The Fourth Gospel

Tales of a Jewish Mystic

De: John Shelby Spong

Narrado por: Al Kessel

Rescuing John's Gospel from its creedal captivity...

John Shelby Spong, best-selling author and popular proponent of a modern, scholarly, and authentic Christianity, argues that this last gospel to be written was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourth-century creeds to be a literal account of the life of Jesus when in fact it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in Jesus' life through the medium of fictional characters, from Nicodemus and Lazarus to the "Beloved Disciple."

The Fourth Gospel was designed first to place Jesus into the context of the Jewish scriptures, then to place him into the worship patterns of the synagogue and finally to allow him to be viewed through the lens of a popular form of first-century Jewish mysticism.

The result of this intriguing study is not only to recapture the original message of this gospel, but also to provide us today with a radical new dimension to the claim that in the humanity of Jesus the reality of God has been met and engaged.

©2013 John Shelby Spong (P)2020 Tantor

Very thought-provoking

I found this entire book to be very thought-provoking, but pretty heady. If you aren't prepared to sit down and listen to this book as you read the gospel of John, a great deal may slip past you unprocessed. I did find it refreshing to consider that so much of the "unbelievable" portions of scripture were never really meant to be taken literally, which really casts a new and disturbing light on the modern day Christian church which claims that every word in the book is meant to be interpreted as literal. I am a Christian and I believe that the bible is a collection of writings that were written by men who were inspired by God, but that does NOT mean that I believe every word in the book is meant to be read as if it literally happened. If you feel the same way, or if you have struggled for a long time trying to pull understanding from something that reads so impossible, then you may enjoy this book. It is not a book that will sit well with most right-wing evangelical Christians, but if you have been questioning, then please read it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Well done.

It is what a bishop should be. He cared more about his reputation than the folks he was trying to help.

Amazing

What a book! A commentary that makes sense of the mystical writings so often misunderstood by many readers. When you literalize a mystic, you turn their words into a mess. This book aims to recover the mystical ideas being expressed by the author of the gospel, written for a general audience. highly recommend.

Brilliant Theology

Incredibly well written and researched. Spong is a first rate theologian and historian who brings new insight into the mystical Gospel of John.

a complete rejection of Christianity

I feel sorry for this author, if he has studied John have as mmuch as he says he has, then he is the epitome of every learning and never coming to the truth. I'm sure this would be well received as the Jesus Seminar.