Engaging with C. H. Dodd on the Gospel of John
Sixty Years of Tradition and Interpretation

Reflects upon and looks beyond the pioneering scholarship of C. H. Dodd, charting a course for future research on John.

Tom Thatcher (Edited by), Catrin Williams (Edited by)

9781107035669, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 August 2013

305 pages
23.6 x 16 x 2 cm, 0.6 kg

'[A] vital and worthy 'engagement' with a respected scholar. Great Johannine scholars of our own day reassess [C. H. Dodd's] work closely, evaluate his influence, and above all continue to engage in lively conversation with him. In doing so, they open up a debate with historiographical depth and contemporary edge. The collection of essays that results is valuable for the study both of the Fourth Gospel and of its historiography.' The Expository Times

C. H. Dodd's Historical Tradition in the Fourth Gospel, published in 1963, marked a milestone in New Testament research and has become a standard resource for the study of John. Historically biblical scholars have concentrated on the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. However, Dodd's book encouraged scholars to take John seriously as a source for the life of Jesus. This volume both reflects upon and looks beyond Dodd's writings to address the implications, limitations and potential of his groundbreaking research and its programmatic approach to charting a course for future research on the Gospel of John. Leading biblical scholars demonstrate the recent surge of interest in John's distinctive witness to Jesus, and also in Dodd's work as the harbinger of advancements in the study of the Fourth Gospel. This volume will be invaluable to all those studying the New Testament, Johannine theology and the history of the early Church.

1. The semeiotics of history: C. H. Dodd on the origins and character of the Fourth Gospel Tom Thatcher
Part I. Approaching the Problem: Reflections on Dodd's Context and Method: 2. C. H. Dodd as a precursor to narrative criticism R. Alan Culpepper
3. Progress and paradox: C. H. Dodd and Rudolf Bultmann on history, the Jesus tradition, and the Fourth Gospel Craig R. Koester
4. Symbolism in John's Gospel: an evaluation of Dodd's contribution Jan van der Watt
5. C. H. Dodd on John 13:16 (and 15:20): St John's knowledge of Matthew revisited David Godecharle and Gilbert Van Belle
6. John and the rabbis revisited Catrin H. Williams
7. Characters who count: the case of Nicodemus Jaime Clark-Soles
Part II. History and Tradition in the Fourth Gospel: 8. C. H. Dodd, the historical Jesus, and realized eschatology Urban C. von Wahlde
9. Historical tradition(s) and/or Johannine redaction? A reflection on the threefold repetition of Pilate's statement 'I find no guilt in him' (John 18:38b
19:4, 6) Hellen Mardaga
10. Incidents dispersed in the synoptics and cohering in John: Dodd, Brown, and Johannine historicity Paul N. Anderson
11. Reflections on a footnote John Ashton
12. The anointing in John 12:1–8: a tale of two hypotheses Wendy E. S. North
13. Eucharist and Passover: the two 'loci' of the liturgical commemoration of the Last Supper in the early Church Michael Theobald
Part III. Future Directions: 14. The Fourth Gospel and the founder of Christianity: the place of historical tradition in the work of C. H. Dodd John Painter.

Subject Areas: New Testaments [HRCF2], Church history [HRCC2], The historical Jesus [HRCA]