Gnosticism, docetism, and the Judaisms of the first century

"Here, Urban C. von Wahlde presents an exploration of the three distinct cultural and religious backgrounds against which scholars have frequently proposed that the Gospel and Letters of John are to be read and understood. Each of the three possibilities is examined in turn, as von Wahlde shows how they may be regarded as plausible or implausible depending upon the evidence available. He shows that there are features within the Gospel and/or Letters of John that do in fact suggest that they were influenced either by Gnosticism, Docetism or one of the variant forms of Judaism. However, in each case, while some of the evidence suggests a particular background, von Wahlde shows that it is equally clear that not all of the evidence can be seen to suggest the same background. Through an examination of the origins and purpose of the gospel, and drawing on the conclusions of his well-regarded commentary on the Johannine literature, von Wahlde presents a new way of understanding the Gospel in its wider contexts."--