Wm. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich., 2012. 1311 pages
Reviewed by Fraces Taylor Gench
Dale Bruner’s massive commentary on John has been eagerly awaited by preachers and teachers who have been so well served by his much-loved, two-volume commentary on Matthew (Eerdmans, rev. eds. 2004). They will find in this masterful volume the same strengths that characterized that earlier work: a fresh, lucid translation; a close reading of the text filled with insights on the bearing of grammar and syntax on interpretation; and a deep mining of the church’s history of reading John, accompanied by Bruner’s own perceptive theological commentary.
Two things in particular distinguish this commentary from others on my shelf. One is Bruner’s remarkable review of the “historical interpretation” of each text, which provides a sense of how the Holy Spirit has led the church, through the centuries, to understand John. The other distinguishing feature of the commentary is its ecclesiological focus. Bruner is particularly adept at articulating the significance of biblical texts for the church’s corporate life, ministry and mission in the world, which makes his interpretive work of special relevance for those who labor in preaching and teaching ministries.
In one respect, however, this commentary differs from the earlier one. Perhaps it is a sign of the combative ecclesial season in which we live, but this reader found recurrent, weary caricatures of “the right” and (more often) “the left” distracting and disheartening — as well as gratuitous references to “deadbeat Church bureaucrats” and to seminaries as “particularly responsible for Otherwayism”; that is, for promoting “enthusiasms and causes other or more important than the person of Jesus Christ himself” (italics Bruner’s). This disparagement of fellow Christians and the integrity of their service to the church is oddly out of sync with John’s emphasis on loving those within the community of faith. Indeed, as Bruner notes in his eloquent reflection on Jesus’ farewell discourse, “The mutually lived-out heart love of Christians for one another will be the single greatest missionary force in the world.” This end is not well served by continued propagation of questionable stereotypes, and their presence is puzzling given the otherwise gracious spirit of the author that infuses the commentary as a whole.
Readers will appreciate the way in which Bruner brings John into conversation with the larger canonical witness (especially Matthew), though some will wonder whether the discussion obscures John’s distinctive voice at points. Not all, for example, will agree with his construal of John’s soteriology in traditional terms of substitutionary atonement. Given the commentary’s focus on the church’s historic engagement with John, the voices of male interpreters predominate, and readers will need to look elsewhere for engagement with groundbreaking contributions to study of John made more recently by female interpreters such as Gail O’Day, Sandra Schneiders and Adele Reinhartz. Many will also want to consult recent scholarly reflection for further guidance as they negotiate John’s anti-Judaic rhetoric and bearing on challenges posed by religious pluralism.
However, no commentary can provide definitive guidance on all matters, and Bruner’s tome on John, which grows out of a lifetime of teaching of it, will be treasured. We will now eagerly await the completion of his next massive commentary project on Romans!
FRANCES TAYLOR GENCH is professor of biblical interpretation at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va.
