Introduction to John and The Gospel
PROPOSITION: Through the following materials we will chart a course to The Gospel of John 1:1, by examining the background information to the book. The following will set a framework for our journey - as we look to the INTRODUCTORY INFO.
If we want to get a proper understanding of the Gospel of John, then it is important to know the 5 W’s - WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY of the Gospel. WHO - Authorship; WHAT- gospel; WHERE - place; WHEN - date; WHY - purpose.
We will be spending our time, with the background information which will lead us to a proper interpretation of the Bible. A proper interpretation of the Bible uses the Literal, Historical, Grammatical, approach.
We would read the Bible as being LITERAL - in that we read it in its normal and natural sense - unless there is obvious reason not to do so - We do this as to allow the Bible to speak for itself.
We also read the Bible in light of its HISTORICAL background which helps us properly interpret God’s Word. This helps us understand and interpret God’s Word in its original intent.
And we examine the dictates of the GRAMMAR of its language, so we may grasp the meaning of the text, with a greater degree of accuracy .
So let’s begin to look at the INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION lying behind the Gospel of John. The following will use a different order in the 5 W’s, starting with…
WHAT - The meaning of the word "Gospel"
The Greek term for "gospel" originally had pictured a messenger receiving a reward for delivering some type of good news, for example - the good news of victory in a battle which is delivered to a king. The word in the Greek, is formed by adding a prefix, which has the meaning "good" to the word messenger. So the word gospel pictured a messenger bringing good news. Therefore the word "gospel" became to be known as meaning "good news."
A messenger would be happy to deliver a positive message but often they were also required to carry bad news. Those who carried bad news would frequently be found to "disappear." That is the messenger would not arrive at their destination, choosing not to obey orders. The reason for this was that messengers of bad news would be not be well received, so there was an issue of self preservation. Sometimes the messenger may be ruffed up or they could even be killed, depending on the degree of bad news that they delivered. Some messengers were even forced to arrive at their destination under armed escort. If the messenger did arrive, sometimes the message would be watered down or even changed to preserve their own well being. For this reason messengers were often regarded with a degree of suspicion. Ensuring the truthfulness of a messenger was an important objective for the recipient.
The people of the first century were familiar with the concept of the "herald of good news." In the Old Testament we have an example of this concept in a passage from Isaiah 40:9 -
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift [it] up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" (NASBu). This passage speaks about the prophet "heralding good news" and proclaiming it to the surrounding cities.
In the New Testament Gospels, all the writers use the term "gospel" except for John. The term is also employed by Paul in various contexts. Jesus used the term when He said - This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come . (Matt. 24:14)
Christians used the term "gospel" to refer to the good news of Christ’s salvation for man. In general the term "gospel" is applied to oral preaching or teaching. With the recording of Scripture, a transition was made from the oral to the written communication of the gospel tradition.
By the end of the first century or early second century A.D., the title of "Gospel according to Matthew," "The Gospel According to John," etc. were given to the first 4 NT books.
In essence the Gospels are the account of the "good news" of the saving nature of Christ’s work demonstrated through His sinless and perfect life, death on a cross to pay for our sins, physical resurrection on the third day, and ascension into heaven as Lord of all.
Now that we know what a Gospel is let us turn our attention to WHO wrote this Gospel…
WHO - Authorship
(The INTERNAL Evidence and EXTERNAL evidence)
Discovering the historical background of the Fourth Gospel begins with the authorship. There are different theories regarding the authorship. But, the authorship may be determined through internal evidence (data supplied by the text of the Gospel itself) and external evidence (information provided from outside the gospel such as the testimony of early believers).
We will examine the INTERNAL evidence first. Evidence which determines the author from the text of the Gospel of John itself. The internal evidence begins with the Gospel’s claim of apostolic eyewitness testimony to Jesus’ ministry. The words of the Gospel of John tell us that this is an eyewitness account. In verse 14 of chapter 1, it states: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. This verse should perhaps raise a question mark in our heads and prompting us to ask - "Who are the we that have beheld Jesus’ glory?" Who are the we that were present to see Jesus face to face when He was upon this earth?
The answer to this question is given in 2:11 where Jesus performs His first miracle - This beginning of [His] signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. Jesus’ glory was therefore beheld by the disciples of Christ - i.e. His followers, but more specifically His apostles.
An apostle is one who is sent as a messenger, being given specific power, and authority by Christ to advance God’s kingdom. These men also saw Jesus Christ personally and are therefore eyewitnesses to Him.
But then we may ask which one of the apostles wrote this Gospel? The answer is provided at the end of the Gospel in 21:20 - Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following [them]; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
Following in this context we are told in verse 24 - This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Therefore from these verses we know that the writer of the Gospel is - "the disciple whom Jesus loved."
Now who is this disciple loved by Jesus? The reference to "the disciple whom Jesus loved" is found five times in the Gospel (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). But this "beloved disciple" is never identified in the Gospel except by this title.
With this established fact - and some investigative deduction we may come to a conclusion. One of the approaches to determine the author begins at the close of the Gospel in chapter 21.
This "beloved disciple" is present when Christ appears to seven of His disciples on the Sea of Tiberias (also known as the Sea of Galilee). This takes place after their unsuccessful fishing trip. We know it is not Simon Peter because he turns around and sees the "beloved disciple" following in 21:20.
It also is not - Thomas called Didymus or Nathanael of Cana in Galilee (also known as Bartholomew), since they are identified specifically with their own titles in John 20:2. Therefore we are left with - the [sons] of Zebedee and - two others of His disciples, also found in verse 2 of chapter 21. If you are familiar with the Last Supper (ch 13) and with the following narrative up to ch. 16 that those listed are not the "beloved disciple." The people listed there are - Peter, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, and Judas the son of James. We can make this conclusion because we already know that the author of the Gospel is never personally named. Historically it could not be John’s brother - James the son of Zebedee, because he was the first of the apostles to be martyred by sword through Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2).
So we are then left with 5 possibilities - Matthew, Simon the Zealot, James the son of Alphaeus, Andrew, and John the son of Zebedee. It would not be Matthew because he already has written another Gospel.
It is not Simon the Zealot or James the son of Alphaeus, since these two are obscure figures and no one historically has suggested these two as the author.
Then there is Andrew whose name is identified along with an unnamed disciple in 1:40 - so by the mention of his name on four occasions in the Gospel - Andrew could not be the author.
Finally when all the disciples are accounted for, we are then left with John the son of Zebedee - as the author of this Gospel of John.
There are other internal evidences, which indicate that the Apostle John was the author of this Gospel (you are encouraged to investigate those in your own studies).
Not only does the internal evidence point to John as the writer of the Gospel… so does the
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE as we continue to examine the:
WHO - Authorship - External Evidence
and alongside the WHERE - Place of Composition
The external evidence for this Gospel comes from the early church. Early believers listed this as the fourth Gospel and ascribed its authorship to one of Jesus’ closest disciples, John the son of Zebedee.
The early church leader, Irenaeus, during the latter part of the second century, stated that John, the disciple who leaned upon the Lord’s breast, wrote a Gospel while he resided in Ephesus in Asia (Against Heresies 3.1). He based his statement upon the authority of his mentor, a man named Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John.
The City of Ephesus is located in what we know as modern day Western Turkey. Today, Ephesus is in ruins, and is being dug up by archeologists.
Other second century writers in the Church, such as Theophilus of Antioch (writer of the first orthodox commentary on John) and Tertullian of Carthage also have written that John was the author. Another second century writer, Tatian, included it in his harmony of the Four Gospels, (the Diatessaron). Another leader of the early church, Clement of Alexandria, about the year A.D.220, quoted John’s Gospel at length and from almost every chapter. The fourth century historian Eusebius recorded that the Gospel was written by John who was a companion of Peter and James (Historia Ecclesiastica 3.34.5).
The majority of early church Fathers without hesitation agreed that John wrote this Gospel.
From Irenaeus onward there was almost unanimous agreement in this conclusion.
So who is this John character? And What would compel him to write this account of Christ? The following is a character profile of the Apostle John.
In chapter 1 of John in verse six, there is a mention of a person named John. This person -"John" is not the Apostle John, but is "John the Baptist" (His profile will be outlined in a future expositional posting).
The author of this Gospel therefore is John the son of Zebedee. John was the younger brother of James, who both were apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Together with their father, they were fishermen by trade. They had a thriving business (Mk. 1:20).
Simon Peter was one of their partners in this business (Lk. 5:10). John, before being called by Jesus to follow Him, was a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, John and his brother became Jesus’ first disciples (Matt. 4:21-22). John was known for his personal character of being "hot headed." Because of this, John was given the nickname as a "son of thunder," by Christ (Mk. 3:17). John was quite outspoken and possessed an intensity in the things that he did.
John was also known to be "the disciple whom Jesus loved," for he out of the 12 disciples of Christ, John was among Jesus’ inner circle. The other two in Jesus’ inner circle were John’s brother James, and another disciple named Peter. Because of this honoured position John witnessed Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mk. 5:37). He was also privileged to witness Jesus’ transfiguration (Matt. 17:1), and Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal (Mk. 14:33). John became the first disciple to view the empty tomb after Jesus’ resurrection, after His crucifixion (Jn. 20:1-10).
Outside the Gospels in the New Testament, John is seldom mentioned - only in Acts is he named 3 times. The Apostle Paul mentioned that John was one of the pillars of the early church (Gal. 2:9).
According to tradition, in his later years he located himself in the city of Ephesus were he had an active writing ministry. He became God’s instrument for the writing of the Gospel of John, the 3 Epistles of John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ. John was also a primary leader in the churches of Asia Minor. As the last surviving eyewitness of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he was highly respected and sought out. John had intimate, eyewitness knowledge of Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension.
The climate at the end of his life was that there was increasing and severe persecution of the Christian churches, by the Romans. In his final years, as an old man, he was exiled to a small remote island, named Patmos for his faithful preaching of God’s Word (Rev. 1:9). There he left for us the legacy of the inspired Book of Revelation.
Now that we have discovered that the internal and external evidence point to the author as being the Apostle John, and we have a portrait of who John was, and we also know that the Gospel was written in Ephesus …it is helpful to know the:
WHEN - Date of Composition
Both conservative and liberal scholars from ancient times until of late, view this fourth Gospel as being composed at a relatively late date. The placement of the dating ranges from pre A.D.70, before the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, to a date in the mid second century. Those who hold to the early-second century date usually take the liberal viewpoint that John wrote to correct the Synoptics, which is the name given to the first three gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, the proper view is that the Gospel of John, is a supplement to the Synoptic Gospels, and not a correction of them.
Those who hold to a late date view - early to mid 2nd century, have needed to re-evaluate their position after two manuscript fragments were found in the nineteen hundreds. The first fragment discovered was published in 1935 by the British Museum (Egerton Papyrus 2). It consists of citations from the Synoptics and quotes from the Gospel of John (3:2; 5:39, 45; 9:29; 10:25). This fragment is important, because it indicates that by the time that it was written, no later than the mid second century, Johns’ Gospel was of the same authoritative status as the other Gospels.
The second manuscript fragment found is the most important of the two (Roberts Fragment -P52) which contains parts of John 8:31-33, 37-38. The manuscript fragment, is the oldest portion of the New Testament we have to date. This Scripture fragment was found in Egypt and dated (by K. Aland) to the early years of the second century. Therefore these manuscript copies of John, verify that the dating of John’s Gospel must have been written before the early years of the second century (and definitely not into the mid second century as some would like to have us believe).
Another external evidence comes from the written testimony of early church Fathers. They state that John was aware of the other Synoptic Gospels, and that he was still writing into his later years of life. Many scholars date John’s Gospel after the composition of the other Gospels and before 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation.
Another evidence for the date of composition is Jesus’ words to Peter in 21:18 and John’s comment in verse 19: "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to [go]." 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!" This reference to Peter’s martyrdom seems to indicate that this had already taken place. Church tradition records that Peter was martyred being crucified upside down, under Nero about A.D.67-68. Therefore the date of the Gospel would be after this period.
Taking into account the overall external and internal evidences for the date of John’s Gospel, it may be concluded that John composed this writing between A.D.80-90. This would be roughly 50 years after he witnessed the earthy ministry of Jesus. This conclusion reflects the traditional stance of conservative evangelical scholars.
The apostle John has been identified as the author by internal and external evidence. John wrote the gospel from Ephesus between A.D. 80-90. But WHY did he write it?
WHY - Purpose (Audience)
The purpose of John is clearly stated in 20:31 - but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
It might be helpful that you underline this verse in your own Bible for reference. This is the purpose statement of the Gospel of John. A quick way to remember the theme of John is - "Jesus as the Son of God."
The intended audience to fulfill the purpose for the Gospel of John, is the early Christian church. John presents teachings and images of Christ that are a companion and supplement to the other Gospel writers.
According to tradition, John was aware of the other Gospels. Yet John did not depend upon them, which is evidenced by his record as being a "spiritual gospel." Liberal scholars would like us to believe that John copied from the other Gospels. But John states clearly that his record of Christ’s life is by eyewitness account. Those details that John may have forgotten were brought to mind by the Holy Spirit - John 14:26 states this: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
The Gospel of John is a unique perspective and record of Christ’s life. The general character of the Gospel is of a universal quality. This characteristic of this inspired record points to the audience being the church at large by proclaiming the universal message of the "good news" of salvation from our sin through Jesus Christ. The Gospel was written for the encouragement and use of believers. But it also has in mind people who did not know Jesus Christ.
In light of the fact that the audience was believers, the Gospel says little about the church itself, for John appears to have little concern for the "here and now," but he looks into the future eternal hope believers have in Christ.
There may be different theories about the historical background of The Gospel of John. But the liberal theories of authorship, date, and background, are an assault upon the veracity of God’s Word. The attempt by Liberal scholars to change history is an attempt to discredit the Truthfulness of Scripture. If history can be questioned and even changed, then the "truth about Jesus" can be distorted. But we affirm that the Gospel was written many centuries ago by the Apostle John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved."
John wrote the gospel at the former city of Ephesus, located in modern day Turkey, between A.D. 80-90. The purpose of the letter was to encourage believers. It also served the purpose of proclaiming the "good news" to unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. The overall theme of John is to establish Jesus Christ as "The Son of God."
We may ask - is it relevant to us today? Indeed it is relevant for our generation, and it is not limited to the original audience. As we go through our series on the prologue of John - we will benefit from the spiritual lessons of this Gospel - which will edify and mature us. It will also play a unique role in our defense and proclamation of our faith.
The Gospel of John, brings all who are confronted with its truths, to make a personal decision about Jesus Christ - whether it be acceptance or rejection. There is no decision about who Christ is that is neutral - The truth regarding Jesus is black or white.
(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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