The Theology of Judgement in the Fourth Gospel

The theology of judgement in John's Gospel has longbeen a problem in New Testament studies. John's claimthat Jesus is both judging and not judging and hisinterplay of freedom from judgement with the promiseof judgement have always puzzled readers of theGospel. Alan Blackwood adopts a fresh approach tothe problem. He looks at chapter 5 of the Gospel,examining the Greek text through the lens of not onlylinguistic and historical critical methods, but alsosociological inquiry and literary interpretation. His study shows that the text of John 5 presents acoherent theological argument in which the Gospel'sauthor reveals his community's belief that they hadcommenced eternal life exempt from judgement, whilethey also believed that everyone outside theircommunity would be subject to judgement on the lastday. Blackwood is also able to show how and why suchstartling new doctrines could have grown from earlierChristian beliefs. This book will prove invaluableto all students and teachers of New Testament studiesand particularly to those with an interest in howmodern research techniques are bringing freshinsights and understanding to the study of John's Gospel.