Category: The Gospel of John
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Dealing with Objections to GJohn as anti-Gnostic polemic (H&J Part 05)
Could the Gospel of John really contain anti-Gnostic sentiments? As we have seen in previous entries, many scholars throughout history have thought so. But others have argued against this idea. Before we enter into an in-depth analysis of John’s relationship with Christian or Hermetic Gnosticism, it will be helpful to first deal with several possible…
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The Targets of the Fourth Gospel (H&J Part 04)
If the Gospel of John really is, in part, a polemic, then just who was the gospel written against? In this entry, I propose that the Fourth Gospel contains a multi-front polemic directed towards several groups which can still, at least in a general way, be identified: Jews who rejected Jesus and his followers the…
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John’s Mission and Method (H&J Part 03)
What was the purpose of John’s gospel? What sort of changes did John hope to affect in and around his community? Just who made up his community? And by what means did he work to bring about these changes through his account of the ministry of Jesus? In this entry I will begin arguing that…
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GJohn as Polemic: A brief history of John studies (H&J Part 02)
Many have believed the Gospel of John stands against a backdrop of intra-Jewish community conflict. But could the Fourth Gospel also have a relationship with early Gnosticism? Could the gospel actually contain a carefully structured argument against Gnostic opponents or ideas current in John’s first-century environment? Many scholars, both ancient and modern, have thought so. In…
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H&J on Audio – Introduction and Part 01: “The Primacy of John”
Happy to introduce the new Hermes & John audio series! This series will provide those interested in the Hermes & John project with another way to digest all the research. The paper which accompanied my recent presentation at the 2017 Theological Conference is rather long and packed full of information. Since not everyone is able…
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2017 Theological Conference
Happy to announce that next month I will be speaking at the 2017 Theological Conference in Atlanta, GA. The annual gathering, hosted by Restoration Fellowship, will feature presentations by an array of scholars, pastors, researchers, and a variety of voices from around the Biblical Unitarian community. I’ve been working diligently on this project, hence the…
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Dr. Dustin Smith on the Embodiment of Wisdom
Dr. Dustin Smith has recently released two videos regarding the portrayal of God’s wisdom in Jewish literature, and how it relates to the famous prologue of the Fourth Gospel. I’ve found Smith’s work especially accommodating to my own position on John 1:1-14, and I believe his evidence is worth considering. As I laid out in…
Kegan Chandler, PhD 