Those who hold the view that a disciple of john the apostle wrote the johannine letters usually link it to their theory of authorship of the fourth gospel, because of the evidently close relationship between the. Note that each of them required some additional designation to distinguish them from others with the same name. The book is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its traditions, and went through two to three stages, or editions, before reaching its current form around ad 80100. Polycarp, a secondcentury christian martyr who knew john personally, told irenaeus that john had written the book during the apostle s time serving the church in ephesus. It appears that john may have been written in the mid80s to early 90s as he may have served as pastor of the church of ephesus. He also wrote the gospel of john and the book of revelation.
But it takes only reason and evidence to believe mohammed wrote the quran, joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, or that john wrote his gospel. John the apostle was the son of zebedee and the younger brother of james, son of zebedee james the greater. Gospel according to john, fourth of the four new testament gospels and the only. The internal evidence indicates that the author was 1 an apostle 1. John is traditionally regarded as the author of five books of the bible. John and his brother james, another disciple of jesus, were fishermen on the sea. In christian tradition, johns gospel has always been referred to as the fourth gospel, meaning it was composed after the other three. Such evidence exists both internal to the documents in question and in testimony from external. Euangelion kata ioannen is the fourth of the canonical gospels. Dec 26, 2019 the three letters of john are among the last written in the apostolic era. While church tradition has attributed the gospel of john, the letters of john, and the book of revelation to the same authorjohn the apostle and son of zebedeeinternal and external evidence may require us to attribute them to other individuals who may or may not have also been named john. The apostle john is the author of five new testament books. The very fact that the author of the apocalypse simply calls himself john is a dead giveaway that he was well known throughout the churches in asia minor.
There have been a number of proposals, and, as we will see, pope benedict makes an interesting one. We know that john was the younger brother of james and the son of zebedee mark 10. The book of revelation is pretty emphatic that it was written by someone named john, and that he was on the island of patmos when he received the revelation from jesus christ. We cannot tell who wrote john s gospel, and it is unclear which disciple is the one singled out as beloved. While church tradition has attributed the gospel of john, the letters of john, and the book of revelation to the same authorjohn the apostle and son of. He was also shown the future events leading up to the second advent of jesus and the end of days. He would have also had a decent familiarity with palestine before the destruction of the temple in ad 70, and would have been familiar with the jewish way of life. If so, john penned much of the new testament, with only paul and luke writing more than him. John, the apostle international standard bible encyclopedia.
What apostle wrote the book of john in the holy bible. In chapters two and three john is given seven letters to seven churches. Who wrote the gospels evidence for john come reasons. The gospel of john is the fourth of the canonical gospels. Apr, 2011 finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named john the elder wrote the book of revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by john the apostle. When was the book of revelation written by the apostle john. Some writers, however, have advanced the preterist from a latin word meaning that which is past view, contending that the apocalypse was penned around a. This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things john 21. Is john the baptist the same person that is in the bible in the new.
He is believed to have outlived the other apostles. Evidence suggests that johns gospel was the last to be written at some point after 70 ad. The apostle john is not the same person as john the baptist the apostle john wrote the books of revelation,john, and the 1st,2nd,and 3rd books of john the. The apostle john had the distinction of being a beloved friend of jesus christ, writer of five books of the new testament, and a pillar in the early christian church. Surely origen knew only one john who wrote scripture, and that was john the apostle.
The apostle john is usually credited with the authorship of the fourth gospel. He wrote the book of john as well as three epistles that also bear his name, and the book of revelation. Feb 06, 2019 john is traditionally regarded as the author of five books of the bible. A wellknown reference book on new testament martyrs, written by john foxe 1515 1587, states that the apostle, as punishment for being a believer in christ, was thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil. Which of the original 12 apostles wrote books that are in. Traditions in the early church linked this book to the apostle john, one of the sons of zebedee, and considered him to be the disciple whom jesus loved, as this character is frequently named in the gospel. Nov 01, 2012 in his book jesus of nazareth, pope benedict takes up the question of who wrote johns gospel and proposes a solution that other scholars have advocated. Irenaeus, writing at about ad 200, says that the beloved disciple was john, the disciple of jesus, and that john originated the gospel at ephesus.
The early church father irenaeus wrote, afterwards, john, the disciple of the lord, who also had leaned upon his breast, did himself publish a gospel during his residence at. John s testimony is preserved while serving in ephesus in asia minor. The apostle john, towards the end of his life date. We cannot tell who wrote johns gospel, and it is unclear which disciple is the one singled out as beloved. The church in ephesus and throughout the province of asia. The book of the revelation was written about the vision that john saw while banished to the greek island of patmos on the aegean sea. Eastern feast days may 8 and september 26, in christian tradition, an apostle of jesus and the author of three letters, the fourth gospel, and possibly the revelation to john in the new testament. Nov 01, 2007 it takes faith to believe that god revealed the new testament, the quran, or the book of mormon. The title says that the gospel was written by john, and other evidence identifies this john as the son of zebedee. The place where the apostle john wrote the book of revelation is actually stated within the book itself. He had greeks in mind, as the gospel is evangelical in nature. John the apostle, also called saint john the evangelist or saint john the divine, flourished 1st century ce. We get the vast majority of our information about john from the pages of the four gospels. John was part of jesus inner circle and, along with peter and james, john was given the privilege of witnessing jesus conversation with moses and.
The apostles were the 12 disciples that accompanied jesus throughout his 3 year ministry and were sent apostle means one who is sent, as in an ambassador or an emissary plus paul, nee saul, who was originally hostile to jesus and persecuted. This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true john 21. 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 authorship of the gospel is credited to the disciple whom jesus loved, and john 21. The elder, the seer, and the apostle bible odyssey. 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. The book of revelation, likewise traditionally ascribed to john, bears important witness to the apostle s banishment in later life to the isle of patmos in the aegean 1.
Gospel according to john, fourth of the four new testament narratives recounting the life and death of jesus christ. In christian tradition, john s gospel has always been referred to as the fourth gospel, meaning it was composed after the other three. John 1, first letter, apostle, ephesus, asia minor, john. One gospel, three letters, and the book of revelation are all attributed to john. The book of revelation is signed by a person called john but which john. Evidence suggests that john s gospel was the last to be written at some point after 70 ad. Finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named john the elder wrote the book of revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by john the apostle. John also wrote first, second, third john, and revelation. The book is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its traditions, and reached its final form around ad 90110. Introduction to the gospel of john study resources. From ephesus he was ordered to be sent to rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. John is traditionally believed to be one of two disciples the other being andrew recounted in john 1.
The gospels, the first four books of the new testament, tell the story of the life of jesus. The text of revelation states that john was on patmos, a greek island where. This summary of the book of 1 john provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 1 john. On this island in the southern part of the aegean sea, john had a vision of jesus christ and wrote the prophetic book of revelation. The claim that apostle john was the author is made by irenaeus, who tied it to the epistles of john and the book of revelation. According to church tradition, their mother was salome. Jul 31, 2018 the book of revelation is signed by a person called john but which john. The apostle john is familiar to us because he wrote so much of the new testament. Johns testimony is preserved while serving in ephesus in asia minor. Book of first john overview insight for living ministries. John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine, john the theologian, and possibly john the apostle.
Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. The apostle john is sometimes referred to as john of patmos, though some argue that john of patmos was actually a different person. He is also believed to be the only disciple who died of old age the others were allegedly martyred. Authorship the apostle john is usually credited with the authorship of the fourth gospel. John the disciples gospel was written in the last decade of the 1st century, john the baptist was beheaded by herod in the 3rd decade of the 1st century. Book 23 johns first letter, to the churches around ephesus with people, places, definitions writer. Thomass gospel of john commentary of the th century is still highly regarded today by modern scholars. Learn more about the gospel of john by signing up for gary burges online course. In this new testament book, john the apostle testified that 1 jesus is the christ or messiah and 2 jesus is the son of god.
Jan 02, 2020 on this island in the southern part of the aegean sea, john had a vision of jesus christ and wrote the prophetic book of revelation. John, who wrote the gospel of john, wrote it exquisitely, for he was steeped in jewish tradition and heritage. He notes that the gospel never directly identifies the beloved disciple by name. The book of the revelation of jesus christ was written by john probably close to the same time he wrote the epistles which bear his name. Polycarp, a secondcentury christian martyr who knew john personally, told irenaeus that john had written the book during the apostles time serving the church in ephesus. The author is the apostle john, the disciple whom jesus loved. The author of this epistle never identified himself by name, but christians since the beginning of the church have considered this letter authoritative, believing it was written by john the apostle. He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. It takes faith to believe that god revealed the new testament, the quran, or the book of mormon. We read about several johns in the new testament, including john the baptist and john the apostle, the son of zebedee.
John the apostle was one of jesus closest disciples in the new testament and was witness to some of jesus important acts. Yet only onethe gospel of johnclaims to be an eyewitness account, the testimony of the unnamed disciple whom jesus loved. The apostle john wrote the book of revelation while he was exiled in patmos. What apostle wrote the book of john in the holy bible answers. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. John the apostle, the beloved disciple of jesus, there. This has been a question at the back of my mind for some time and its great to hear your reasons for believing john to be the author. Who wrote the gospels, and how do we know for zondervan. In it john rejoices because of the faithfulness of the children of the elect lady.
The apostle john wrote the book of revelation while he. In the end, the most likely scenario is that the gospel of john was written by john son of zebedee. John was known as an apostle, author, and the only apostle who was not killed by martyrdom, though not from lack of trying. John the apostle biography biography facts, childhood. That group of witnesses includes polycarp, an early secondcentury bishop who as a young man knew john personally. John was part of jesus inner circle and, along with peter and james, john was given the privilege of witnessing jesus. John the apostle is traditionally identified as the beloved disciple or the disciple whom jesus loved based on the use of the phrases five times in the gospel of john, which he presumably wrote. Besides luke and paul, john wrote more of the new testament than any other author. Read on to learn more about john s life, writings, and death. Despite alternative theories about the disciple whom jesus loved, most evidence still points to the apostle john. Augustinea famous fourth century church fathercontributed no fewer than 124 tractates in his gospel of john commentary, while st.
It most likely reflects a johannine community in conflict with. Most of what we learn of john is from his own writing. Thank you very much for your recent post about whether the apostle john was the author of the gospel of john. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. John the apostle, the beloved disciple of jesus, there has been considerable discussion of. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote the last book of scripture. Johns is the only one of the four not considered among the synoptic gospels i. Many others believe the author was in fact a committee of unknown authors, editors, and redactorsthe johannine community. Therefore the origin of the gospel must in some way be connected to this personthe gospel of john may be a record of his eyewitness account of jesus life. The apostle john is not the same person as john the baptist the apostle john wrote the books of revelation, john, and the 1st,2nd,and 3rd books of john the apostle john was the last apostle living.
According to the traditional view of these three letters, they were written by john the son of zebedee, one of the twelve apostles, most likely the beloved disciple in the gospel of john. While there were skeptics, even early on, about the authorship of the text most. The three letters of john are among the last written in the apostolic era. The apostle john was later freed, possibly due to old age, and he returned to what is now turkey. It was customary for writers at the time to write in third person to disguise their identity. The early 2nd century writer, justin martyr, was the first to equate the author of revelation with john the apostle. Ephesus, on the west coast of asia minor to where paul wrote his letter to the ephesians in c ad62 readers. There he received the visions recorded in the book. According to scholars, the gospel of john was written by the beloved disciple john.
Church tradition has held that john is the author of the gospel of john and four other books of the new testament the. 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. I was also wondering about the authorship of the book of revelation. The early church fathers, after disputing who this john really was, finally decided to include revelation in case the author was the apostle john, son of zebedee. Johns gospel indicates it was written by an eyewitness to the ministry of christ. First of all, the author had to have been an eyewitness of the ministry of jesus 1.
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