DESCRIPTION: The course will look closely at the distinctive theological ideas of the Gospel and Epistles of John, including the doctrine of God, the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church, election, conversion, faith and knowledge, ethics and eschatology.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: The objectives of this course are that students will have gained (1) a basic knowledge of the theology, Christology, ecclesiology and ethics of the Gospel of John; (2) some acquaintance with the varied possibilities as to the origin of these ideas, whether in the Jewish and Graeco-Roman world of the time or in earlier expressions of Christianity; (3) an understanding of the theology of the Johannine Epistles (1, 2, and 3 John) in relation to that of the Gospel: (4) an ability to locate this distinctively "Johannine" thought within the larger framework of New Testament theology as a whole; (5) a sense of what this Johannine perspective has to contribute to Christian ministry in the twenty-first century.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The relevance of John's Gospel and Epistles in Christian preaching, worship and daily life is greater than ever now that Christianity is no longer the dominant culture in America. The Johannine voice is more and more the voice of a counterculture in a society that does not share its values, and for that very reason a voice that must not be silenced.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet twice weekly for lecture and discussion in two-hour sessions, with a break.

REQUIRED READING:

Brown, Raymond E. The Community of the Beloved Disciple. New York: Paulist, 1979.

Gundry, Robert H. Jesus the Word according to John the Sectarian. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Smith, D. Moody. The Theology of the Gospel of John. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Thompson, Marianne Meye. The God of the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

Bultmann, Rudolf. Theology of the New Testament. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's, 1955 (pp. 3-92).

Burge, Gary. The Anointed Community: The Holy Spirit in the Johannine Tradition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.

Dodd, C. H. The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. Cambridge University Press, 1953.

Käsemann, Ernst. The Testament of Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1968.

Ladd, George Eldon. A Theology of the New Testament. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996 (pp. 249-344).

Marshall, I. Howard. New Testament Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004 (pp. 491-547).

1. A paper (10-15 pages) on one major theological theme in the Johannine literature (40% of the grade).

2. A book review on one of the required texts (or Käsemann), or a comparison of the treatment of the Gospel of John in any two New Testament theologies: Bultmann, Marshall, Ladd -- or another of your own choosing (20% of the grade).

3. A take-home final examination (40% of the grade).