Come and Read: Interpretive Approaches to the Gospel of John - Paperback

by Helen K. Bond (Contribution by), Jo-Ann A. Brant (Contribution by), Sherri Brown (Contribution by)

Come and Read is a unique volume that both introduces numerous interpretive approaches to the Bible and includes examples in action with contributions from top scholars in the field. The book takes up three different passages throughout John's Gospel--John 1:1-18, John 10, and John 20--and sets four different approaches to each passage side-by-side. The three selected texts move readers through the Gospel story and represent the three major sub-genres featured in the Gospel. John's Prologue (1:1-18) is written in poetic style; John 10 represents a major discourse; and John 20 takes the form of dramatic narrative prose. Each section of the book includes readings on the focus passage from the same four interpretive perspectives: intertextual, sociocultural, rhetorical, and narrative. These approaches are broadly conceived to showcase varieties present even within approaches and how these ways of reading are connected to and benefit from one another. Overall, this book provides insight into current interpretive practices on the Gospel of John, and the rest of the Bible. It demonstrates how to use these methods effectively, illustrating not only the value of using a variety of approaches for interpretation, but also how methods impact the interpretations rendered.

Author Biography

Alicia D. Myers is associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Campbell University Divinity School.

Lindsey S. Jodrey is associate director of digital learning at Princeton Theological Seminary.