The Composition and Order of the Fourth Gospel

In The Composition and Order of the Fourth Gospel D. Moody Smith engages the masterful commentary on John by Rudolf Bultmann, evaluating critically his views of John's sources, order, redaction, and meaning. A book every bit as helpful for understanding Bultmann's work as the work itself, this book is now made accessible in paperback form fifty years after its original publication. Introduced admirably with a new foreword by the author's former doctoral student, R. Alan Culpepper, the printing of this monograph makes for essential reading in Johannine studies and New Testament studies overall.D. Moody Smith's Composition and Order of the Fourth Gospel is an important milestone in American New Testament scholarship. Smith lays out in a clear and well-organized way the complex theory of Rudolf Bultmann about the fashioning of the Fourth Gospel, while also offering a respectful critique of the theory. Bultmann's hypothesis in turn has stimulated a continuing scholarly dialogue about the process by which the distinctive literary and conceptual features of the Gospel were produced. Smith's book remains a valuable resource for anyone concerned about that process.--Harold W. Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity, Yale University Divinity School D. Moody Smith's monograph on Bultmann's literary theory is a landmark publication. It won him international recognition as one of the leading Johannine experts in the world. . . . Culpepper's masterful introduction highlights the reasons why we need Smith's research to again help us focus our search for the genius of the Fourth Evangelist.--James H. Charlesworth, George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary As Bultmann's commentary on John may be considered the most provocative and influential New Testament monograph of the twentieth century, Smith's engagement of it poses its most important analysis. Here, with an outstanding forward by Alan Culpepper, this pivotal monograph is now available to a new generation of readers in a timely and accessible paperback form. Delighted! --Paul N. Anderson, Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies, George Fox UniversityD. Moody Smith served at Duke University Divinity School as the George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament since 1965 (now Emeritus) and as President of the Society of Biblical Literature in 1999. He is author of six books on the New Testament and many published essays.