Many modern scholars such as Colin G. Kruse continue to affirm traditional authorship, but most modern critical scholars have their doubts. John probably knew of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but these gospels spoke of Jesus primarily in the year following the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist. 35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; Although tradition identified this person as John, the son of Zebedee, most modern scholars find that the evidence does not support this. Critical analysis makes it difficult to accept the idea that the gospel as it now stands was written by one person. In the preceding chapter, to the woman at the well in Samaria Jesus had offered living water springing up to eternal life, a symbol of the revelation that Jesus brings; here Jesus’ life-giving word replaces the water of the pool that failed to bring life.
- Irenaeus writes of “the church of Ephesus, founded by Paul, with John continuing with them until the times of Trajan.” From Ephesus he wrote the three epistles attributed to him.
- It’s unclear whether John wrote independently of the other gospels (AD 50-70) or with their already existing content in mind.
- The early 2nd-century writer Justin Martyr was the first to equate the author of Revelation with John the Apostle.
- This fourth gospel supplements the synoptics, focusing on details about Christ’s work and words that reveal a longer span of ministry (at least three years as indicated by three Passovers).
- 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Purpose and Emphases
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? • Dual motifs—light/darkness, belief/unbelief—provide an apologetic framework Unscramble words, boost your memory, and test your Bible knowledge. In any event, his witness to Jesus goes its own way, highlighting matters that in the other Gospels remain implicit and underdeveloped. The theology of Romans (written c. 57) is every bit as developed as that in John. He was prominent in the early church but is not mentioned by name in this Gospel — which would be natural if he wrote it, but hard to explain otherwise.
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
Many people are kept from the ways of religion by the unreasonable prejudices they conceive. All who desire to profit by the word of God, must beware of prejudices against places, or denominations of men. In following Christ, do we seek the favour of God and eternal life? He takes away the sin of the world; purchases pardon for all that repent and believe the gospel.
The Word Became Flesh
Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry, the Raising of Jairus’ daughter, Transfiguration of Jesus and Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. John is always mentioned in the group of the first four apostles in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, listed either second, third or fourth. John is traditionally believed to have lived on for more than fifty years after the martyrdom of his brother James, who became the first Apostle to die a martyr’s death in AD 44. John was also the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had ‘forbidden’ a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus’ name, prompting Jesus to state that ‘he who is not against us is on our side’.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
According to The New Oxford Annotated Bible (2018), modern scholars agree that the gospel was more probably written by a disciple of John son of Zebedee; it could have been the Beloved Disciple or someone who recorded his dictation. The apostle John is believed to be the author of this gospel, though some Bible scholars have debated the author’s identity and proposed others—is it Lazarus, Thomas, John Mark, or some other unnamed disciple perhaps? Regarding whether the author of the Gospel of John was an eyewitness, according to Paul N. Anderson, the gospel “contains more direct claims to eyewitness origins than any of the other Gospel traditions.” F.
Encouraging and challenging you to seek intimacy with God every day.
Following the instruction of Jesus from the Cross, the beloved disciple took Mary, the mother of Jesus, into his care as the last legacy of Jesus. The “beloved disciple” alone, among the Apostles, remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross on Calvary alongside myrrhbearers and numerous other women. It was customary to recline on couches at meals, and this disciple leaned on Jesus.
Dive into God’s Word
John the Presbyter, an obscure figure in the early church, has also been identified with the seer of the Book of Revelation by such authors as Eusebius in his Church History (Book III, 39) and Jerome. However, most biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals since the text was written around 100 AD, after the death of John the Apostle, although many historians have defended the identification of the Author of the Gospel of John with that of the Book of Revelation based on the similarity of the two texts. According to the Book of Revelation, its author was on the island of Patmos “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus”, when he was honoured with the vision contained in Revelation.
Druze tradition honors several “mentors” and “prophets”, and John the Apostle is honored as a prophet. The Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite commemorate the Apostle John on multiple days throughout the Church year. In Roman Catholic tradition he is considered patron of Turkey, Asia Minor and Turkish people. In the Tridentine calendar he was commemorated also on each of the following days up to and including 3 January, the Octave of the 27 December feast.
Although the gospel presents its implied author as an eyewitness to Jesus, Mendez argues that this claim should be doubted given the amount of historically dubious content in the work and the commonality of claims to eyewitness testimony in forgeries at the time. According to Hugo Mendez, both the original text of John’s gospel and the epilogue (chapter 21) claims that the work was ‘written’ by an eyewitness. Church tradition has held that John is the author of the Gospel of John and four other books of the New Testament – the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation. Mark, Matthew and Luke do not mention any one of the twelve disciples having witnessed the crucifixion. While he remained in Judea and the surrounding area, the other disciples returned to Jerusalem for the Apostolic Council (c. 48–50 AD).
The authorship of some Johannine literature has been debated since about the year 200. He also referred to the recognition that his Apostolic preaching of a gospel free from Jewish Law was received from these three, the most prominent men of the messianic community at Jerusalem. He was with Peter at the healing of the lame man at Solomon’s Porch in the Temple and he was also thrown into prison with Peter. After Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, John, together with Peter, took a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. Peter and John were also the only two apostles who ran to the empty tomb after Mary Magdalene bore witness to the resurrection of Jesus.
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. (AS) 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’(AT) 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,(AR) who takes away the sin of the world! 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(AL) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”d(AM)
- The Rylands Fragment (a papyrus fragment of the gospel of John dated from roughly AD 135) was found in the Egyptian hinterland, indicating decades of prior circulation.
- John owes its unique popularity to two highly revered saints, John the Baptist (forerunner of Jesus Christ) and the apostle John (traditionally considered the author of the Gospel of John);citation needed the name has since been chosen as the regnal or religious name of many emperors, kings, popes and patriarchs.
- In following Christ, do we seek the favour of God and eternal life?
- John the Presbyter, an obscure figure in the early church, has also been identified with the seer of the Book of Revelation by such authors as Eusebius in his Church History (Book III, 39) and Jerome.
- Many people are kept from the ways of religion by the unreasonable prejudices they conceive.
The disciple whom Jesus loved
This intense focus on Jesus’ identity is interrupted only by accounts of miracles, five of which are not found in any other gospel. With this goal of belief in mind, John chose to exclude much that had already been said and instead focus on Christ’s words and miracles. The Rylands Fragment (a papyrus fragment of the gospel of John dated from roughly AD 135) was found in the Egyptian hinterland, indicating decades of prior circulation. The author never identifies himself by name, but he does give us several details that can be used to piece it together.
Verses 1-5 The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father’s mind to the world. Muslim exegesis more or less agrees with the New Testament list and says that the disciples included Peter, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, Andrew, James, Jude, John and Simon the Zealot. However, some Muslim scholars mentioned their names, likely relying on the resources of Christians, who are considered “People of the Book” in Islamic tradition.
This john joseph kelly and amy carter tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. The early 2nd-century writer Justin Martyr was the first to equate the author of Revelation with John the Apostle. The author of the Book of Revelation identifies himself as “Ἰωάννης” (“John” in standard English translation). Until the 19th century, the authorship of the Gospel of John had been attributed to the Apostle John.
Legends from the Acts of John, an apocryphal text attributed to John, contributed much to Medieval iconography; it is the source of the idea that John became an apostle at a young age. Therefore, the Feast of St. John the Evangelist is used in many jurisdictions as the start of the new masonic year. Although Freemasonry is not a religion, it takes as its patron saints St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches that John the Apostle is the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple. In the Druze tradition and doctrine, Matthew the Apostle is respected for his contributions to spiritual knowledge and guidance.