Based on a talk at the New York Open Center in 1999, this book on the identity of John speaks of Christian initiation in a new way--one whose time has come. What Smith has to say is both extraordinarily suggestive and remarkably conclusive. Covering a lot of ground in a way that is accessible, the author masterfully supplies us with a range of collateral materials that is always interesting and illuminates the larger picture. Because this small book began its life as a talk to a general audience, it is blessedly jargon-free and reader friendly. It contains both sophistication or bite while working a quiet but profound revolution in the field of study that it addresses.

New Testament scholars as well as those concerned in any way with the future of Christianity ought to sit up and take note. Anyone seeking to understand the mystery of Jesus Christ and his "beloved disciple" will find true food for the mind and heart.