The essays in this collection respond to a question posed by Robert Gundry at the end of his 2002 book, Jesus the Word according to John the Sectarian. The authors, all but one former students of Gundry, approach the question in the context of a variety of topics ranging from the Christological purpose of the Synoptic Gospels to the “evangelical Calvinist” reworking of the doctrine of predestination to the thousand-year reign described in Revelation 20.

The essays are very well written, and the range of topics is broad enough, and intriguing enough, that one or another essay could be given as supplemental reading for many upper-division theology courses. Their content will add an interesting perspective to classroom discussion, since they are all written explicitly from the evangelical perspective, which gives primacy to the biblical text. Their approach is dissimilar enough from comparable Roman Catholic discussions that students will easily notice the difference, and can be led to consider the implications of method and initial presumptions for doing theology. For example, B. Reynolds' conclusion regarding John 6 is quite different from what most students in a Roman Catholic setting would encounter; he writes, “When viewed in this literary and biblical context, eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood appears to serve as a metaphor for belief in Jesus and not to speak of the Eucharist” (69).

Aside from their content, the essays in this volume can be valuable tools for helping students learn the mechanics of scholarly writing. The authors not only present their own theses and supporting arguments, but also provide a survey of pertinent literature and often engage in dialogue with those who oppose their position. Engaging one's sources is an aspect of scholarly writing with which students often struggle, and these essays are excellent examples of how to do that. In addition, the authors are meticulous in their use of footnotes, both for citations and for expanding on an idea presented in the body of the essay. Students can learn from their example the kind of information that is best relegated to footnotes and how to present that information clearly and concisely.

The volume also lends itself to demonstrating how a researcher can discern an author's particular perspective by paying attention to the sources she cites and noticing who is not cited. For example, the index of authors for this volume is quite extensive and includes many of the major Protestant biblical and theological scholars of the last century, yet none of the standard sources for contemporary theological discourse from the Roman Catholic perspective (e.g., Rahner, Balthasar, Aquinas) appear in that list.

The essays in this collection are excellent, pursuing aspects of theological discourse from a perspective that is different from the Roman Catholic perspective. Thus they are both intriguing and instructive. Even if none of the essays fits into your courses, they are well worth reading.