The Gospel of John is a story that claims to speak about the past; however, in order to say something about the past, storytellers must know something of that past. In this follow-up to How John Works: Storytelling in the Fourth Gospel, a team of international scholars moves beyond genre, style, and character to examine the types of knowledge the Fourth Evangelist drew upon to write his gospel. Contributors Paul N. Anderson, Richard Bauckham, Jo-Ann A. Brant, Andrew J. Byers, Douglas Estes, Edward H. Gerber, Stan Harstine, Wendy E. S. North, George L. Parsenios, Christopher A. Porter, Tyler Smith, and Catrin H. Williams focus on a range of topics, including memory, tradition, spirit, rhetoric, imagination, and more. Together the twelve essays build a narrative epistemology that establishes what a writer must know in order to craft a narrative about the past. This collection is sure to become an essential textbook for students of the gospels in general and John in particular.

Douglas Estes is Associate Professor of Religion at New College of Florida. He is the author or editor of thirteen books and more than fifty articles and essays, including How John Works: Storytelling in the Fourth Gospel (SBL Press, 2016).