Love in the Gospel of John

The central message of the Gospel of John is the command to love. Internationally respected scholar Francis Moloney offers a thorough exploration of this theme, focusing not only on Jesus's words but also on his actions. Instead of merely telling people that they must love one another, Jesus acts to make God's love known and calls all who follow him to do the same.

This capstone work on John's Gospel uses a narrative approach to delve deeply into a theme at the heart of the Fourth Gospel and the life of the Christian church. Uniting rigorous exegesis with theological and pastoral insight, it makes a substantive contribution to contemporary Johannine scholarship.

Contents:

1. Entering the World of John's Gospel

2. The Mission of Jesus: To Make God Known

3. The Hour Has Not Yet Come

4. Love in Action, Discourse, and Prayer: John 13:1-38; 15:12-17; 17:1-26

5. "It Is Finished": John 18:1-19:42

6. "Love One Another as I Have Loved You": John 20:1-31; 21:1-25

7. "Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Believe": John 20:29

Epilogue

Indexes

Hardcover. 272 pages.

PRAISE:

"Francis J. Moloney is one of the most distinguished Catholic scholars of John's Gospel in the English-speaking world today. In his latest work on the Fourth Gospel, he displays his fine gifts as an able teacher. Having absorbed a vast amount of literature on the topic of love in John's Gospel, he presents his own argument in a clear, orderly form that even the uninitiated can grasp."

John P. Meier, Warren Chair Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame

"Francis J. Moloney is well known for his narrative commentaries on the Gospel of John. In Love in the Gospel of John, he uses his understanding of narrative to explore and interpret the theology of the Gospel. He sees that John tells the story of Jesus as the story of God, who, for love of the world, gave his Son to save the world, and argues that this reality is integral to the Gospel and the source of Jesus' command to 'love one another as I have loved you.' Readers interested in John will want to read this book."

John Painter, professor of theology, School of Theology, Charles Sturt University

"Decades of study of the Fourth Gospel have uniquely qualified Frank Moloney to write this book about love in the Gospel of John. What he has written is a story of God's love for the world, manifest in Jesus' love for his own until the end and proclaimed in the Gospel according to John. The evangelist's story has all the twists and turns of any real love story. Moloney sheds light on these several twists and turns as only he, among contemporary English-language scholars, can do."

Raymond F. Collins, visiting scholar, Department of Religious Studies, Brown University

"What better way to crown a lifetime of research and writing on the Gospel of John than to produce a book on its major theme of love! Francis Moloney, one of the world's leading experts on the Gospel, has brought to bear his keen analysis of the text and vast knowledge of the secondary literature in this comprehensive study. Moloney not only illuminatingly treats God's love for the world in the giving of the Son, the love commandment, and the Beloved Disciple but also embeds the discussion of such topics in the developing narrative as it moves towards Jesus' hour of glory. In showing how love pervades this Gospel and is integrally related to its other major themes, Moloney's engaging book is bound to become indispensable reading for all students of John's Gospel and its theology."

Andrew T. Lincoln, Portland Professor of New Testament Studies, University of Gloucestershire

"'Love in Action' could be the subtitle of this very fine study of John's Gospel. Frank Moloney focuses not only on the relational aspects of love--between Father and Son, God and the world, Jesus and disciples, disciples and one another--but also on the performative consequences of this love: what love looks like, particularly in the Johannine Passion. This book reads as the culmination of a lifetime of exegetical skill, research, and lived discipleship, enabling Moloney to express the heart of the Gospel's message in the one word love."

Mary L. Coloe, associate professor, MCD University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia

"Love plays a central role in the Gospel of John, and in this fine volume Frank Moloney offers a richly textured interpretation of the theme. With insights gained from a lifetime of engagement with this Gospel, Moloney invites readers to see the many facets of love that are disclosed by John's narrative and to discover anew the ways in which love's many dimensions cohere in the self-giving actions of Jesus. Scholars and students, theologians and pastors will welcome this compelling treatment of the idea that shapes John's understanding of God, Jesus, and the path of discipleship."

Craig R. Koester, Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota

"The reader soon discovers that this is not a narrow treatment of the love command in the Gospel of John but a full-scale expedition into the heart of the Gospel's theology. Along the way it offers fresh and insightful interpretations of Jesus' mission, his work, and the centrality of the cross in the Gospel. Moloney knows this theological terrain so intimately that he makes sure the reader does not miss the grand vistas it offers."

R. Alan Culpepper, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University

"Love in the Gospel of John is unique; it is not a semantic study of the words for love in the Fourth Gospel but a study of love in action. According to Moloney, in the Gospel of John it is Jesus' task, his mission, 'to make love known' in the world. The culmination of the revelation of love is seen in the death of Jesus on the cross, where Jesus himself enacts what he says in John 15:13: 'No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.' Moloney's interpretation of John cannot leave us indifferent, and his book has the rare quality of calling us to actions of love not with moralizing appeals but with rational insight and narrative transformation. A much-needed book that will appeal both to scholars in the field of Johannine studies and to interested nonspecialists."

Reimund Bieringer, professor of New Testament exegesis, Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), Belgium

"Love in the Gospel of John is a real contribution to Johannine scholarship--in many ways. The book is ideal for seminary or graduate students, providing a balanced overview of the best past and current work on the Gospel, and especially shedding new light on the love theme in John. The relation between the love theme and Jesus's glorification is, in my opinion, absolutely on target and truly enlightening. I learned something on every page."

Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, professor emerita of New Testament studies and Christian spirituality, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University