Community of the Beloved Disciple: The Life, Loves, and Hates of an Individual Church in New Testament Times
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
This study in Johannine ecclesiology reconstructs the history of one Christian community in the first century, a community whose life from its inception to its last hour is reflected in the Gospel and Epistles of John. It was a community that struggled with the world and eventually among its own ranks, not unlike the Church of today. Pulling together twenty-five years of Brown’s research into the Johannine corpus, this book explains why Brown called Johannine thought “the most adventuresome theology in the New Testament.” In a new introduction to the book, Paul N. Anderson provides an updated overview of the book’s receptions and further developments in Johannine scholarship.
- Reconstructs the history of one Christian community in the first century.
- Explains why Brown called Johannine thought “the most adventuresome theology in the New Testament.”
- Provides an updated overview of the book’s receptions and further developments in Johannine scholarship.
- Introduction: Problem and Method in Discerning Johannine Ecclesiology
- Phase One: Before the Gospel
- Phase Two: When the Gospel Was Written
- Phase Three: When the Epistles Were Written
- Phase Four: After the Epistles
- Appendix 1: Summary Charts
- Appendix 2: Reconstructions of Johannine Community History
- Appendix 3: Roles of Women in the Fourth Gospel
- Notes
- Bibliographic Index
- Subject Index
The Community of the Beloved Disciple is one of the most influential works of twentieth-century Johannine scholarship. This new printing, assisted by Paul Anderson’s helpful introduction, is poised to inspire another generation of students and scholars.
—Christopher W. Skinner, Loyola University Chicago
The Community of the Beloved Disciple encapsulates much of Raymond Brown’s work on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles and continues to stimulate scholarly debate, as the useful introduction by Paul Anderson indicates.
—Harold Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity, Emeritus, Yale University Divinity School
This new edition makes Raymond Brown’s seminal work on Johannine literature available to the next generation of interpreters. Paul Anderson’s introduction articulates the historical context and novel insights of Brown’s work, making this volume a staple of contemporary study.
—Sherri Brown, professor of New Testament, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska