Purpose and Authorship of the Fourth Gospel

Question 1

What is the mystery surrounding the Fourth Gospel?

Answer 1

Who wrote it and why?

Question 2

Potential purposes of the Fourth Gospel

Answer 2

To emphasise the divinity of Jesus
To create a spiritual Gospel
To counter heresies

Question 3

Sources of External Evidence

Answer 3

Polycarp
Papias
Polycrates
Ireneaus
Clement

Question 4

Where was the Fourth Gospel written/published?

Answer 4

Tradition is that John’s Gospel was published in Ephesus (Irenaeus said John lived there), the capital of the province of Asia and a central base for St Paul’s mission. It had a thriving Christian community.
This fits with the tradition of John’s exile in Patmos, an island off Asia minor.
This is where ‘John the Evangelist’ received the visions for the book of Revelation.

The alternative is Antioch, supported by Syrian writer Ephraim Syrus (306-370CE) who called it the “home of the Gospel”. It is where followers of Christ were first called Christians.

Question 5

John (the apostle) as the author of the Fourth Gospel

Answer 5

Many Scholars agree that it was John (the apostle), the son of Zebedee, the brother of James. The significance of this would be that his Gospel is more reliable, because he was an eyewitness.
Additionally, as it is so different from the synoptics, the question of its authorship is particularly acute.

Question 6

P52 (Rylands Papyrus)

Answer 6

The front (recto) contains part of seven lines from John 18:31-33, in Greek, and the back (verso) contains parts of seven lines from verses 37-38. Accepted as the earliest record of a canonical New Testament text.
P52 was discovered and dated to 100-175 AD, providing evidence against the idea that John was written as late as the second century

Question 7

Date of the Fourth Gospel

Answer 7

The author’s identity influences when scholars believe it was written.
Some argue for a date of 90-100AD, fitting John’s own dates as he died very old.
Nineteenth century scholars who believed that John was not the author were more inclined towards a late date of authorship; late first century, maybe second century.
They also pointed towards the Gospel’s advanced Christology as a reason for this.
However, P52 was discovered and dated to 100-175 AD, providing evidence against the idea that John was written as late as the second century

Question 8

J.A.T Robinson on the date of the Fourth Gospel (includes a quote)

Answer 8

J.A.T Robinson argues for a very early date- 65 AD, before the roman war. It is surprising that a text written after the fall of the temple wouldn’t mention it
-“One of the oddest facts about the New Testament is that what on any showing would appear to be the single most datable and climactic event of the period - the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and with it the collapse of institutional Judaism based on the temple - is never once mentioned as a past fact. “

Question 9

Church tradition on the Fourth Gospel

Answer 9

it has been attributed to John the apostle since the early Church in the second century. It is closely related in style to the three surviving Johannine letters- commentators treat the four books, along with Revelation, as a single body of Johannine literature, albeit not necessarily written by the same author

Question 10

The importance of John having written the Fourth Gospel

Answer 10

-one of the eyewitnesses
-carries greater authority in its power and expertise; the words of Jesus are reflected
-only John and Matthew’s gospels have a claim of disciple authorship

Question 11

Archbishop William Temple on Authorship of the Fourth Gospel (Quote)

Answer 11

“I regard as self condemned any theory about the origin of the gospel which fails to find a very clear connection between it and John, the son of Zebedee. The combination of internal and external evidence is overwhelming on this point”

Question 12

Chapter 18 (Internal evidence for Johannine authorship)

Answer 12

-author records John’s questioning by high priest
-was a private meeting
-Peter waited outside (18:16)
-‘the other disciple’ was allowed in
-18:19-24 appears to be an eye witness account
-this could have been John

Question 13

Chapter 20 and 21 (Internal evidence for Johannine authorship)

Answer 13

20:22 resurrection appearances, ‘receive the Holy Spirit’

21:11 gives the exact number of fish caught: 153

21:24 it declares itself to be written by a disciple, the one following Peter and James post resurrection

Question 14

Chapter 2-5 (Internal evidence for Johannine authorship)

Answer 14

2:6 stone jars suggest that author knew details of Jewish beliefs

5:2 Bethesda pool, shows knowledge of Jerusalem and its surrounds

Question 15

Chapter 13-19 (Internal evidence for Johannine authorship)

Answer 15

13:4 setting of the last supper, the towel

13:24 the disciple whom Jesus loved was reclining next to him

19:13 detail of the trial before Pilate, including small details

Question 16

Irenaeus (External evidence for Johannine Authorship)

Answer 16

(Bishop of Lyons in the late 2nd century)

“John, the disciple of the Lord who reclined on his breast and himself issued the Gospel at Ephesus”.

Irenaeus was told this by Polycarp who heard it from John himself

Question 17

Clement of Alexandria (External evidence for Johannine Authorship)

Answer 17

Clement spoke of John as the author of a ‘Spiritual Gospel’ in the late 2nd century.

Question 18

Papias (External evidence for Johannine Authorship)

Answer 18

(a disciple of John) who claimed he’d written the Gospel from John’s dictation.

Question 19

Polycrates (External evidence for Johannine Authorship)

Answer 19

Bishop of Ephesus- in a letter to Victor- Bishop of Rome- claimed it was written by John (190 CE)

Question 20

The Muratorian Fragment (External evidence for Johannine Authorship)

Answer 20

A 7th century list of books to be considered scripture. Features suggest that it is a translation from a Greek original written about 170CE. The significance of this is that it is early, implying its authority.

Question 21

Reliability of John’s Gospel 1

Answer 21

-John himself rejected Marcion and the Gnostics who wanted to associate John with the book to give them an appearance of authority

-Irenaeus said John lived in Ephesus until the time of Emperor Trajan (98-117) making John older than 90. Would his memory be reliable

-Some traditions says that John and James were martyred four years after Jesus (Acts 12:2) (questionable as other tradition says he outlived the other apostles)

Question 22

Reliability of John’s Gospel 2

Answer 22

-Some events are not in the same order as the synoptics (e.g. the cleansing of the temple)- if M,M,L are correct, could he have been an eyewitness.

-Factual inaccuracies: 6:1-“Sea of Galilee, also called Sea of Tiberius” which was not known at the time of the Gospels. Also changed the name of the High Priest: 18:13 Caiaphas, 18:19 Annas, 18:24 Caiaphas again

-a disciple known to the high priest was allowed to stay (18:15). As John was a fisherman, was he likely to have had such connections

-21:24 the claim that it was written by the apostle os questionable as it was not part of the original text.

Question 23

Nicodemus

Answer 23

He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus’s teachings. (John 3)
The second time Nicodemus is mentioned, he reminds his colleagues in the Sanhedrin that the law requires that a person be heard before being judged. (John 7)
Finally, Nicodemus appears after Jesus’s crucifixion to provide the customary spices for anointing the dead.

Some have argued that he could be the author of the fourth Gospel.

Question 24

The beloved disciple

Answer 24

A potential candidate for authorship.

The beloved disciple (13:23)

“Mysterious figure”
-21:24- stated as the author
-13:23- the last supper
-19:26 and 35- the cross
-20:2- the empty tomb
-21:20- resurrection appearances
—This figure is therefore a witness to all that happened- was he John himself?

Question 25

Could Lazarus be the beloved disciple?

Answer 25

11:3-“the one you love is sick…”

Question 26

Raymond Brown on authorship

Answer 26

-May have been companion of Jesus (but not necessarily a disciple)
-may have lived through the development of the Church
-provided oral tradition written down (80CE) then edited by community

Question 27

Westcott on authorship

Answer 27

2001-claimed the author was a Palestinian Jew who was an eyewitness and disciple.
Claimed that the beloved disciple was John as others suggest.

Question 28

John the Elder as a candidate for authorship

Answer 28

Eusebius quoted Papias- John the Elder lived in Ephesus (70-146CE) therefore during Trajan’s reign. 2 John and 3 John seem to have been written by John the Elder.
However neither letter seems to resemble the Gospel or 1 John (anonymous but similar to the Gospel).

Question 29

John Mark as a candidate for authorship

Answer 29

Lived in Jerusalem at the time.
From a priestly family so had knowledge of the temple/the High Priest
Wealthy
Known to the apostles (Acts 12:12-15)
May have been the mysterious man who fled from the arrest of Jesus (Mark 14:51)
But still very old at the time of Trajan (80+) and the links are tenuous.

Question 30

The Johannine community as a candidate for authorship

Answer 30

Raymond Brown claimed that it was likely to have been written by the Johannine community- a messianic community- followers of John in Ephesus
1:14 and 3:11- “we…” is used to suggest a writing community which was rejected or oppressed by the temple for following Jesus
21:24-“We know that his testimony is true…” links the community with the Beloved disciple
Bultman 1971-a community editor was behind the final work- the community had moved away from Judaism by this time and were sharing beliefs through reliable witnesses

Question 31

C.H. Dodd on wether or not John used the synoptics

Answer 31

C.H, Dodd argued that John was completely independent of the other Gospels
-not only has contradictions of the order of events (the time of the cleansing of the temple, the nature of the last supper) but there is also much material in the synoptics which would have been beneficial to put in this gospel had the author had ready access to it.

Question 32

Gnosticism

Answer 32

The belief that salvation was through wisdom, not just belief in Jesus. Irenaeus wrote that John’s Gospel was anit-gnostic

Question 33

John 20:31

Answer 33

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Question 34

(John 20:31) Jesus is the messiah

Answer 34

-references to Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah
-emphasises salvation through belief in Jesus, the culmination of Judaism and a New Covenant with God
—cleansing the temple (Psalm 69), healing at the pool (John 5:1-16), the disciples recognising him as the Messiah (1:41,49), declares himself to the samaritan woman (4:25-26), messianic overtones in the feeding of the 5000, entry into Jerusalem linked with Zechariah 9;9

Raymond Brown commented on the feeding of the 5000 in connection to the prophecy of Isaiah 25:6

Question 35

(John 20:31) The Son of God

Answer 35

-John the Baptist bears witness 1:34
-Jesus refers to an intimate relationship with God, being sent on a unique mission
-Jesus knows ‘father’s will’, Jesus and God are one. 3:35, 5:19-20, 14:10
-The blasphemy charge which lead to the crucifixion was “because he claimed to be the Son of God”

Question 36

(John 20:31) May have life in his name.

Answer 36

-John 3 :16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
-“lays down his life”, “lamb of God”, “offers himself as a sacrifice”
-RVG Tasker 1960 “His whole incarnate life is, in fact meaningless apart from ‘the hour’ to which it is inevitably moving and is none other than the hour of the passion”

Question 37

(Purposes not given in John 20:31) A spiritual Gospel

Answer 37

“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”—Clement of Alexandria

The purpose was not to be an accurate biography, it is an expression of Christological truths about Jesus to lead people to faith. Its meaning lies in allegorical interpretation.

Question 38

(Purposes not given in John 20:31) To make Theological points

Answer 38

-WF Westcott 2001: earlier Gospels=facts interpreted through experience, John=facts in light of those interpretations.

argued that the authors purpose was to show Jesus as the Son of God and through him you receive eternal life

John did this by changing the sequence of events and emphasising key theological points.

Question 39

(Purposes not given in John 20:31) To identify who Jesus is

Answer 39

unlike synoptics, divinity is emphasised from the start
Jesus’ words 5:26,6:54,10:25-26
Jesus’ actions 5:17-18
Witnesses- John the Baptist (1:29) and samaritan woman
Crucifixion 12:27-28

Question 40

(Purposes not given in John 20:31) The context of early Christianity

Answer 40

becoming less Jewish and more gentile
spreading to the educated Roman-Greek world
Small among other religion (Roman Gods, Emperor worship)
Expressed very Greek themes to reflect this

Question 41

Examples of John being a theological interpretation

Answer 41

the cleansing of the temple is at the start of John, emphasising that Jesus brings a new era.

Timing of the last supper is different: MML it was on passover, John was the day before meaning that he dies on the day that the passover lambs are sacrificed, therefore Jesus becomes the Passover Lamb (a sacrifice for atonement for sin).

19:28 Jesus’ death on the cross emphasises the theme of fulfilment of scripture (“I am thirsty”), this was likely placed in by the author

Question 42

Examples of John’s links to the context of early Christianity

Answer 42

—Irenaeus suggested that the purpose of the Gospel was to oppose Gnosticism.
it expressed ideas contrary to Gnostic belief by suggesting that the. word actually became flesh (1:14) and that Christ really died and was raised in bodily form (20:20)
—other fake teachings, such as docetism (Jesus was a ‘phantom’ not a real person), Jesus was just a really good man
—R Brown argued that the Gospel was influenced by gnostic ideas and questions wether Gnosticism was actually the threat when Irenaeus was writing

Question 43

Conclusion of purpose and authorship of John’s Gospel

Answer 43

Arguments over authorship and purpose have strong evidence both in the text and from history
-authorship is still questionable as theories are based on textual analysis rather than actual dated evidence
-biblical criticism can draw no meaningful conclusion as there are so many different theories based on little evidence
-unlikely that the question of authorship will ever be answered
—Purpose is easier to describe as the skills of Biblical Criticism can give strong evidence- the detail is in the text.
—Details of the context of the early church raise questions about the purpose of the more obvious themes in John

Question 44

Other possible translations of John 20:31

Answer 44

The NIV footnote says it could be translated, “these are written that you may CONTINUE to believe”, suggesting that it was written to strengthen existing faith.

Schnackenburg say the majority of commentators take 20:31 to be addressed to those who already believe.

Question 45

Dodd on purpose

Answer 45

The Gospel was written for non-Christians: “addressed to a wide public consisting primarily of devout and thoughtful persons”

Question 46

A.M. Hunter and Ramsey Michaels on purpose

Answer 46

The Gospels are an interpretation of Jesus rather than a historical account of his ministry.

A.M. Hunter: the gospel is no less historically reliable because of this.

Ramsey Michaels: “the main purpose of John’s Gospel can probably be identified as the purpose of any Gospel: that is, to make the past career of Jesus Christ present reality to a later generation ”

Question 47

Purpose and the Johannine community

Answer 47

Brown and Martyn:

Reconstructed stages of the life of the community. 9:22, 12:42, 16:2 suggests rivalry with a Jewish Synagogue so the Gospel was trying to appeal to Jewish Christians who had not yet converted and to counter Jewish propaganda.

Explains Jesus being identified with OT figures and replacement theology (Morna Hooker).

Question 48

Greek Philosophy’s influence on the Fourth Gospel

Answer 48

Platonism: John draws the link between humans in the ‘world of time’ and God, as it presents Jesus is what bridges the gap between humanity and the divine. The Logos is the image of God (which we are created in) and it is this that enables our relationship with God.

Stoicism: Reason (Logos) is God and the conscience is inspired by reason. To lead a good life, we are to listen to the part of the divine that exists within our minds. The Gospel suggests that a special relationship is achieved between God and humanity when humankind lives according to the Logos.

Question 49

John 21:24

Answer 49

“This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.”