Marcus Dods, a Scottish theologian and professor of exegetical theology at New College, Edinburgh, published this second volume of his commentary on the Gospel of John in 1892 as part of the Expositor's Bible series edited by Sir W. Robertson Nicoll. The work covers John 12 through 21, treating each passage as a discrete sermon rather than a continuous critical commentary. The excerpts show Dods moving from a brief paraphrase of the biblical text into extended pastoral reflection, frequently addressing the reader directly with phrases such as “we cannot too seriously inquire” and “are we making a bonâ-fide thing of our attachment to Christ?” This homiletic voice, rather than a purely scholarly one, shapes the book's approach to the Gospel.

Expository Method and Pastoral Address

Dods’s method is evident in the chapter on the anointing of Jesus (John 12). He quotes the biblical passage at length, then immediately turns to application. For instance, after citing Judas’s objection about the ointment’s cost, Dods does not linger on historical or textual questions but instead uses the episode to probe the reader’s motives: “Are we making a bonâ-fide thing of our attachment to Christ?” This direct, second-person address recurs throughout the excerpts. In the chapter “Last Words,” Dods again shifts from explaining the disciples’ confusion over “a little while” to asking whether the reader has experienced Christ’s grace as a present reality. The sermons are structured as a movement from text to conscience, with the biblical narrative serving as a springboard for moral and spiritual examination.

The Role of Doubt and Experience

A recurring theme in the excerpts is the tension between Christian profession and actual experience of sin. Dods acknowledges that believers may “fall into unmistakable sin after much concernment with Christ and His grace.” He does not treat this as a failure of doctrine but as a test of sincerity. In the chapter on the attractive force of the cross, he writes that “the final test of religion” is whether Christ “accomplishes in me what He promised.” This experiential emphasis aligns with the homiletic genre: Dods aims to comfort and challenge his hearers, not merely to inform them. He warns against “hastily concluding that in our case Christ’s grace has failed,” and encourages perseverance by citing the Book of Revelation as a picture of conflict that only ends in the closing chapters.

Relation to the Catalog Subjects

The catalog lists this work under “Bible. John” and “Bible. John — Criticism, interpretation, etc.” The excerpts, however, show that Dods’s approach is not critical in the modern academic sense. He does not discuss authorship, sources, or historical context. Instead, he offers what the series title calls “expository” preaching: a verse-by-verse explanation aimed at edification. The Greek transliterations and footnotes (e.g., a reference to Godet on inspiration) indicate some scholarly apparatus, but the dominant voice is pastoral. Readers expecting a critical commentary will find a series of sermons that assume the text’s divine authority and focus on its application to the believer’s life. The book thus sits at the intersection of homiletics and biblical exposition, a genre common in late Victorian religious publishing.

Readers approaching this volume should expect a devotional rather than a critical engagement with John’s Gospel. Dods’s sermons reward those seeking theological reflection on discipleship, doubt, and the person of Christ, but they do not provide the textual analysis typical of modern commentaries. The book is best read as a primary source for late nineteenth-century Scottish Presbyterian homiletics, revealing how a respected theologian brought the Fourth Gospel to bear on the conscience of his congregation.