Читать книгу The Gospel of John and the Religious Quest - Johannes Nissen - Страница 4

In 2010 I published a book in Danish on the Gospel of John and the religious quest that forms the basis of the present volume. Although the content and outline are essentially the same, the English version is not a direct translation. Some minor changes and additions have been made for the following reasons:

In the first place the present book is aimed at an international circle of readers. In consequence, more literature is surveyed and the number of references to the scholarly debate has increased.

Second, I have taken into consideration new books and articles published since the Danish original. The debate on the character of mission and religious dialogue is an ongoing process. It is my hope that this publication will make a contribution to this discussion.

My purpose with this publication is not to present a new commentary on the Fourth Gospel, but rather to interpret selected parts of the Gospel with a specific view to the religious quest and the encounter of religions. The title of the book has a twofold meaning. On the one hand it reflects the understanding that the Gospel in its origin was part of a dialogue with people of various religious traditions. On the other hand it indicates how the Gospel is used today—by Christians and non-Christians in a vivid dialogue with those who live in non-Christian religious traditions.

Biblical quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) unless otherwise stated. Translations of quotations that I myself have made are marked with an asterisk.

Special thanks are due to Edward Broadbridge, who read and corrected the English text. I am also grateful to Aarhus University Research Foundation for financial support for the linguistic revision. Finally, I would like to thank Pickwick Publications for their readiness to publish this book.

Johannes Nissen

Aarhus, February 2013