«In the beginning was the word.» With this famous sentence John begins his gospel. Many other familiar verses follow: «I am the light of the world» or «I and the Father are one». Over the centuries, the Gospel of John has fascinated and provoked its readers to ask questions. Are these verses profound and cryptic or exalted and presumptuous? What does John want to say to his readers with his Gospel? In what does it differ from the other gospels? How can a gospel be interpreted in which Jesus does not die with a cry of God-forsakenness, but with the solemn and conscientious affirmation: «It is finished»? These words, scenes and images have always fascinated people. Michael Heymel demonstrates in his book that the Gospel of John is a literary drama. He examines examples of the reception of the Gospel in art and music, presents stations of its impact in Church history and addresses the controversial relationship of the Gospel to Judaism. With this broad horizon and its accessible language the book is a reading aid in the best sense – suitable for beginners, but also for advanced Bible readers who want to face the fascination and the questions of this Gospel.