John for Everyone, Part 2 (The New Testament for Everyone)

This volume is part one of a two part set, and this set is part of a series of readable paperwork commentaries. For full understanding, read Part 1 of this set first. The author should really be listed as N.T. Wright, not Tom Wright. N.T. Wright is a well known scholar, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews. In this series he makes the Bible readable, approachable, and understandable to all of us. N.T. Wright's own translation is embedded in the text.The format is unique. Each paperback volume tackles a book of the Bible, in this case a two-volume set for the book of John. Each chapter begins with Wright's own translation of a section of a chapter, followed by a few pages of explanation, illustration, and commentary. In the back of the book is a glossary of terms, explaining some of the words or phrases that might be puzzling to an average reader.The sections are good for Bible study, but they are also wonderful for personal devotional reading. N.T. Wright obviously not only loves the Book he is explaining, he also loves the Lord and carefully draws the reader to really see and understand Jesus the Savior and Messiah through the eyes of John.Part 2 expands on the themes and structure of Part 1, bringing them full circle. Trusting that the reader has been paying attention, N.T. Wright points out how John has now answered the questions he asked in the first chapter of his Gospel, now fully declaring Jesus to be the Messiah that Israel, and indeed the whole Creation, has been waiting for.

Bishop Wright is CS Lewis for the 21st century. His two books about The Gospel of John are a sufficient introduction to that gospel for any Christian enquirer even at the most basic level but (and here is Tom Wright's real gift), they are never simplistic.Bishop Wright doesn't skirt the tough issues but he takes care to stick to the important points. He never confuses the beginner with too much esoterica.Unlike other brief commentaries, this author includes the full text of John's Gospel. Each section begins with the gospel text, followed by Bishop Wright's commentary.Highly recommended by me for inquirer's classes, junior high Sunday School, basic Bible classes for adults with no previous exposure to Holy Scripture, and for curious non-Christians ("New Testament for Dummies").Although the author is a Bishop in the Church of England & most of his readers so far have probably been Anglicans, these are by no means parochial works. I see them as exerting a strong appeal to anyone who wants to begin the study of John's Gospel, regardless of their religious orientation or lack thereof.

It's always been a challenge finding books for laypeople to read about Scripture. Books for an academic audience are generally inaccessible; and often, commentaries intended for a lay audience are entirely disconnected from the best theological and scholarly commentaries. In this light, N. T. Wright has a gift for taking real scholarship and making it relevant for real people. Unlike many academics, he clearly sees a need for the results of his academic, scholarly work to get translated down to books that don't require a theology degree to understand. His books on John were exactly what I was looking for for the Bible study I was leading. They're not quite commentaries in the sense that they don't try to explain every difficult in the text: you'd never want to use them to help you exegete a passage. But if you know the scholarship, you'll realize that a whole bunch of research is sitting behind every paragraph.

I love the book. It explains through stories the greatest book ever written. The book of john.The author uses incredible literary techniques. Is amazing to see how he can make one part of the bible a simple or deep explanation.God bless

I am a huge fan of Wright's work, and this is no exception. I found that he had the right balance of academic knowledge balanced with meaningful devotional discussion. I felt a deep love for the Savior reading about the beautiful gospel of John, and this book helped me appreciate it on a deeper level.

John for everyone is both simple and profound... theologically rich. NT Wright is such a boss when it comes to bringing down profound truth in simple ways. This book has enriched my reading of John’s gospel and add value to my personal reflections and my sermons.

Wright explains so well what John is doing, as John explains so well what God has been doing since the beginning. The retelling of the creation story with the beginning of new creation and the second Adam is so insightful. I never saw all those allusions and connections. A great read on many levels.

So readable and helpful to the ordinary Bible student. Wright makes his scholarship readily accessible to all.He takes the text somewhat large segments and focuses on the most important elements of the story. But in the process, you will learn many details that help make the story come alive to the modern reader and teacher.

Once again Tom Wright gives access to the Bible for the non-scholar in such an encouraging way. It is Christ revealing, faith building and Gods honouring.

Easy to follow and understand, well written and thoughtful,leaves you thinking and smiling. I've read all the gospel's like this, it's excellent

I have enjoyed and benefited from reading all the " ... for Everyone" commentaries by Tom Wright. This is now the second time around and just as good on Kindle as the paper version. Just lighter to carry.

Wright prepares the reader for the drama then stages it in an intimate theatre with the reader in the front row. There is no escaping the uncompromising reality of the character of Jesus, the frailty and naivety of his followers, or the calculating evil of the world which rejected it's saviour. Audience participation is not optional - it is required - it is inevitable.

What a great insight and very appropriate for this time of year