John – Jesus – History A program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature

Statement of Purpose

The "John, Jesus, and History Group" highlights issues related to the Johannine tradition and the composition-history of the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles, with special emphasis on the place of these documents in contemporary study of Christian origins. Dialogue on these issues is encouraged through the group's annual meetings and through other venues throughout the year.

Program Overview

• PHASE ONE:

  • Consultation Sessions 2002–2004

  • Published papers now available in John, Jesus, and History: Volume 1 (in the SBL's "Symposium Series")

• PHASE TWO:

  • Aspects of Historicity in John 1–4 (Nov. 19-22, 2005, in Philadelphia, PA)

  • Aspects of Historicity in John 5–12 (Nov. 18-21, 2006, in Washington, DC)

  • Aspects of Historicity in John 13–21 (Nov. 17-20, 2007, in San Diego, CA)

  • Published papers now available in John, Jesus, and History: Volume 2 (in the SBL series: "Early Christianity and Its Literature," 2 )

• PHASE THREE:

  • The Passion of Jesus (Nov. 21-25, 2008, in Boston, MA)

  • The Works of Jesus (Nov. 20-24, 2009, in New Orleans, LA)

  • The Words of Jesus (Nov. 19-23, 2010, in Atlanta, GA)

  • Published papers now available in John, Jesus, and History: Volume 3 (in the SBL series: "Early Christianity and Its Literature," 18)

• PHASE FOUR: Jesus Remembered in the Johannine Tradition

  • Nov. 19-22, 2011 – San Francisco, CA

  • Nov. 17-20, 2012 – Chicago, IL

  • Nov. 23-26, 2013 – Baltimore, MD

• PHASE FIVE: Jesus Remembered in the Johannine Situation

  • Nov. 22-25, 2014 – San Diego, CA

  • Nov. 21-24, 2015 – Atlanta, GA

  • Nov. 19-22, 2016 – San Antonio, TX

  • See the SBL Website for further updates

Members of the JJH Steering Committee during Its 15 Years:

• Paul N. Anderson, George Fox University, Newberg, OR - founder
• Tom Thatcher, Cincinnati Christian University, Cincinnati, OH - founder
• Helen Bond, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• Mary Coloe, Australian Catholic University
• R. Alan Culpepper, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA
• Felix Just, SJ, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
• Craig Koester, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN
• D. Moody Smith, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC
• Jaime Clark-Soles, Perkins School of Theology, Dallas, TX
• Catrin Williams, University of Wales, Great Britain

Associated Publications:

• See our page listing Recently Published and Forthcoming Books related to the interests of this group: the relationship of the Gospel of John and the Historical Jesus.

Overviews of the JJH Project, by Paul Anderson:

• 2010: "The John, Jesus, and History Project: New Glimpses of Jesus and a Bi-Optic Hypothesis" - https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/articles/john1357917
• 2015: "Glimpses of Jesus Through the Johannine Lens: An Introduction and Overview of John, Jesus, and History, Volume 3" - https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/articles/2015/12/and398021
• 2019: "The John, Jesus, and History Project and a Fourth Quest for Jesus." In: Jesus, Skepticism, and the Problem of History: Criteria and Context in the Study of Christian Origins (Grand Rapids: Zondervan) - download PDF from academia.edu

Associated Special Conferences:

• Nov. 17-19, 2010: Symposium on the Johannine Epistles - Sponsored by the McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA

• Nov. 20-22, 2013 - Sponsored by St. Mary's Seminary & University, Baltimore, MD

• Nov. 18-20, 2015 - Sponsored by the McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA

LINKS and RESOURCES:

 
THE  SOCIETY  OF  BIBLICAL  LITERATURE
Homepage of the largest professional association devoted to biblical studies.

See also the Homepage of the JOHANNINE LITERATURE SECTION of the Society of Biblical Literature
 

THE  JOHANNINE  LITERATURE  WEB
Resources for the academic study of the Fourth Gospel and the Letters of John.

This website is sponsored by the Steering Committee of the John, Jesus, and History Group.

For comments about this website, please contact the webmaster:
Felix Just, SJ, fjust@jesuits.org