The Eagle Returns

Book excerpt: The Gospel of John was long assumed to be the work of an eyewitness, usually identified as John, son of Zebedee. More recently, many have judged it the unhistorical product of a “Johannine community.” Reconsideration by Richard Bauckham has suggested that the author was a Jerusalem disciple who housed the “Last Supper.” This book explores the possibility that he was present at most of the events he described. It contends that John’s Gospel reveals the real Jesus and that the Evangelist was one of the most perceptive Christian writers of all time. The Gospel strongly advocates belief that Jesus was uniquely related to God, and hence uniquely authoritative, thus providing an urgent evangelical thrust to this book.