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Product Description

At the beginning of his gospel, John refers to Jesus Christ as the Logos—the “Word.” John Ronning makes a case that the Jewish Targums—interpretive translations of the Old Testament into Aramaic that were read in synagogues—hold the key to understanding John’s Logos title. Examining numerous texts in the fourth gospel in the light of the Targums, Ronning shows how connecting the Logos with the targumic Memra (word) unlocks the meaning of a host of theological themes that run throughout the Gospel of John.

“John Ronning’s fresh and stimulating study of the Aramaic tradition and the light it sheds on John’s Logos theology represents another important, positive step in Johannine scholarship. The documentation is impressive and the arguments are compelling. There should no longer be any doubt about the role played by the targumic memra (‘word’) in Johannine Christology. Ronning’s book is must-reading for anyone interested in the Johannine writings.”
—Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia, Canada

“Targum research is an oft-neglected branch of biblical studies, and this book introduces a number of areas where these writings can shed light on the theology and exegesis of John’s gospel. While the author expects that it will take some time for interpreters used to other ideas to digest the material in this book, he hopes that perhaps at least there can be immediate agreement that scholars can no longer ignore or give superficial attention to the Targums while trying to explain John’s Logos title. An excellently researched and thought-provoking book. Highly recommended.”
—Martin McNamara, Professor of Scripture at Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy, Dublin, editor of The Aramaic Bible

“Ronning identifies an astonishing number of parallels that shed new light on John’s theology more generally. Even those who may not be persuaded will surely acknowledge that this work is a wonderful education on the subject. More important, it is a contribution that changes the nature of the scholarly debate, and as such it cannot be ignored.”
—Moisés Silva, author of Biblical Words and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Lexical Semantics, co-author of An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, and Invitation to the Septuagint

“Aramaic was the principal language of Jesus and his first followers, and the Bible in Aramaic -- available in the Targumim — was the version of Scripture they often presupposed. For that reason the Targumim are sometimes key to the exegesis of the New Testament. In the past, attention has focused on the Synoptic Gospels. In this book, Ronning shows that a critical reading of John's Gospel is also enriched by taking account of the Targumim.”
—Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion, Bard College

Reviews

"Before the first century c.e. the reading of the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services was accompanied by oral translation into Aramaic, the language of the common people since returning from exile. These Targums came to be written down between the second and fourth centuries C.E. They were not always literal translations, but sometimes reflected current traditions and interpretations. One feature in the Targums is avoidance of anthropomorphisms and the distancing of God from too-close Association with creation through circumlocutions like Memra and Shekinah. For example, “I will cover you with my hand” (Exod 33:22) would be rendered “I will shield you with my Memra.” Literally, memra means “the word.” However, the grammatical usage suggests that it is no hypostasis of God. Scholars have generally left it untranslated. Ronning insists that it should be translated, and precisely as “the Word” (capitalized). He argues that this way the Targums best illuminate John’s use of ho logos as the divine word. Though the greater majority of scholars prefer to seek the background to John’s Logos in the OT “word of the Lord,” developments of the wisdom tradition, the Logos of Philo, or a confluence of all of these, Ronning has made a case that is massively documented and calls for a second look at the question. This work is naturally for the initiated."
—The Bible Today

John Ronning lectures in Old Testament and Biblical languages at the John Wycliffe Theological College in greater Johannesburg, South Africa. The college is affiliated with North-West University, where Ronning is an adjunct lecturer for the Faculty of Theology.

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