This book by Brother Hailey, which is subtitled "Studies in the Gospel of John," should not be considered a commentary on that book. Rather, the book is an evaluation of the book of John from the point of view of apologetics. In the "Preface," Hailey said, "An individual may read the great books on apologetics and evidences and yet pass over the one Biblical book which was written for the avowed purpose of producing and sustaining faith. That book is the Gospel of John . . . this book is not intended to be a commentary on the Gospel of John .... My purpose is to arrange in logical order the claims made by Jesus of Nazareth concerning His own deity and those made by John on His behalf, and to point out the evidence which John presented to sustain those claims."

Brother Hailey accomplished his purpose! He presented the claims made by and in behalf of Jesus so well that no one can doubt that Jesus intended for the early church to accept Him as a Divine personage. This section was particularly useful in demonstrating that many of the appellations appended to Him were Messianic appellatives drawn from the background of the Old Testament. The author particularly opened my eyes with reference to this in his exposition of the significance of Jesus being called the "good shepherd."

After having cited the evidence for the claims made by and for Jesus, Hailey then produced the evidence which substantiated the claim under the following headings: (1) Human testimony; (2) The Father's Testimony-(a) Through Works, (b) Through Scripture, (c) Through The Empty Tomb; (3) Jesus' Moral Glory; (4) The Holy Spirit's Testimony. The closing chapter explains why some who saw the evidence refused to accept Jesus and is entitled, "Yet They Believed Not On Him."

Several things are impressive about the book. One of them is Brother Hailey's familiarity with the text itself; he has immersed himself in the text. Secondly, Brother Hailey has presented an outstanding job of displaying the Messianic expectation as legitimately understood (as contrasted with the Jewish interpretation of the Messianic passages) and how Jesus fulfilled them.

The book is an outstanding work when read with the understanding of the author's purpose. If you are ready to begin, have just finished, or are presently studying the Gospel of John, secure a copy of this book and read it. You will not regret it!

Truth Magazine, XVIII:13, p. 2
January 31, 1974