John and Philosophy

Troels Engberg-Pedersen is Professor of New Testament exegesis at University of Copenhagen. His publications include Cosmology and Self in the Apostle Paul: The Material Spirit (Oxford University Press, 2010), Paul in his Hellenistic Context (T&T Clark, 2004), and Paul Beyond the Judaism/Hellenism Divide (Westminster John Knox Press, 2001). He is co-editor of Stoicism in Early Christianity (with Tuomas Rasimus and Ismo Dunderberg; Baker,2010) and The Emotions in Hellenistic Philosophy (with Juha Sihvola; Springer, 2009).

• 1: A Return to the Text 2: The Unity of Logos and Pneuma in John Chapter 1 3: Logos and Pneuma in the Body of the Gospel 4: The Philosophical Search in Chapters 2-4 5: The Son Equals the Father and His Pneumatic Body Gives Life (Chapters 5-6) 6: Types of Belief and the Role of Pneuma in John's Epistemology of Faith (Chapters 7-8) 7: Who Can See What Jesus' Acts Signify (Chapters 9-10)? 8: From Believing in Jesus to Possessing His Logos (Chapters 11-12) 9: The Farewell Discourse as Paraklesis (Chapters 13-17) 10: The Execution of the Plan (Chapters 18-20) 11: John and his Predecessors: Paul and Mark

Above all, Engberg-Pedersen has presented a riveting take on John; it is manifestly interesting. The intellectual benefit of this is that old things are seen in news ways (or in old ways newly presented), an achievement bound to catalyze debate about and reevaluation of one of the most formative sacred texts of one of history's most influential religions.