Scan barcode
A review by jdparker9
The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Evangelical Exposition of John 14-17 by D. A. Carson
3.0
D.A. Carson has republished his exposition of John 14 - 17 under the title The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: an Evangelical Exposition of John 14 - 17. Originally presented as a series of addresses for a number of academic conferences across North America, The Farewell Discourse offers an extended mediation on the import of Jesus's final extended time of preparation with his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. That the chapters were originally given in an academic context is clear, all things considered, which makes the content dry at points. However, the work is not a commentary, strictly speaking, and those elements proper in an address but not in a lecture--such as pulling extended sections from related hymns and poems to illustrate a point--make the slog more bearable at points.
And this book can feel like a slog. I personally consider the Upper Room Discourse to be the height of the didactic material in the gospels. As far as I'm concerned, there is not a greater concentration of powerful and relevant material for the contemporary disciple of Jesus. There's comfort, hope, and promises of vindication even in the face of persecution and suffering.
That said, Carson milks as much as he can out of chapters 14 - 17 to the degree that the material would perhaps have been better suited for a commentary, which affords the ability to--and works with the reader's expectation that the author will--pay attention to minute details of the text and chase down interpretative arguments. Content-wise, the book is rich. There's relatively little to quibble with as far as Carson's interpretation of John 14 - 17 is concerned. Nevertheless, perhaps the mode in which the book was written could have undergone a kind of revision. Something a little less dense, a little less like a commentary cutout, etc.
Despite that minor issue, Carson's work in The Farewell Discourse is valuable and certainly worth the shelf space. He contributes to one's understanding of the Upper Room and functions as a worthy consult for popular-level Johannine studies.
<><><>
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers http://www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
And this book can feel like a slog. I personally consider the Upper Room Discourse to be the height of the didactic material in the gospels. As far as I'm concerned, there is not a greater concentration of powerful and relevant material for the contemporary disciple of Jesus. There's comfort, hope, and promises of vindication even in the face of persecution and suffering.
That said, Carson milks as much as he can out of chapters 14 - 17 to the degree that the material would perhaps have been better suited for a commentary, which affords the ability to--and works with the reader's expectation that the author will--pay attention to minute details of the text and chase down interpretative arguments. Content-wise, the book is rich. There's relatively little to quibble with as far as Carson's interpretation of John 14 - 17 is concerned. Nevertheless, perhaps the mode in which the book was written could have undergone a kind of revision. Something a little less dense, a little less like a commentary cutout, etc.
Despite that minor issue, Carson's work in The Farewell Discourse is valuable and certainly worth the shelf space. He contributes to one's understanding of the Upper Room and functions as a worthy consult for popular-level Johannine studies.
<><><>
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers http://www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.