Jesus Risen in Our Midst Essays on the Resurrection of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel

Those of us familiar with the copious, original, and creative work of Sandra Schneiders have long waited for a book on John 20, a text that has shadowed much of what she has said and written since her dissertation in 1975. This book provides us with what she wishes to share, and we have every reason to be grateful.

A collection of already published studies focuses on matters of crucial importance for contemporary biblical scholarship, theology, and spirituality. In the first half of the book, her reading of John 20 clarifies the importance of the bodily presence of the glorified Jesus for an understanding of the Christian Church as Jesus Risen in Our Midst. The second half of the study reflects profoundly on the Johannine understanding of Jesus' death as taking away the sins of the world and the commissioning of the Spirit-filled Church to continue Jesus' mission by forgiving sin and by embracing those who have been forgiven. Again: to be Jesus Risen in Our Midst.

These questions are faced with clarity and depth, in close discussion with some of the most provocative thinkers of our time. By means of these essays, approaching John 20 from different angles, Sandra Schneiders states and restates her rich and singular understanding of what God has done for us in and through Jesus Christ.

The presence of the Risen Jesus to the community of faith endlessly provokes the response of writings rich in meaning and inspiration. Sandra Schneiders' book is a wonderful example. Specialists in Scripture, spirituality, theology, hermeneutics, pastoral care, and even philosophy will want to claim this work as a product of their respective disciplines. However, it eludes any easy categorisation as it brings together six of the author's recent essays focusing on John's treatment of the Risen Christ, especially in the twentieth chapter of the gospel. Condensing and enriching a great range of scholarship, Schneiders' work belongs to a new wave of writing on the Resurrection-the all-deciding event increasingly appreciated as the central consideration for Christian faith and theology, despite being rather neglected or just taken for granted in previous ages. In vigorous, clear language, this book serves to sharpen the focus of faith and spirituality on the eve nt that shapes and sustains the hope of Christians. Further, by grounding Christian faith in the bodily character of the Risen One, these essays underscore the bodily dimension of our redemption and enlarge the meaning of spirituality itself. There is something for everyone in this book: no one working to defend, commend, and illuminate the meaning of faith in Christ can afford to miss it.

Schneiders' essays offer the chance to critically and seriously engage with one gospel account of the Resurrection and also to be challenged to integrate this into a vibrant spirituality of `presence.' The dynamic proclamation, `He is risen,' can still resonate in Christian lives today.

Sandra Schneiders' lifetime of work with the Gospel of John, intersecting her deep engagement with the field of hermeneutics, has produced a volume of insight into the challenges of the Resurrection of Jesus. These essays, gathered from the past few years, are freshly situated for the consideration of those interested in the crucial matter of the Resurrection of Jesus. Schneiders has anticipated the challenges of contemporaries and presented the issues to us in most provocative and helpful terms. This book is a must-read for any Christian seeking postmodern engagement with this most central mystery of Christianity.

This book is truly a treasure. For the past decade, Sandra Schneiders has been sharing her profound insights into the Gospel of John with disparate groups through various lectures and articles. Here she gathers this wisdom into one volume, providing an indispensable resource for preachers, teachers, scholars, and students of the Bible. She leads her readers to a profound understanding of the bodiliness of the resurrection and how Jesus continues to be present to his disciples, as depicted in John 20-21. She invites us into a transformative encounter with the Risen One who commissioned his disciples to continue his mission throughout time.

Jesus Risen in Our Midst is a feast of skilled exegesis and creative theological reflection. With the clarity and command that readers of Schneiders' work have come to expect, this collection of essays delivers consistently fresh perspectives on Jesus' Resurrection in the Gospel of John as it explores hermeneutics, embodiment, spirituality, and salvation throughout. Whether new to theology or a longtime student, this readable volume will challenge and delight.