Introductory Matters - John Series Part 1
This is the first in a series of lessons on the Gospel of John. (The rest of the lessons can be found by clicking the “PODCAST” tab up above.)
Given that it is first in the series, this lesson serves as an introduction to the Gospel, and seeks to answer three main questions:
Who wrote it?
When was it written?
Why was it written?
I am hoping this to be a useful study that is beneficial to all who join me as I partake in it, so we will be focusing on the Gospel of John from all angles: literary, historical, theological, philosophical, apologetic, etc. I pray that you will join me as we go through this book, which is without-a-doubt one of my favorite books in the Bible.
Without further ado, let’s do this:
AUTHORSHIP: Who wrote the Gospel of John?
Fact #1: The author isn’t named.
Like the Synoptics, the fourth gospel never explicitly states its author’s name.
However, there is an unnamed character within the gospel, known as the “beloved disciple,” who seems to suggest that he is the author.
John 21:24 – “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.”
Fact #2: The title “according to John” (Gk. Kata ‘Ioannen) has been attached to the gospel as soon as the four gospels began to circulate together. That being said, there are five men named John who appear in the New Testament, and are therefore possible candidates for authorship (since someone not mentioned in the New Testament would likely require some sort of moniker of identification that likewise justified why they believed they had the authoritative voice of Scripture:
John the Baptist. He can’t be the author because (1) he was imprisoned and killed long before the events of the gospel were completed, much less when it was written, and (2) the gospel even references his imprisonment (3:24).
John the father of Peter. He can’t be the author because he is never mentioned in any connection with the Gospel. In fact, he is only mentioned four times at all by that name (1:42; 21:15,16,17); in the Synoptics, he is always referenced as Jonah.
John Mark. He can’t be the author because (1) the gospel was evidently written by an eyewitness, whereas John Mark travelled with Paul; (2) John Mark is the author of the second gospel, that which bears his name.
John of the Sanhedrin. He can’t be the author because he is only referenced one time in Scripture (Ac 4:6), where he is presented as an enemy of Christianity, whereas the Gospel is anything but antagonistic against Christianity.
John the Son of Zebedee (aka the Apostle John). This is our most likely candidate, as will be demonstrated by both the external and internal evidence below.
External Evidence:
Christian tradition strongly and consistently attributes the Gospel to him.
Irenaeus, was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John. Around 180 A.D., Irenaeus wrote the following:
Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia. (Against Heresies 3.1.1)
Tertullian (late 2nd century) writes this:
The same authority of the apostolic churches will afford evidence to the other Gospels also, which we possess equally through their means, and according to their usage — I mean the Gospels of John and Matthew — while that which Mark published may be affirmed to be Peter's whose interpreter Mark was. For even Luke's form of the Gospel men usually ascribe to Paul. (Against Marcion 4.5)
Origen (early 3rd century) writes this:
Matthew first sounded the priestly trumpet in his Gospel; Mark also; Luke and John each played their own priestly trumpets. Even Peter cries out with trumpets in two of his epistles; also James and Jude. In addition, John also sounds the trumpet through his epistles, and Luke, as he describes the Acts of the Apostles. And now that last one comes, the one who said, ‘I think God displays us apostles last,’ and in fourteen of his epistles, thundering with trumpets, he casts down the walls of Jericho and all the devices of idolatry and dogmas of philosophers, all the way to the foundations. (Homilies on Joshua, Homily 7)
According to Eusebius (early 4th century), Clement of Alexandra (late 2nd century) had this to say about the Gospels:
The Gospels containing the genealogies, he says, were written first. The Gospel according to Mark had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it.
When Peter learned of this, he neither directly forbade nor encouraged it. But, last of all, John, perceiving that the external facts had been made plain in the Gospel, being urged by his friends, and inspired by the Spirit, composed a spiritual Gospel. This is the account of Clement. (Ecclesiastical History 6.14.6-7)
Internal Evidence
Even internally, there are many reasons that point towards the probability that the Apostle John penned the fourth Gospel:
The author is not named. The author never provides his name, other than to describe himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). The Apostle John is named 20 times in the other Gospels, yet he is never mentioned in this one. This is odd because of (1) the important role played by the disciples in this Gospel and (2) the important role played by John in the other Gospels. John was a pillar of the early church, so his absence is curious.
The author was a Jew. The author is very familiar with the Old Testament. Although he doesn’t directly cite the Old Testament as frequently as the Synoptics do, he alludes to it more often than any of the others, and directly insists on a correlation between Jesus and key figures and institutions featured in the Old Testament (i.e., temple, vine, tabernacle, serpent, Passover, Moses, Abraham, etc.). His quotations are closer in form to the Hebrew or Aramaic than to the Greek (12:40; 13:18; 19:37). His familiarity with people, time, numbers, and minute details suggest he was present at the events he recounts.
The author simply calls John the Baptist “John.” Other than the one reference to the father of Peter (1:42), every time the name John is used in the gospel, it refers to John the Baptist. Unlike the authors of the Synoptic Gospels, the author of the fourth Gospel never sues the moniker “the Baptist” to reference John. By comparison, the author notably devotes a great amount of effort to describing other significant characters, such as Thomas Didymus (11:16; 20:24), Judas son of Simon Iscariot (13:26), and “Caiaphas, who was high priest that year” (11:49; 18:13), so it isn’t simply that he didn’t like providing detail, but rather that he didn’t feel the need. This would make sense if the author’s name was also John.
The author had authority. Given how radically different the fourth Gospel is than the Synoptics, it would only have been received unanimously by the church if it came from somebody well-known and authoritative. Therefore, the anonymity of the Gospel itself actually supports the hypothesis that it was written by an apostle.
The author was an eyewitness. The author, in 21:24, claims to be an eyewitness to the events described in the fourth Gospel, identifying himself as the beloved apostle described elsewhere (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). Internal details bear witness to the fact that the author had to have had some level of personal insight to the events unfolding—he is intimately aware of time, people, minute details, etc.—which is best explained by him being an eyewitness to all that occurred.
The author was one of the Twelve. The author was present at the Last Supper (13:23), which the Synoptics insist consisted of only Jesus and the Twelve (Mk 14:17). Furthermore, he is one of the seven disciples who went fishing in chapter 21: He is distinguished from Peter, Thomas, and Nathanael, leaving only the sons of Zebedee (James and John) and two unnamed disciples. James was martyred around A.D. 44, by the time of the Gospel’s composition (Ac 12:2). The author had lived long enough to give weight to the rumor that he would not die (21:23).
The author was a close companion of Peter. Of the many eyewitness accounts detailed in the Gospel, many are shared alongside Peter. The New Testament consistently presents Peter and John as ministering partners and close friends (Mk 5:37; 9:2; 14:33; Ac 3:1-4:23; 8:15-25; Gal 2:9).
The author beheld Christ’s glory. The author states that “we beheld His glory” (1:14), which many interpret as a reference to the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36). The Transfiguration was witnessed by only three people: Peter, James, and John. In response to this, we can not that (1) Peter is mentioned by name as someone separate from the beloved disciple (13:23-24); and (2) James was martyred by the time of composition (Ac 12:2). This leaves us with John as the only remaining candidate for the authorship of the Gospel.
Therefore, it internal evidence likewise testifies to the fact that the Apostle John is the author of the fourth Gospel.
So…who was the Apostle John?
John was one of “the sons of Zebedee” (Mt 10:2-4) who, along with his older brother James (Ac 12:2), was one of Christ’s twelve apostles (Lk 6:12-16).
He and his brother were known as the “Son of Thunder” (Mk 3:17).
He, along with James and Peter, comprised the inner circle of Christ’s disciples who got to experience special intimacy in regards to Christ’s ministry (Mt 17:1; 26:37).
After Christ’s ascension, John was a “pillar” in the Jerusalem church (Gal 2:9), ministering alongside Peter (Ac 3:1; 4:13; 8:14) until going to Ephesus, where he wrote this Gospel. He remained in Ephesus until the Romans exiled him to Patmos (Rev 1:9), where he wrote Revelation.
In total, he wrote five books of the New Testament: John, 1, 2, and 3, John, and Revelation.
DATE: When was it written?
The Gospel of John was likely written sometime between A.D. 80-85, about fifty years after John witnessed Christ’s earthly ministry.
Terminus Post Quem (the earliest time an event may have happened): A.D. 70.
A date prior to the fall of the temple (A.D. 70) is unlikely because that places the writings too close to that of the Synoptics.
Matthew and Mark were most likely written between A.D. 50 and 60.
Luke was likely written sometime around A.D. 60-61.
John’s Gospel seems to presuppose a knowledge of the Synoptic Gospels, which means they would have needed time to circulate and spread prior to the composition of his Gospel.
Moreover, if the date of the writing took place immediately after the destruction of the temple, it is likely that some reference would be made to it in the text.
Terminus Ante Quem (the latest time an event may have happened): A.D. 100.
A fragment of the Gospel of John (Rylands Library Papyrus P52) was discovered in Egypt that dates to roughly A.D. 130.
This limits the writing of the book to within the first century, to allow time for copying and widespread circulation.
Moreover, holding to a Johannine authorship confines us to the first century, since as an eyewitness to the ministry of Christ it is unlikely (and historically denied) that he lived into the second century.
Tradition holds that John spent his later years at Ephesus, where he carried on a ministry of preaching, teaching, and writing until being exiled to Patmos.
Irenaeus says that John wrote his Gospel from Ephesus, which would seem to place it somewhere around A.D. 80-85.
PURPOSE: Why was it written?
John states his purpose in 20:30-31: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
In this text, John admits that his Gospel is not an exhaustive text that is meant to encapsulate everything Christ did.
Rather, John asserts two primary purposes to this gospel:
To draw his audience towards saving faith (“That you may believe”).
To defend the deity of Christ (“That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”).
His purposes, then, are both evangelistic and apologetic. He desires to defend the deity of Christ in order that those who hear may place their faith in Him and have life in His name.
The entire work is presented as a series of testimonies that testify to the true identity of the Messiah, and John places a heavy emphasis on the difference between genuine belief and superficial belief.
