Jousting with John: Essays on Jews, Gender, and Ethics in the Fourth Gospel

The Gospel of John is a book that tantalizes and disturbs in equal measure. Its sublime imagery makes spirits soar. Its positive portrayal of women such as the Samaritan woman, the Bethany sisters, and Mary Magdalene, tickle the imagination when it comes to the roles of women in the early church. Its disparagement of the Jews, however, reverberates through the long history of anti-Judaism and antisemitism to this very day.

Adele Reinhartz has been one of the foremost interpreters of the Go...