Overview

""And the Word became flesh"" John's Gospel famously opens with a poetic prologue about the Word. However, after these initial verses, the theme of God's Word incarnate seems to fade. The silence is only apparent. In The Word from the Beginning, Bruce G. Schuchard reunites John's prologue with the rest of his Gospel. What Jesus does in the Gospel embodies who Jesus is in the prologue. Jesus's words and actions reveal and unfold his unique identity as the Word. Jesus is indeed God's Word enfleshed. This theological reading of John's Gospel unifies Jesus's identity, words, and work, opening up implications for Johannine Christology.

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9781683596028

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From its first word the Gospel of John calls its readers to the Word--and not just the Word, his life and actions, but the word of the Word, the revelation of God to people. Bruce Schuchard's The Word from the Beginning zeroes in on this cardinal motif as he explains how the speech of Jesus shapes his actions as well as those around him. I heartily recommend The Word from the Beginning as an aid to hear the word of the Word in John's Gospel--a word we must hear and embrace. --Douglas Estes, associate professor of biblical studies and practical theology, Tabor College; editor, Didaktikos Reading John's Gospel around the central theme of the Word, Bruce Schuchard shows how God's communication informs each part of the narrative that follows. His text is theologically rich and invites readers into deeper reflection about the significance of the Word that Jesus embodies and conveys. Clear and accessible, this volume will appeal to a broad audience, offering insights useful for preaching and study. --Craig Koester, Asher O. and Carrie Nasby professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary Bruce Schuchard has written a beautiful little book that is succinct, insightful, and imminently readable. Schuchard's deep understanding of the fourth Gospel is obvious on every page, as he guides his readers through the unfolding story of the Word made flesh. After you read this book, you will want to buy a dozen copies to give as gifts to family and friends. --Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University One must hear the Word of God in order to see and believe in him. This is the heart of Schuchard's theological reading of the Gospel of John. In this short expository commentary of the Gospel of John, Schuchard guides readers through the Gospel story, inviting them to hear the Word anew, by providing expository comments and unobtrusive evidence from his own research. Focusing on the Prologue's characterization of Jesus as the Word made Flesh, Schuchard demonstrates how the Gospel of John incorporates this identity into Jesus's person and work from the beginning of his signs to his final farewell in John 21. For Schuchard, those who relegate Jesus's identity as the Word to only the Prologue miss out on the full profundity of the Gospel's message. Schuchard's work shows the fruit of his characteristic care in exploring the use of the Old Testament in John, offering immersive explanations of debated passages. Readers will enjoy Schuchard's poetic and inviting style that makes this book ideal for congregational settings and devotional reading. --Alicia D. Myers, associate professor, New Testament and Greek, Campbell University Divinity School

Author Information

Bruce G. Schuchard teaches at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he chairs the department of exegetical theology. He is the author of Scripture within Scripture: The Interrelationship of Form and Function in the Explicit Citations of the Old Testament in the Gospel of John. He also wrote 1-3 John in the Concordia Commentary series and coedited Abiding Word: The Use of Scripture in the Gospel of John.

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