Come and Read introduces numerous hermeneutical approaches to biblical literature and includes examples of those approaches in action through the contributions of top scholars in the field. The book takes up three different passages throughout John’s Gospel—John 1:1-18, John 10, and John 20—setting different approaches to each passage side-by-side. The sections of this collection are interconnected by virtue of their association with John’s story. In addition, each section of the book will include readings of the focus passage from the same four interpretive perspectives. These four umbrella perspectives (intertextual, ideological, rhetorical, and narrative) are intentionally broadly conceived so that a variety of particular reading strategies are surveyed in the collection. Overall, this book will provide insight into current hermeneutical practices on the Gospel of John, and implicitly the rest of the Bible as well. It will also demonstrate how to use these methods effectively, illustrating not only the value of using a variety of approaches for interpreting the text, but also the impact various methods have on the interpretations rendered.

Contributions by: Helen K. Bond, Jo-Ann A. Brant, Sherri Brown, Warren Carter, Lindsey S. Jodrey, Craig S. Keener, Craig R. Koester, Kasper Bro Larsen, Dorothy A. Lee, Alicia D. Myers, Angela N. Parker, Catrin H. Williams