One of the most respected New Testament scholars of the twentieth century, Dr. Raymond E. Brown has authored over 40 books and more than 250 articles, a good number of them on John's Gospel. Dr. Brown was the Auburn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
In the excerpt below Professor Brown spoke of the differences between the four Evangelists' accounts of Jesus' arrest and crucifixion and specifically how John's Gospel provides strength for modern times.
WHEREAS THE JESUS of Mark/Matt is mocked on the cross, and the Jesus of Luke is forgiving, the Jesus of John is triumphant. . . . [John's] is the narrative that has made Good Friday good. It is a narrative for all those who in the course of history have been persecuted by the powerful, but whose sense that God is with them has made them realize how little power any worldly authority really has. Those who believe in Jesus have eternal life and like him they can say, 'No one takes it from me.' It is a passion seen so totally with the eyes of faith that the victim has become the conqueror. An eloquent sentence from I John (5:4) has caught the theological message that the fourth evangelist would convey to readers through his portrayal of the elevation of the Son of God on the cross: 'Whosever is begotten by God conquers the world, and the victory that conquers the world is our faith.'" Raymond E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah, Vol. l, From Gethsemane to the Grave (New York: Doubleday, 1994).
