Prayer in John’s Farewell Discourse
An Exegetical Investigation
by Scott Adams
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
It was reported that a doctoral student at Princeton once asked Albert Einstein, "What is there left in the world for original dissertation research?" He replied by saying, "Find out about prayer. Somebody must find out about prayer." Since Einstein's day, a great deal has been written on the topic of prayer in general. However, relatively little has been written about prayer in John's Farewell Discourse in particular. Therefore, this analysis not only seeks to understand the relationship between Johannine and Jewish, Greco-Roman, and Christian prayer traditions, but also seeks to discern the unique function and application of prayer as it is prescribed in the Farewell Discourse.
Scott Adams serves as the Lead Pastor at the Midtown Location of Our Savior’s Church in Lafayette, Louisiana and holds a faculty instructor position at Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
“This volume focuses on a neglected area of Johannine studies—the theme of prayer in the Farewell Discourse. Adams surveys the practice of prayer in Jewish, Greco-Roman, and Christian contexts before turning to the Gospel. His analysis of John 14–16 demonstrates the importance of locating prayer in a ‘relational space,’ i.e., prayer in Jesus’ name. Adams establishes connections between prayer and important Johannine themes, especially friendship, knowledge, fruit-bearing, and frankness, and shows how these themes are rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. This is an important contribution to our understanding of John’s theology.”
—R. Alan Culpepper, Dean and Professor of New Testament Emeritus, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University
“Dr. Adams’ book embodies the spirit of fides quaerens intellectum—faith seeking understanding. This book provides fresh perspectives on the function of prayer in John’s Farewell Discourse. It is an academic book with soul behind it, and I warmly recommend it as a helpful resource in theological institutions and in the church.”
—Jacobus (Kobus) Kok, Head of New Testament Studies, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Belgium
“Scott Adams offers us an invaluable, in-depth, scholarly examination of the Johannine notion of prayer in its socio-historical and theological context. His richly detailed study will undoubtedly make an impact and become an essential reference work for all relevant research to follow.”
—Christos Karakolis, Professor of New Testament, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
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