The Johannine circle

New insights into the development and the origin of the Gospel of John are Oscar Cullmann's chief concern in this significant book. The author's primary thesis is that there is within Judaism a "Johannine Circle" that stands behind the Gospel and continues its theological concern. In this volume, not only does he establish the origin of that Circle within Judaism but he also defines its position within primitive Christianity, and investigates its beginnings, character, and setting.

Continuing his own earlier works on the relationship of the Gospel of John and the group surrounding Stephen, the Samaritans, and heterodox Judaism (which have unexpectedly been confirmed by recent Samaritan studies), he has employed these conclusions toward a solution of the remaining Johannine problems.

Dr. Cullmann's investigation brings new light to the subject, and his original new conclusions differ both from the tradition of the church and from the views put forward by the majority of scholars. As Dr. Cullmann himself admits, "my work is independent of both points of view."

THE JOHANNINE CIRCLE will help serious students of the New Testament solve various problems posed by any New Testament interpreter. In addition, Dr. Cullmann's arguments concerning the purpose of the Gospel of John will be an inestimable aid in interpreting its true meaning.

OSCAR CULLMANN has been Professor of the New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Basel and at the Ecole des Hautes-Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, and, since 1972, full member of the Institut de France. He is the author of many books, including Christ and Time: The Primitive Christian Conception of Time and History; The New Testament: An Introduction for the General Reader; and The Christology of the New Testament.