previous books published by Cascade/Wipf and Stock are Evolution and Eschatology (2021) and God's Gift of Science (2022).

Review :
"The style of John's Gospel, with its repetition of various key themes and ideas, has often led to debates about quite how this Gospel is structured. In this fascinating book, Graeme Finlay proposes that many parts of John's Gospel can be seen to be arranged in a chiastic pattern. Finlay calls us to engage in depth with John's Gospel to see if he is correct--knowing we will be enriched in the process. And without a doubt, Finlay brings much new insight into the Gospel and shows that John is an amazingly sophisticated author. Read and ponder these very interesting proposals!" --Paul Trebilco, professor of New Testament Studies, Theology Programme, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand "Graeme Finlay's commentary on John's Gospel focuses on its literary structure to help the reader better understand the central thought of each passage. In so doing he brings the hope of the Gospel to the fore and points to the truth proclaimed by Jesus. His emphasis on the textual arrangement will assist the understanding of those reading the Gospel for their own devotional benefit as well as preachers looking for resources." --Andrew Gamman, head of outreach, Whangaparaoa Methodist Parish, Methodist Church of New Zealand Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa "This unique commentary by Graeme Finlay is an eye-opener. He draws on his scientific training to uncover the literary patterns of John's Gospel, much like a biologist searching for repeated patterns in the natural world. Additionally, he employs his theological acumen to illuminate the identity of John's subject matter, Jesus Christ. I greatly appreciated how this work provides a bird's-eye view while remaining thorough in its analysis." --Andrew Fellows, minister, St. Thomas' Church Cambridge, author of Smuggling Jesus Back into the Church