Wounded Lord: Reading John Through the Eyes of Thomas: A Pastoral and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel

Robert H. Smith

Sep 2009 · Wipf and Stock Publishers

About this ebook

John's gospel does not record "Thomas's doubt," as later generations of Christians have branded the story. Rather, John presents Thomas's faith. In this work, Robert H. Smith approaches Thomas as one who believes in the reality of incarnation: God has a body. Too often, Smith argues, Christians read John's gospel for its lyrical discourses. The resulting portrait of Jesus is a "cross-less Christ," a portrait that contributes powerfully to Christian triumphalism. In contrast, Smith finds that the evangelist always has the cross in view. Smith reads John "backwards," through the eyes of Thomas. In so doing, he demonstrates the centrality of a wounded Lord in the theology of the gospel. But this book does not end with hermeneutics. Smith advances his discussion into the life of discipleship. Anyone dwelling in Christ's body will be similarly marked. What does it mean to live in the world as the marked body of Christ? Everyone who poses the question will want to read this book. Martha E. Stortz Professor of Historical Theology and Ethics Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary/The Graduate Theological Union Berkeley, California

About the author

Robert H Smith (1932-2006), was professor of New Testament at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and served as a member of the core doctoral faculty of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is the author of Apocalypse: A Commentary on Revelation in Words and Images (2000), and Easter Gospels: The Resurrection of Jesus According to the Four Evangelists (1983) He has published commentaries on Matthew (1989), Acts (1970), and Hebrews (1984). He co-authored several books with Paul Fullmer, Read Greek by Friday (Wipf &Stock, 2004), Read Greek by Friday: The Gospel of John & 1 John (Wipf & Stock, 2005), Greek at a Glance (Wipf & Stock, 2007).