Gospel of john multiple authors

Jesus and the hidden contradictions of the gospels. The anonymous author of the bibles gospel of john and 1 john, 2 john and 3 john is described in those texts as an eyewitness to the life of jesus. Everyones favorite gospel, the gospel of john, is a. As an eyewitness to the love and power displayed in the miracles of jesus, john gives us an upclose and personal look at christs identity. Bart ehrman, the author of jesus, interrupted, says they are at odds. John was an apostle of israel and the prophetic program. First of all, the author had to have been an eyewitness of the ministry of jesus. John did learn of pauls gospel, if not before, by the council of jerusalem in 51 a. The 12 disciples were the closest friends of jesus during his ministry, so what they said about him has to have weight.

The gospel of john is a unique perspective of the life of jesus christ. Gospel according to john, fourth of the four new testament gospels and the only account not considered among the synoptic gospels. When the authors of john s gospel say that everything written in this book is true, what do they mean. That is, the book of revelation was almost certainly written by someone other than the author of the gospel according to john. Traditionally, the authorship of 1, 2, and 3 john has been ascribed to the apostle, john son of zebedee, who also was understood to be the author of the gospel of john and revelation. Yet, i suspect that if these devotees of johns gospel were introduced to the. One hypothesis claims that john recorded many of the events that. Introduction to the gospel of john study resources.

It is believed that origen, an alexandrian christian scholar and theologian, wrote his gospel of john commentary while in alexandria at some point after 218 a. The author of this book is not a single individual, but is at least three different writerseditors, who did their layered work over a period of 25 to 30 years. The gospel of john is more contemplative, with deeper discourses, prayers, and conversations. It is mainly for this reason, in the absence of other supporting evidence, that the majority of biblical scholars today assert that john was not the author of the fourth gospel. The gospel according to john the pillar new testament commentary pntc. The gospel of john was written to prove that jesus christ is the son of god. Gospel according to luke and gospel according to john. Augustinea famous fourth century church fathercontributed no fewer than 124 tractates in his gospel of john commentary, while st. Early writers such as irenaeus and tertullian say that john wrote this gospel, and all other evidence agrees see introduction to 1 john. The church tradition that established john as the author of the fourth gospel was based, primarily, on irenaeus childhood recollections. There is also the possibility that the author of john did not know of mark. This is why they are full of contradictions and obvious fabrications. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. A biblical history the gospel of john is one of four gospels in the holy bible and is the fourth book in chronological order presented in the new testament.

The author of john s gospel was a disciple close to jesus. So, only john meets the criteria needed for the fourth gospel s authorship. The author is the apostle john, the disciple whom jesus loved. The apostle john is usually credited with the authorship of the fourth gospel. Gospel of john declared fake, but why and why only. It varies from the other three gospels of matthew, mark and luke also known as the. The gospel of john has many touches that appear to reflect the recollections of an eyewitnesssuch as the house at bethany being filled with the fragrance of the broken perfume jar see12. Yet the earliest church writers, such as irenaeus, said that it was. Church tradition claims that john the apostle wrote the fourth gospel while. While john s content may be unique, he presents a different side of jesus that is complimentary to the other three gospels and helps provide its readers with a. The number one hundred and fiftythree is written elsewhere, in rock, at stonehenge and the great pyramid of cheops. 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.

The gospel of john, the three johannine epistles, and the book of revelation, exhibit marked similarities, although more so between the gospel and the epistle especially the gospel and 1 john than between those and revelation. Yes the gospel of john, which is essentially just a narrative of jesus life, uses parables. Many contemporary biblical scholars believe that the writer of the letters was not the author of the gospel. John the baptist wasnt the author of the gospel of john. Who wrote the gospels, and how do we know for zondervan. The gospel of john tells us that jesus is the only source of truth. Jesus wept, which serves the needs of many cross word puzzle creators. Thomas s gospel of john commentary of the th century is still highly regarded today by. In addition, various elements within the gospel strongly suggest john as the author. The new testament contains multiple versions of the life and teachings of jesus. Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom jesus loved was following them. John could have written his gospel quite early, possibly before pauls letters. Gospel of john declared fake, but why and why only john.

How could john the baptist have written the gospel of john. The end of time in revelation and the gospel of john i have been arguing that the author of the fourth gospel and the author of the book of revelation could not have been the same person, and in looking back at my posts i realize that i have left out an important point, one of the strongest arguments that we are dealing with two different people. The traditional authors of the canonical gospelsmatthew the tax collector, mark the attendant of peter, luke the attendant of paul, and john the son of zebedeeare doubted among the majority of mainstream new testament scholars. Our evidence for johns neglect is not as weighty as it seems. Intro to john biblica the international bible society.

There have been a number of proposals, and, as we will see, pope benedict makes an interesting one. But the fourth gospel might provide us with clues concealed in the enigmatic figure of the beloved disciple. It may be that john wrote his gospel with the help of another person. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. But the fourth gospel might provide us with clues concealed in the enigmatic. The author of this book is not a single individual, but is at least three. The gospel of john is different from the other three gospels. Here is what i say about the same issue with respect to the gospel of john, in my textbook on the new testament. For most people, that preferred version is the gospel of john. Thomas s gospel of john commentary of the th century is still highly regarded today by modern scholars. Key terms from the synoptics, however, are absent or nearly so, implying that if the author did know those gospels he felt free to write independently. Irenaeus, a disciple of john s disciple polycarp, is of the earliest extant sources to associate john with the fourth gospel. Important early writers may not quote john or allude to him, but to. Internal discrepancies in the gospel of john the bart.

Historically, researchers studying the works have not found evidence of the author s identity or the existence of the community the author. The author of revelation identifies himself as a man named john rev 1. Why scholars doubt the traditional authors of the gospels. The more we study john, the more wealth arises out of it, says william barclay about the fourth gospel. In christian tradition, the four evangelists are matthew, mark, luke, and john, the authors attributed with the creation of the four gospel accounts in the new testament that bear the following titles. The end of time in revelation and the gospel of john the. In addition, christian theologians have long described beauty as a third inseparable reality which together with goodness and truth, paint a full picture of who god is. Most scholars therefore treat the five as a single corpus of johannine literature, albeit not from the same author. The gospel of john is the fourth gospel in the new testament.

This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things john 21. I will call this the two source theory or multiple source theory. At the very end of the gospel, the author begins referring to one disciple as the one whom jesus loved, and eventually suggests this disciple wrote the gospel. In one of his letters he wrote, we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard 1 john. A theory that the author of chapters 18 of john used two sources to construct this text has risen as a possible solution to some of the literary seams in this text. However, some argue the gospel of john wasnt written by the apostle john, who was one of the 12. The community had, however, undergone changes since the writing of the gospel, so that its views were no longer identical to those articulated by the fourth evangelist. But when you read johns gospel, thats virtually the only thing jesus. Authors who compose their books by splicing several sources together dont always neatly cover up their handiwork but sometimes leave literary seams. Now jesus did many other signs in the presence of his. It contains a variety of statements and information about jesus not contained in the synoptic gospels. The author s purpose is clearly expressed in what must have been the original ending of the gospel at the end of jn 20. John the apostle does fit the description, but it is not exclusive to him.

Is this a comforting idea or dangerous one for the figures in the gospel. He was one of jesus 12 disciples, and therefore was an eyewitness to the events he recorded. Why scholars doubt the traditional authors of the gospels 2017 matthew wade ferguson. Early traditions help to identify the author as john. In a paper published on march 2 in the journal for the study of the new testament, uncchapel hill religious studies assistant professor hugo mendez explains for the first time that the texts for the bibles gospel of john and 1 john, 2 john and 3 john were likely written by multiple authors falsely claiming to be a single person close to jesus. Although several scholars argued that it is more logical to assert that he is the author of the second gospel marks gospel. Were 1 john and johns gospel written by the same person. There are four versions of the life of jesus in the new testament but, lets face it, everyone has a favorite. Many others believe the author was in fact a committee of.

John the apostle, there has been considerable discussion of the actual identity of the author. His gospel is wholly jewish and is old testament just like the synoptics. The whole gospel of john is a progressive revelation of the glory of gods only son, who comes to reveal the father and then returns in glory to the father. The gospel of john provides no explicit internal evidence concerning its author. What everyone should know about the fourth gospel 061120 12. A simpler solution seems to be that the author of 1 john was a student of the fourth gospel and lived in a community which cherished that gospel as its primary tradition. Of all the gospels, john comes closest to revealing the identity of its author. Goodness and truth are two values often used to describe the character of god. John s gospel indicates it was written by an eyewitness to the ministry of christ. Referencing the fourth gospel s author, early church father irenaeus c. Many others believe the author was in fact a committee of unknown authors, editors, and redactorsthe johannine community.

John portrays jesus as a greek, where in the other three gospels he is jewish. Discovery of certain papyrus fragments dated around ad 5 require the gospel of john to have been written, copied, and circulated before then. The question of peter in john 21 indicates that the author was aged and reflecting back on his life with jesus and the apostles. The author of johns gospel tells us that he has chosen not to record many of the symbolic acts of jesus and has instead included certain episodes in order that his. Actually, in the first three gospels jesus uses many parables, ye tthere are much fewer parables in the.