The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic

by John Shelby Spong

Overview

John Shelby Spong, bestselling author and popular proponent of a modern, scholarly and authentic Christianity, argues that this last gospel to be written was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourth-century creeds to be a literal account of the life of Jesus when in fact it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in Jesus' life through the medium of fictional characters, from Nicodemus and Lazarus to the "Beloved Disciple." The Fourth Gospel was designed first to place Jesus into the context of the Jewish scriptures, then to place him into the worship patterns of the synagogue and finally to allow him to be viewed through the lens of a popular form of first-century Jewish mysticism.

The result of this intriguing study is not only to recapture the original message of this gospel, but also to provide us today with a radical new dimension to the claim that in the humanity of Jesus the reality of God has been met and engaged.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062011305
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/11/2013
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.42(w) x 9.08(h) x 1.22(d)

About the Author

John Shelby Spong, the Episcopal Bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000, has been a visiting lecturer at Harvard and at more than 500 other universities all over the world. His books, which have sold well over a million copies, include Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy; The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic; Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World; Eternal Life: A New Vision; Jesus for the Non-Religious, The Sins of Scripture, Resurrection: Myth or Reality?; Why Christianity Must Change or Die; and his autobiography, Here I Stand. He writes a weekly column on the web that reaches thousands of people all over the world. To join his online audience, go to www.JohnShelbySpong.com. He lives with his wife, Christine, in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Part I Introducing the Fourth Gospel

1 Setting the Stage 3

2 John: One Gospel, More Than One Author 11

3 Separating John from the Other Gospels 21

4 The Work of a Palestinian Jew 31

5 Tracing the Jewish Roots of the Prologue 41

6 Permeating Wisdom: The Doorway into Jewish Mysticism 51

7 John the Non-Literalist 63

Part II The Book of Signs: Mythological Characters Wrapped Inside History

8 The Mother of Jesus: Introduction to the Book of Signs 77

9 Nicodemus: What It Means to Be Born of the Spirit 85

10 The Samaritan Woman by the Well: A New Dimension of the Jesus Experience 95

11 The Gentile Official's Son: The Meaning of God and Faith 107

12 The Man Crippled for Thirty-Eight Years 117

13 Andrew and Philip: The Red Sea and Manna 125

14 The Brothers of Jesus: A Debate on Origins 135

15 The Man Born Blind: The Split from Judaism Is Complete 143

16 Lazarus: Breaking the Final Barrier 153

Part III The Farewell Discourses and the High Priestly Prayer

17 Peter and the Commandment to Love 165

18 Not Atonement, but Glory! John Clarifies Jesus' Death 175

19 The Analogy of the Vine: God Is Indwelling, Not External 189

20 The Prayer of Jesus: Gethsemane Transformed 201

Part IV The Passion Narrative: From Darkness to Light, from Death to Life

21 A Brief Introduction to the Climax of This Gospel 209

22 Judas: The Figure of Darkness 215

23 Peter: The Struggle Within the Soul 225

24 Pilate: The Conflict Between Survival and Truth 233

25 At the Cross: The Mother of Jesus and the Beloved Disciple 245

26 It Is Finished: Water and Blood Flow Together 255

Part V Resurrection: Mystical Oneness Revealed

27 Introducing John's Story of Easter 265

28 Magdalene: Do Not Cling to What Is, Journey into What Can Be 275

29 Peter and the Beloved Disciple: Resurrection Dawns Without a Body 285

30 Pentecost: The Second Coming of Jesus-It Was "A Little While" 289

31 Thomas: The Final Witness, the Ultimate Claim 299

32 The Epilogue: Resurrection Is Not Physical, but It Is Real 307

Bibliography 317

Scripture Index 327

Subject Index 331

Editorial Reviews

If he's written it once, Spong (The Sins of Scripture), like many Biblical scholars, has written dozens of times: do not take the Bible literally. He is adamant that readers must not take the Gospel of John as history. Spong, the high-profile former Episcopal Bishop of Newark, stands on solid scholarship with these ideas: the Gospel of John was written over decades by several authors; Jesus did not speak the words ascribed to him in the book of John; none of the miracles happened; most of the book's charac-ters, the Marys and Nicodemus and Thomas, are just that -- literary characters, not literal men and women. More important than the negatives to the profoundly persuasive author is the unburnished pos-itive: divorced from latter-day fictions, John is one powerful gospel. To prove its base in Jewish mys-ticism, Spong paces through the signs, the farewell discourses, the passion narrative, and resurrection stories. The Fourth Gospel, Spong argues, calls on the faithful to believe that Jesus achieved "the mys-tical oneness with the God who is the source of life...." (June)

Publishers Weekly

We now approach our scriptures with a literalism that is unparalleled in the history of religion. This new and imaginative book by John Shelby Spong will liberate many people from this unnecessary complication of the religious life.” — Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

“Spong is writing for a lay audience, and he does so magnificently. His thoughts are bracing, his writing exciting, and his conclusions thought provoking. Those who love reading about religion in general and Christianity in particular may want to go through this volume more than once.” — Booklist (starred review)

“No one has done more to articulate a vibrant, post-mythic vision of Christianity than John Shelby Spong. Bishop Spong’s masterful interpretation is destined to become a classic.” — Michael Dowd, Author of Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World

“Bishop Spong’s in-depth struggles with and work on the Gospel of John have resulted in a book that challenges dominant assumptions and interpretations. This book will help anyone who cares to think about faith in open, dynamic, hospitable, and inclusive ways.” — Tat-siong Benny Liew, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean; Professor of New Testament Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA

“Leave it to Bishop Spong to uncover a message of universal hope that is deeply rooted in Jewish mysticism. Spong’s synthesis of Johannine scholarship will lead both clergy and lay readers to a new appreciation of the surprising origins and message of the Fourth Gospel.” — David Felten & Jeff Procter-Murphy, authors of Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity

“Spong is always readable and informative, but this book reads like a cross between a detective story and an adventure saga that is founded on excellent scholarship. I could not put it down.” — Fred C. Plumer, President of Progressive Christianity.Org

“Spong invites readers on a stimulating and challenging journey to read the gospel of John afresh and to consider Christianity from a new perspective. This is a must read for every Christian who has tried to make sense of this gospel.” — Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, Dean and Professor of Hebrew Bible, The Theological School, Drew University

“Spong stands on solid scholarship. . . . More important than the negatives to the profoundly persuasive author is the unburnished positive: . . . The Fourth Gospel calls on the faithful to believe that Jesus achieved ‘the mystical oneness with the God who is the source of life.’” — Publishers Weekly

“In his 24th book, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, the always provocative Bishop John Shelby Spong takes on the Gospel of John, opening new windows of insight and challenging the ways the fourth gospel has usually been understood.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Spong invites readers on a stimulating and challenging journey to read the gospel of John afresh and to consider Christianity from a new perspective. This is a must read for every Christian who has tried to make sense of this gospel.

Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan

No one has done more to articulate a vibrant, post-mythic vision of Christianity than John Shelby Spong. Bishop Spong’s masterful interpretation is destined to become a classic.

Michael Dowd

Leave it to Bishop Spong to uncover a message of universal hope that is deeply rooted in Jewish mysticism. Spong’s synthesis of Johannine scholarship will lead both clergy and lay readers to a new appreciation of the surprising origins and message of the Fourth Gospel.

David Felten & Jeff Procter-Murphy

Spong is writing for a lay audience, and he does so magnificently. His thoughts are bracing, his writing exciting, and his conclusions thought provoking. Those who love reading about religion in general and Christianity in particular may want to go through this volume more than once.

Booklist (starred review)

Spong is always readable and informative, but this book reads like a cross between a detective story and an adventure saga that is founded on excellent scholarship. I could not put it down.

Fred C. Plumer

Bishop Spong’s in-depth struggles with and work on the Gospel of John have resulted in a book that challenges dominant assumptions and interpretations. This book will help anyone who cares to think about faith in open, dynamic, hospitable, and inclusive ways.

Tat-siong Benny Liew

We now approach our scriptures with a literalism that is unparalleled in the history of religion. This new and imaginative book by John Shelby Spong will liberate many people from this unnecessary complication of the religious life.

Karen Armstrong