The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic

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Spong avoided this gospel and attacked any antisemitism or other weirdness he thought was caused by it. After 36 years of also avoiding Bultman's commentary on it, he finally sat down to wrestle with it and this is the result. Spong has finally reconciled this book with his own view of Christianity - and good on him! Somehow he is able to believe in the greatness and wonder of God's love without a creed nailing it down.

Once you have a creed, he asserts, you draw a line in the sand and it will inevitably lead to violence. The backstory of the book of John is that it was written by Jews excommunicated from the synagogue for insisting that Jesus was messiah.

This explains the onus placed on "The Jews" for the crucifixion. Spong says "The Jews" is a code word for the hierarchy of the synagogue. And, of course, Pilate is given special velvet glove treatment to curry favor with the Roman overlords. Footnotes are few, and most of them just refer the reader to the bibliography for "information" usually one of his other books, on sale at bookshops everywhere, but sometimes the works of others , and are designed to keep him on topic and not wander off on something else that's just terribly interesting.

Spong intentionally annoys the literalists early in the game by listing all the things that Just Plain Never Happened and people that Never Existed. A few interesting crumbs I gleaned from the corpus: Who was the Beloved Disciple who gets to lie with his head on Jesus' bosom symposium-style, for dinner blocking Peter from asking questions?

Well, after tantalizing us with the idea that the risen Lazarus was beloved by Jesus, [Spoiler Alert] Spong tells us it isn't anyone. The Beloved Disciple is a made-up character that represents the person that "gets it. You are the beloved disciple. There is room for you in that spot. What a nice thought! On either side are characters from The Wizard of Oz , but not Dorothy. That's because sighs and rolls eyes the child entering the children's room becomes Dorothy. The early Christians listening to this book being read become the Beloved Disciple. Gosh, High Concept drives me nuts.

He hopes to lure us non-believers back this way. It hasn't really done that for me, but it has made me pity the literalists even more.

How sad that they wait for the God that they control with their picayune creeds to come and solve all their problems and punish those they envy or hate when He never went anywhere to come back from. Jesus keeps saying, You're looking at Him, He's in me.

This God is as big as the universe and as light as the space between atoms. At least according to John as interpreted by Spong. Wouldn't it be easier to just forgive them directly? Thoroughly enjoyed this study of the Gospel according to John by a writer who has been hugely influential in how I approach the Christian and Jewish Scriptures ever since I read Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism many years ago. John's Jesus is very unlike the Jesus found in the other Gospels. H Thoroughly enjoyed this study of the Gospel according to John by a writer who has been hugely influential in how I approach the Christian and Jewish Scriptures ever since I read Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism many years ago.

He doesn't use parables. He speaks in long, self-referential speeches. I'm only sorry that this could be Spong's last book. Jan 13, Teri Peterson rated it really liked it Shelves: Sure to spark discussion, that's for certain! The parts most likely to cause trouble are in the Easter narrative. I'm pretty darn liberal and I'm not sure i'd go for his conclusions. I enjoyed the treatments of the characters and learning why they would be written as they ar Sure to spark discussion, that's for certain!

I enjoyed the treatments of the characters and learning why they would be written as they are--what they point to both in history and theology. Apr 02, Jarkko Laine rated it really liked it Shelves: John Sponge presents a compelling way of understanding the fourth gospel as a work of a Jewish mystic.

In the first few chapters, he does a great job at presenting his case and even though I still think I will have to think about this a little more I buy it. As a book, though, this gets a bit boring after the first ten or so chapters: In all, a great book, even if finishing it fel John Sponge presents a compelling way of understanding the fourth gospel as a work of a Jewish mystic.

In all, a great book, even if finishing it felt a lot like work Sep 06, Stan Fleetwood rated it really liked it.

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A different interpretation of John's Gospel at least to me. Jun 02, Beth Nienow rated it really liked it. I was affected by the literary, mystical first chapter, the alternative creation account, the concept of Logos—The Word—and its role and identity! For Spong, John was never a favorite until he realized that it should be read through the lens of Jewish mysticism, and as an allegory for the time in which John was writing, many decades after the earthly life and death of Jesus, at the beginning of the Jesus Movement, or early Christianity.

According to Spong, those colorful characters, Nicodemus, Lazarus, the Beloved Disciple, the woman at the well, et al. If God is love, then it follows that Love is God, abiding in each of us. Nov 12, John Weldy rated it really liked it. Bishop Spong is known as a forceful and controversial figure.

This is not helped by the brash and unapologetic manner he adopts in most of his books. But this one is different. The fact that most creeds and dogmas rely so heavily on the Fourth Gospel is, according to Spong, a massive exercise in missing the point. By taking something so be Bishop Spong is known as a forceful and controversial figure.

By taking something so beautiful and transformative and stripping it down to literalism is to do violence to the text. What we have turned this gospel into, the author s would not recognize. This book is the subject of episodes of my podcast Reclaiming Christianity. Oct 31, Walter rated it really liked it. If you don't know the author and his work, retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong can be a real headshaker: If you know the author and his work and are not a fan, then the title "heretic" would seem to apply quite easily though there are those in this camp - misguided as they are in my view - who go all the way to "atheist".

If you know the author and his work and are a fan, the If you don't know the author and his work, retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong can be a real headshaker: If you know the author and his work and are a fan, then this latest volume will take you on another voyage of faith, discovery and revelation Simply put, The Fourth Gospel: To me, this book seems a little different from the author's previous oeuvre in a couple of respects: For example, at numerous points in the book, he refers to previous books and suggests that the reader go to them for a full elucidation of his point rather than summarizing it fully or, at least, adequately.

This being said, it is still a work of stunning insight and incredible inspiration. It's like being taken on a magical journey wherein the curtain is pulled back and what was once purposely obscured behind a mystical veil is now revealed in even greater splendor than one might expect. So, while his proofs are less convincing to me in this work, his conclusions are nonetheless powerful and leaving me shaking my head from a spiritual perspective because of their profundity.

In short, I find that the Good Book is often written in a way that makes its wisdom unnecessarily hard to access for the non-professional. So one of the reasons that I have become such a big fan of the Bishop is that he revels in and excels at de-mystifying the Scriptures in a way that unlocks new and deeper meaning for his reader.

This I believe to be one of his most important contributions: And he does so repeatedly in The Fourth Gospel as well. His parsing of the symbolism vs. It led me to a whole new understanding of this text and unlocked previously hidden to me meaning that has greatly increased my appreciation for this sacred work and measurably enhanced my spiritual belief set.

The Fourth Gospel brought John back to me, as I had let it go many years ago when I felt that I couldn't "see" what it contained fully. Bishop Spong has returned this work of sacred art and wisdom to me in a wonderful way, a gift for which I am and always will be grateful. Mar 06, Micke Goteman rated it really liked it. This is a way of reading the biblical books that I think most people are unfamiliar with if they were raised within the western church particularly the evangelical church.

And yet I believe it to be a really important perspective for anyone to wrestle with who aspire to take the Bible seriously. Nov 25, mark rated it really liked it Shelves: John Shelby Spong isn't your typical Episcopalian bishop: For Spong, Jesus's message was that God isn't in the heavens, isn't a being, isn't external to us in any way, but rather in accord with the ancient mystical belief that it is something that we all contain within us, that is, and Spong sees this inner q John Shelby Spong isn't your typical Episcopalian bishop: For Spong, Jesus's message was that God isn't in the heavens, isn't a being, isn't external to us in any way, but rather in accord with the ancient mystical belief that it is something that we all contain within us, that is, and Spong sees this inner quality as our ability to transcend the desire for survival at any cost.

The book is a very interesting re-visioning of the New Testament that does not need recourse to any theistic beliefs.

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Jul 31, Norman Weatherly rated it liked it. Often difficult to follow, often oblique and often dogmatic. I don't often give up on a book but this one forced me to. I could not follow his leaps of logic or leaps of faith and theology either. I didn't change my mind about anything that I believed and this book did not seal shut my belief in anything.

It left me with less than I started with in fact. Sorry, but I can not recommend this as a good read. Nov 21, Marco rated it it was amazing.

The author came to some interesting deductions. Whereas you are in favor of Christianity or looking for arguments to debunk it, this book offers a logic and beneficial perspective. Rich with Biblical references and historical background, it proposes to read the fourth gospel with a fresh perspective: It deserves more than 5 stars. Jun 03, Gary Gomes rated it really liked it. An excellent analysis of the Gospel of John. The author's description of the Gospel is very similar to my own. I've often referred to the Gospel of John as a poetic story of the meaning and purpose of Christianity.

Well understood to contain no trace of actual history this is the Gospel of a persecuted people in the late 1st century AD as told through the life of their savior. Highly recommend for anyone trying to reconcile John with the synoptic Gospels. Oct 13, Sheref Younan rated it liked it.

I was very excited when I started out on this book. I was excited to read a book that critically handles Gospels from a historic point of view, but finishing this book I find it lacking. The author keeps saying things like "Most Bible scholars believe so and so" without actually delving into what they said and why. Maybe I was expecting a different kind of book. Oct 08, Gayle Turner rated it really liked it. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is it's such a difficult read.

It is so deep and so insightful that I can commend it without reservation. This text illuminates the gospel of John. Shines light upon it's symbols and for me brought it to life. My faith is richer as a result of spending time with this book. Revealing new truths I was not ready at the start of the book to accept the ideas being proposed but as I continued with the book I understood more of the gospel and I saw everything in a new light that increased my understanding of faith.

I am very glad to have found this book and I will be reading more. Jul 14, Edward rated it liked it. Spong, an retired Episcopal bishop, who has written extensively on Biblical and theological issues, says that his aim is this book to "pull anti-Semitism out of Christian history and to pull creedal orthodoxy out of Christianity. He begins with the prologue "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God.

John's interpretation of Christ's message is that one is only truly free when a person can give his life away. That is the call of human life, and the meaning to which all of the "signs" of John's gospel point.

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The "word" is close to the notion of "wisdom" found in the Jewish Book of Proverbs. Both are pre-existent in that they have the potential to shape our lives and in that sense are the "light" of the world. Spong thinks all of the major themes of John's prologue are prefigured in the book of Proverbs. The stories of Christ and the various persons that he encounters in his life, both in his parables and in his actual life are "signs" that point to this reality. Spong says that none of John's gospel is to be taken literally. John's message is a non-rational mystical one that goes beyond language and human words.

The best that words can do is to point to the ultimate experience of wordlessness. These are, however, all we have to work with. If taken literally, though, we end up with a narrow and distorted view of Christ which sees him as an external being which comes out of the sky, enters the world and leaves it, leaving behind a religious system with definite rules which we are required to follow. These "rules" refer both to Judaic practices and to the "Christian" practices which would supplant them.

Throughout the gospel, various characters are shown as having difficulties in going beyond a literal approach and grasping the new vision of Christ, one that transcends all tribal identities that protect and make us feel comfortable. So when John refers to the "Jews", he is not condemning all Jews, only those who were clinging to their old ways, just as later, the same criticism could be applied to Christians who cling to "creedal" doctrines of what exactly HAS to be believed.

John's gospel is the last of the four gospels to have been written, and Spong thinks that it is the culmination of two or three different editions, and that there is no single author, only a growing tendency to shape the narrative as one that defines a type of Jew, one that is breaking away from Temple Jewishness with its strictures and rules.

Couldn't one object that Spong's interpretation of John's gospel is an invitation to relativism, that if there are no definite "creeds" that define what one believes, then anything goes? Of course, that's true, if an experience is wordless, then it cannot conceptually be communicated to another. And that's why Spong says that in spite of themselves, almost all Christians read John's gospel literally, as if the words pointed to objective rather than subjective experience.

Spong doesn't say so, concentrating as he does on Christianity, but that may be the problem with all religions. Dec 01, Earl Mcgowen rated it it was amazing. I really like what Spong has done here. Being a person that comes at spirituality from a evolutionary or historical-critical perspective, I have never had much use for figurative or metaphorical interpretations of the gospels.

At least the figurativists have freed themselves from the doctrinal lens of the 4th century or 19th century. However, I am not convinced that they are free from introducing their own bias or error. Here they are as guilty as the creedalist or literalist. So, when I heard tha I really like what Spong has done here. So, when I heard that Spong was doing a book on the Johannine communities' gospel, my first reaction was, "Why? I have waited all year to read Spongs interpretation of the Gospel of John, until the paperback edition. But, Spong is still doing an objective interpretation.

The interpretation starts from a figurative perspective of a 1st century Johannine mystic.

In traditional Spongian fashion, this hermeneutical perspective is then carried forward to modern day, relating the Johannine metaphor to our own world, holding to the evolutionary interpretation. This is very much in line with the Tolstoy tradition of both biblical rationalists and liberationists that people like me crave.

Spong describes the Johannine metaphors as signs, which he takes from the gospel itself. He outlines how the gospel calls for a figurative interpretation. From this perspective, Spong is able to disclose some very insightful perspectives. He has an interesting comparison of the Peter betrayal and the Judas betrayal. Judas never comes into the 'light. The Judas betrayal will continue to live in darkness committing more and more crimes to cover a growing body of lies until the costs exceed the costs of the original crime.

The Peter betrayal is forced into choosing survival while betraying their own purpose until, realizing their own betrayal, they finally step into the light their purpose even at the cost of their 'physical' life. There was a fascinating chapter on the Pontius Pilate sign. I loved Spong's analyses of the play on the use of the word 'King' between the state and religious authorities.

There is a chess match going on between the state authorities and religious authorities. It is just an enlightening and fascinating interpretation of domination systems as they cross that thin line dealing with those who have principals beyond the authority of these systems. I can see many modern comparisons. However, when Spong gets to the resurrection he slightly loses me. I have never been of fan of post-Easter layering into the pre-Easter gospels. For me, it means so little. Spong does point out that the post-Easter interpretation of the resurrection is very real to the Johannine community.

For now, I will leave it at that. There was a point in the reading where I wondered about the subtitle of the book, "Tales of a Jewish Mystic. In a way, there is a line that weaves through all of these, each from our own mystical context and social setting. Any way, Spong has been very important to me since I read Rescuing the Bible His books have always enlightened me, and this one will be no exception.

I believe that what he has done here will lead to this being one of his greatest works. Jun 09, Joe Henry rated it it was amazing.

The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic

When I first picked up this book, I misunderstood the title by thinking that the Gospel of John is about a Jewish mystic, namely Jesus. For example, Jesus says to Nicodemus: I am a grown man! How can I crawl back into my mother's womb and be born again? For example, Jesus does not just turn water into wine, he turns it into gallons of wine!

Jesus does not just give sight to a blind man, he gives sight to a man born blind! Jesus does not just raise a person from the dead, he raises one who has been dead and even buried for four days, one who is still bound in grave clothes and one who, according to the King James translation "already stinketh" with the odor of decaying flesh!

Finally this book will challenge the way the Fourth Gospel has been used in Christian history as the guarantor of what came to be called Christian orthodoxy or creedal Christianity. The Council of Nicea in C. The texts used to support that creedal development, my studies have led me to affirm, have nothing to do with an external God entering humanity in the person of Jesus, but are rather attempts to describe the experience of the human breaking the boundaries of consciousness and entering into the transformation available inside a sense of a mystical oneness with God.

If that is so, then the Fourth Gospel has the potential to become the primary biblical source upon the basis of which Christianity can be changed dramatically to speak with radical freshness to the 21st century. Christianity is not about the divine becoming human so much as it is about the human becoming divine. That is a paradigm shift of the first order. These are the conclusions to which my study of John's Gospel has led me, and they are the conclusions that I explore and document in this book "The Fourth Gospel:

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