Book Reviews and More: The Gospel According to John - Henry Wansbrough OSB

The Gospel According to John

CTS Scriptures

Henry Wansbrough OSB (Introduction)

Catholic Truth Society

ISBN 9781860821608

CTS Booklet SC75

Larger Print Edition

ISBN 9781860826054

CTS Booklet SC93

I love the books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. Over the last 5 years I have read 250 books and booklets from the CTS. And have many more on my ‘to be read’ list. Late last year I read three books from the CTS that were The Gospel According to Luke, a regular one, a larger print edition and a special edition from The Year of Mercy. I enjoyed them so much I ordered copies for the other three gospels. This is one of two booklets that are almost identical, they are:

The Gospel According to John

The Gospel According to John Larger Print Edition

The difference between the two versions is that they are printed-on paper that is twice the size. I particularly enjoyed the introduction by Dom for this Goepel. The chapters and sections in all three are:

Introduction

The Gospel According to John

Prologue

I. The First Passover

II. Journeys in Samaria and Galilee

III. The Second Feast At Jerusalem

IV. Another Passover, the Bread of Life

V. The Feast of Tabernacles

VI. The Feast of Dedication

VII. The Last Passover

VIII. The day of Christ’s Resurrection

Conclusion

Appendix

The description of this specific edition is:

“John's Gospel is completely different from the other three in style and in content as well. John the Evangelist is traditionally identified with the Apostle John mentioned throughout the text as the disciple that Jesus loved. John's Gospel is remarkable for its prologue on the word becoming flesh and Jesus' great priestly prayer at the Last Supper.”

The description of the Larger Print Edition is:

“"Holiness and prayer is inconceivable without a renewed listening to the word of God – a life-giving encounter, which directs and shapes our lives. " – John Paul II

John's Gospel is completely different from the other three in style and in content as well. John the Evangelist is traditionally identified with the Apostle John mentioned throughout the text as the disciple that Jesus loved. John's Gospel is remarkable for its prologue on the Word becoming flesh and Jesus' great priestly prayer at the Last Supper. The Gospel is introduced by Dom Henry Wansbrough OSB, who also gives practical guidance for personal reading and reflection. The Jerusalem Bible translation is that read in Church.

Larger print edition in font size 14pt.”

I have now read two of the four gospels in these editions. And I love them as booklets for reading. I wish they were available as eBooks.

I highlighted a few passages in the introduction and they were:

“The fourth gospel is a challenge to the reader. It is very different from the other, synoptic, gospels. The outline pattern is different: the synoptics show Jesus making a single, week-long visit to Jerusalem at the end of his ministry, but John shows him making four separate visits to Jerusalem. In the synoptics Jesus’ opponents are described as Sadducees, Pharisees and scribed: in John Sadducees and scribes are not mentioned and the opponents are described overwhelmingly as ‘the Jews’.”

“An opposition – or bipolarity – is at the heart of the gospel; ‘He came to his own and his own received him not’ (1:10). They preferred darkness to light, blindness to sight, falsehood to truth, death to life.”

“Many authors have likened John to an eagle circling high in the skies. John mediates loftily on the elevated truths about Christ from different angles. This gospel especially must be read reflectively and slowly in order to appreciate the many different levels of meaning which are often only hinted at. The prologue particularly is a wonderful treasury of the revelation imparted by the body of the gospel, and a summary of the tensions involved in the confrontations between the Word made flesh, his own people who did not accept him and those to whom he gave power to become children of God.”

I also highlighted the section at the very beginning about The Jerusalem Bible Translation:

“The Jerusalem Bible was first published in 1966. It was produced by a team of distinguished English scholars (including J.R.R. Tolkien), working under Alexander Jones. It made available for English readers the finding of French Bible de Jerusalem Published a decade earlier by the famous French biblical school in Jerusalem, the first Catholic Bible edition to incorporate all the advances of modern biblical study. The Jerusalem Bible was the first translation of the whole Bible into modern English, and as such has maintained its status as authorised for use in the liturgy.”

Out of all the different bible translations that I have read, the Jerusalem Bible is my favourite for just sitting and reading. This booklet and the Larger Print counterparts are excellent resources. I recommend them to you.

An excellent resources from the Catholic Truth Society!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

Books by Henry Wansbrough OSB:

CTS Books:

36 Days & 36 Ways Daily Meditations from Advent to the Epiphany Year B

40 Days and 40 Ways Daily Meditations for Lent Year A

40 Days and 40 Ways Daily Meditations for Lent Year B

40 Days and 40 Ways Daily Meditations for Lent Year C

A Year with the Bible: 365 Daily Reflections

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: The Year of Mercy

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: Year A

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: Year B

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: Year C

Jesus: The Real Evidence