Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel: Meaning, Mystery, Community

Rating:
Summary: Extensively detailed, thoughtful, & insightful
Review: A work of impressive scholarship by Craig R. Koester (Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota), and now in its second edition, Symbolism In The Fourth Gospel: Meaning, Mystery, Community is a seminal study of the Christian Gospel's "literary dimensions, social and historical context, and theological import". From exploring representative figures; to symbolic actions; to views of light and darkness, water, and crucifixion, and more, Symbolism In The Fourth Gospel is an extensively detailed, thoughtful, insightful, and strongly recommended contribution to Biblical Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Rating:
Summary: Best of both worlds
Review: Approaches to the symbolism in the biblical texts is a thorny issue for too many readers. The prevailing attitude among many who actually read the Bible seems to be, "if it is symbolic, that must mean it isn't true." I confess that I have never been able to make sense of that perspective. Reality is such a thin thing, really--why not opt for the thicker and richer world of the biblical texts themselves, one where a multitude of meanings is an asset, not a liability? Ask any rabbi about the Hebrew Bible, she'll tell you.

That is why this book is so wonderful. Koester stands more-or-less in the evangelical camp, so gives an honest historical reading of John. There really was a Samaritan woman, there was a wedding in Cana, there was a Lazarus, etc. This is good, of course: to strip away the historical underpinnings (however tenuous, I will admit, and John is the least historically interested of the gospels) of the pericopes is to eviscerate them. On the other hand, a coldly historical approach to John misses the point(s) of the text completely. The most symbolic of the gospels deserves a thorough symbolic reading in its historical setting. That is what Koester gives. I cannot imagine how I studied John before I read this book--that is a personal statement, of course; this book is not the beginning and end of Johannine studies. But I have gone back to it time and again, it is just that good. "Balanced" is an overused word, but this book is balanced. Both sides of the exegetical debate ought to benefit from a close read of this book. Unfortunately, laypeople may not profit quite as much--this is not Aquinas, but I don't think it is entry-level either. Nevertheless it is a great book, very helpful, and should be part of your library if you find yourself turning to John more often than not.

Rating:
Summary: a pretty good mainline commentary
Review: Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel is an examination of the way the Gospel of John works with symbols and real people. Koester takes the stance that just about everything in the Gospel of John functions not only as a real event, but also as a symbol. For example, when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well and they talk about her having five husbands and the man she is with now is not her husband, this is also a discussion of how the people of Samaria have been unfaithful to the people of Israel.

Theologically, Koester is somewhere between mainline and evangelical. He does a very nice job of keeping these events as both real factual events (water was turned to win) and at the same time examining the symbolism in that event (renewal).

The book reads well and is not written so densely to be incomprehensible. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a commentary on John and want to look deeper into the background and the symbolism. I would not recommend it if you are just starting to read the Bible. Overall, I would give it a week four star rating.