Additional Reading

The books on the Fourth Gospel are legion. Most of them, however, deal with the higher criticism of the Gospel or elucidate the text, though many of these expound the teaching with greater or less fulness. Among them Bishop Westcott's Gospel according to St. John (1882) is distinguished by its spiritual insight and fine devotional tone. Some of the best expositions of the thought of the Gospel are to be found in general books on New Testament theology, of which the following are good examples : Prof. Moffatt's Theology of the Gospels (1912); Prof. Du Bose, The Gospel in the Gospels (1905); and Prof. Denney, Jesus and the Gospel (1908). The following three books may be specially mentioned: by Bishop Westcott (new edit., London, 1905). A briefer sketch will be found in the present writer's Guild text-book (London, A. & C. Black), which contains a selected Bibliography of other books dealing with the subject.

The case for the need of the Revision of the Authorized Version is admirably stated by Archbishop Trench in his Essay On the Authorized Version of the New Testament (2nd edit., London, 1859), by Bishop Ellicott in his Considerations on the Revision of the English Version of the New Testament (London, 1870), and by Bishop Lightfoot, with more direct reference to the original Greek, in his most suggestive study On a Fresh Revision of the English New Testament (3rd edit., London, 1891). Bishop Ellicott, who acted as Chairman of the New Testament Revision Committee, has also given a most interesting account of the Committee's proceedings in a small volume entitled Addresses on the Revised Version of Holy Scripture (London, S.P.C.K., 1901).

The way in which the new renderings can be made profitable for preaching is well brought out in Dean Vaughan's volume of sermons, Authorized, or Revised? (London, 1882). But, above all, for a proper apprehension of the importance of the Revisers' work, no one should neglect Bishop Westcott's Some Lessons of the Revised Version of the New Testament (London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1897), in which the significance of the various changes introduced is traced with all the writer's marvellous acquaintance with the original Greek text, and deep spiritual insight.