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Paul Anderson, The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel: An Introduction to John (Minneapolis:

Fortress, 2011). Reviewed by Jim West

The volume concludes as follows:

Conclusion: Navigating the Living Waters of the Gospel of John 239

Feeling Included without Becoming Exclusive / 240


Responding in Faith without Becoming Dogmatic / 241

It’s here, for the first time, that I have a serious problem with something that Anderson
asserts; and the assertion he makes comes as the opening sentence of the chapter:

Nicodemus came to Jesus “by night” making bold claims about what he
“knew” as a religious leader, while ironically revealing his ignorance of the
ways of the Spirit in the ensuing discussion (p. 239).

I’m not sure that the comments of Nicodemus can be categorized as ‘bold claims about
what he knew’. Nicodemus actually says very little in his encounter with Jesus in John 3:
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οὗηος ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐηὸν νσκηὸς καὶ εἶπεν αὐηῷ· ῥαββεί, οἴδαμεν ὅηι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐλήλσθας
διδάζκαλος· οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναηαι ηαῦηα ηὰ ζημεῖα ποιεῖν ἃ ζὺ ποιεῖς, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ὁ θεὸς μεη᾽
αὐηοῦ.

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λέγει πρὸς αὐηὸν ὁ Νικόδημος· πῶς δύναηαι ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν; μὴ
δύναηαι εἰς ηὴν κοιλίαν ηῆς μηηρὸς αὐηοῦ δεύηερον εἰζελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι;

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ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐηῷ· πῶς δύναηαι ηαῦηα γενέζθαι;

And that’s it. None of that strikes me as either bold; rather, I’ve always taken Nicodemus
to be quite sincere in his query and genuinely seeking to be taught rather than somehow
or other confronting Jesus by making ‘bold claims about what he knew’. ‘We know you
have been sent by God…’ A bold claim, true, but not in the sense that Anderson seems to
be suggesting (unless I have completely misapprehended Anderson here).

Still, one (Christians anyway) can’t help appreciating Anderson’s unapologetic and
forthright theological heartiness.

Taking the Fourth Gospel personally allows one to receive the gift of divine
love experientially as one welcomed into the family of God, while at the
same time acknowledging the underserved character of that gift. It is not
that we have loved God, but that God has first loved us that counts. This is
the gift of divine grace that transforms
the world, a gift at the heart of Hebrew Scripture, and it must be revealed
because it is contrary to the conventional ways of the world. In the world
people live by merit— deservedness. Deservedness, however, brings
judgment, which finally produces death. Therefore, the revelation of God’s
undeserved love is essential for the redemption of humanity, not because
God requires it, but because humans cannot conceive of it on their own (p.
240).

Would an Introduction to the Fourth Gospel really be an entree to its thought if the
profundity of its theological message were left aside and readers left only to the cold hard
facts of author, date, themes, and sources? How could that be the case? The Gospel (and
the Gospels) are theology; to ignore that or to refuse to include that theological viewpoint
in a volume like Anderson’s would simply make no sense.

Anderson’s final sentence is worth quoting in conclusion- (or almost conclusion, I still
have some observations to make) –

The only way to comprehend this subject is from the perspective of


encounter—to behold the glory of the flesh-becoming Word, full of grace
and truth (1:14). When that happens, the reader is moved from the
Johannine riddles into mystery, where a new set of riddles emerges (p. 243).

On the tome as a whole, I would summarize as follows:

1- It’s very much worth reading.


2- It’s very much worthy of a place in your library.
3- It should be read appreciatively, and critically.
4- Anderson is not always right. He places too much weight, in my opinion, on the
historical axis.
5- Anderson is frequently right. He places emphasis on the theological purpose of John as
no one has done in a very long time.
6- The volume is well suited (dare I say perfect or as near to it as any volume can be?) as
an opening to the Fourth Gospel for both students and lay people and most certainly
should be required reading for every course on the Gospel of John.

And finally

7- Even seasoned academics will learn from it- if they set aside their preconceptions and
really listen to what Anderson has to say.

Will he persuade? If given a fair hearing, he may well.

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