This groundbreaking volume draws together an international group of leading biblical scholars to consider one of the most controversial religious topics in the modern era: Is the Gospel of John the most theological and distinctive among the four canonical Gospels historical or not? If not, why does John alone among the Gospels claim eyewitness connections to Jesus? If so, why is so much of John s material unique to John? Using various methodologies and addressing key historical issues in John, these essays advance the critical inquiry into Gospel historiography and John s place within it, leading to an impressive consensus and convergences along the way. The contributors are Paul N. Anderson; Mark Appold; Richard Bauckham; Helen K. Bond; Richard A. Burridge; James H. Charlesworth; Jaime Clark-Soles; Mary Coloe; R. Alan Culpepper; Craig A. Evans; Sean Freyne; Jeffrey Paul Garcia; Brian D. Johnson; Peter J. Judge; Felix Just, S.J.; Craig S. Keener; Edward W. Klink III; Craig R. Koester; Michael Labahn; Mark A. Matson; James F. McGrath; Susan Miller; Gail R. O Day; Bas van Os; Tom Thatcher; Derek M. H. Tovey; Urban C. von Wahlde; and Ben Witherington III.

Paul N. Anderson is Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University. He is the author of "The Christology of the Fourth Gospel" (Cascade Books) and "The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus" (T&T Clark). Felix Just, S.J., is a Director of Biblical Education at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, California. Author of numerous reviews and essays, he is the creator of the Johannine Literature website and a manager of the Johannine Literature listserve. Tom Thatcher is Professor of New Testament at Cincinnati Christian University. He is the author or editor of numerous articles and books, including "Jesus in Johannine Tradition" (Westminster John Knox), "The Riddles of Jesus" in "John: A Study in Tradition and Folklore," and "New Currents through John: A Global Perspective" (both from the Society of Biblical Literature).