Bible Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective provides a remarkably thorough explication of John's gospel from multiple perspectives and points-of-view. The book is divided into five main parts, in addition to the appendices, indexes, and study tools. Author Andreas J. Kostenberger formats Encountering John as a textbook, and yet the tome also serves as a reference book that complements exegetical works and Biblical commentaries.

In the preface materials, Kostenberger clearly states that the book is intended for an audience of students. However, the tone is personal, informal, and familiar, rather than strictly scholarly or academic. This is due to in part to the fact that Kostenberger writes as a believer for believers, resisting the temptation to secularize biblical studies. The primary audience for Encountering John is students in biblical, theological, or seminary school who seek deep understanding of the gospel.

Part One of Encountering John covers basic history, chronology, narrative, and theological elements. It is here that Kostenberger addresses the important issue of establishing authorship of the gospel, citing evidence from both textual and extra-textual sources. The author also defines the term gospel, and discusses the Gospel...

Briefly accounting for the similarities and differences between the different synoptic gospels, Kostenberger covers the core themes of John's text including Christ, God, salvation, and the new covenant. Furthermore, Kostenberger notes that there are two approaches to the study of the gospel: first, the historical perspective and second, the perspective taking into account specific issues like eschatology.
In Part Two, Kostenberger focuses exclusively on the connotation of "the word" in John's gospel. John's gospel includes a prologue, and Kostenberger discusses the thematic, structural, and theological function of this prologue. Drawing from contextual issues such as Greek philosophy and the philosophy of the Old Testament, Kostenberger postulates about John's emphasis on "the word," as well as John's selection of specific literary devices and structures to convey the gospel. Concluding this chapter is a brief section on the incarnation.

Part Three, entitled "Encountering the Earthly Jesus," details the specific content of the gospel of John in terms of how it details the life of Christ. The signs, such as turning water into wine, are the keynotes and cornerstones of this chapter. Chronicling Jesus's early ministry, Kostenberger discusses the signs of Christ through the escalating conflicts that arose. Kostenberger points out that the signs became more pronounced and intense,…