Beyond the Breach

Beyond the Breach: An Exegetical Study of John 4:1-42 as a Text of Jewish-Samaritan Reconciliation focuses on the ethical element of loving the enemy in John which challenges the earlier consensus that one cannot find the theme of loving the enemy/neighbor in John’s gospel, be it explicitly or implicitly. This study defends the position that in the gospel of John there are elements of reconciling love, a depiction of loving one’s enemies, and in particular in the Samaritan episode (John 4:1-42). This book critically analyzes existing research on the theme of Jewish-Samaritan relations and ‘the world behind’ John 4:1-42. It makes use of recent methods in biblical studies to interpret the complexity of texts, underlying themes and concerns in the way John 4:1-42 describes the Samaritan mission of the Johannine Jesus.