Description: In The Lord's Words, Michael Theboald argues that the Johannine discourses are literary masterpieces. Theobald demonstrates how the evangelist developed the speeches from "core words" -- the "sayings" of Johannine communities -- and reveals the hermeneutic framework that guided the process of development.
Brief description:
Michael Theobald, professor emeritus of New Testament at the University of Tübingen, Germany, member of the German National Academy Leopoldina, and associate professor of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of the Free State Bloemfontein, South Africa
Review Quotes:
Theobald's monograph is the most detailed and thorough investigation of the sayings tradition behind the discourses of Jesus in John. It is indispensable for any discussion of the historical source value of the fourth gospel and the growth of the Johannine tradition. Fortress Press is to be commended for making this important work available in English. --Jörg Frey, professor of New Testament, University of Zurich
This is a major contribution to Johannine scholarship. Focusing on memorable sayings of Jesus, Michael Theobald shows how they form the core of Johannine discourses. He traces a dynamic process in which sayings like those in the Synoptics and those unique to John were transmitted and shaped by a community. He provides a way to understand the interplay between Synoptic and Johannine traditions that moves beyond older paradigms and illuminates the final form of the text. This volume makes his rich and detailed work accessible to English-language readers. Its insights enrich current discussion of the fourth gospel. --Craig Koester, Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Luther Seminary
In this updated and translated version of his work, Theobald invites readers to reconsider John's creativity alongside the Gospel's connections to developing early Christianity. As John is grounded in high Christology and an emphasis on the Paraclete's ongoing hermeneutical endeavors, Theobald argues we should not expect this Gospel to simply restate Jesus's words but to reshape them through Spirit-inspired remembrance. While we may not be able to recover all the twists and turns in this process, Theobald takes readers on a journey that adds texture and connection between John's Gospel and the larger second-century Roman world. --Alicia D. Myers, associate professor of New Testament, Baylor University, and author of Reading John and 1, 2, 3 John and The Theology of the Gospel of John