Most experts who seek to understand the historical Jesus focus only on the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke). However, this volume comes to an important consensus: the gospel of John preserves traditions that are independent of the Synoptics and which are often as reliable as any known traditions for understanding the Historical Jesus. As such, the contributors argue for the use of John's gospel in Jesus research. The volume contains various critical approaches to historical inquiry in the gospel of John. Among these are new evaluations of the relationship between John and the Synoptics, literary and rhetorical approaches, comparative analysis of other early traditions, the judicious use of archaeological data, and historical interpretation of John's theological tendencies.

Contributing scholars include Dale C. Allison, Jr., Paul N. Anderson, Harold W. Attridge, James H. Charlesworth, R. Alan Culpepper, Michael A. Daise, Craig S. Keener, George L. Parsenios, Petr Pokorn , Jan Roskovec, and Urban C. von Wahlde.