View source for Gospel of John

[[Image:El Greco Imaculada.jpg|thumb|Immaculate Conception with St John the Evangelist by [[El Greco]]]]
The '''[[Gospel]] of John''', written by the eyewitness [[John the Apostle]], brings the [[infinite]] power and glory of [[Christianity]] to everyone in concise, well-organized chapters. '''''This Gospel is particularly effective in overcoming [[anxiety]]''''', and can be read entirely in merely two hours.

The Gospel of John contains the most famous verse in the entire [[Bible]], welcoming all:
*"For [[God]] so loved the world, that he gave his only [[Jesus|Son]], that whoever believes in him should not perish but have [[eternal life]]."<ref>{{bible ref|John|3|16}} ([[ESV]]).</ref> ([[Luke]]'s use of the name "[[Theophilus]]" -- meaning "loved by [[God]] -- corroborates this.)

This Gospel is very [[pro-life]] with an emphasis on [[eternity]], or [[infinity]], which are superb antidotes for modern-day [[anxiety]]. This Gospel contains the oft-quoted phrase "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." {{bibleref|John|8|32}} '''''The Gospel of John mentions "life" 3-6 times as often as the Gospels of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]]'''''.

This Gospel uniquely contains two powerful [[allegory|allegories]]: the [[Good Shepherd]] and the [[True Vine]]. This Gospel also includes one of the most often-discussed miracles, the changing of water into wine. ''See'' [[John 1-7 (Translated)#2:1|John 2:1-11]]. Overall, 90% of the Gospel of John is unique and fresh,<ref>https://www.learnreligions.com/the-differences-between-john-and-the-synoptic-gospels-363396</ref> and the origin of expressions like "doubting Thomas." {{bibleref|John|20|24-29}}

'''''The top three most-quoted [[Bible]] verses are all from this Gospel''''':  (#1) {{bibleref|John|3|16}}, (#2) {{bibleref|John|1|1}}, (#3) {{bibleref|John|14|6}}.  

10% of the Gospel of John independently corroborates the other [[Gospel]]s, such as the [[multiplication of the loaves]].  The Gospel of John also refers more than the other [[Gospels]] to [[Judas Iscariot]] as the betrayer of [[Jesus]].

The author of the Gospel of John was different from other authors, and possibly a [[Samaritan]] in contrast with the [[Gentile]] [[the Gospels|Gospel]]-writers [[Mark]] and [[Luke]] and the [[Jewish]] author [[Matthew]].<ref>''See'' [[Mystery: Was John a Samaritan]]?</ref> 

The Gospel of John rejects the view of [[Jesus]] as a "king", containing far fewer references to "king" and "kingdom" as the other [[gospels]]. In one passage John quotes [[Jesus]] himself as rejecting that he is a king, in response to a question by [[Pontius Pilate]]: "You say that I am a king."  ''See'' {{bibleref|John|18|37}}.

The Gospel of John appears to be a target of the [[Antisemitism Awareness Act]] of 2023 (H.R. 6090), passed by the [[House]] on May 1, 2024, which criminalizes "claims of Jews killing [[Jesus]]" and defines that as "classic antisemitism."<ref>https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1785755752432296283</ref>

==Contents and Scheme==

The [[Gospel]] of [[Saint John|St. John]] is the last of the four [[Biblical canon|canonical]] Gospels.  Its content is a narrative of the life of [[Christ|Jesus]] from His [[baptism]] to His [[Resurrection]] and His manifestation of Himself among His disciples.
The Gospel is in four sections:

* The prologue (1:1-18), containing what is in a sense a brief epitome of the whole Gospel in the doctrine of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word.
* The first part (1:19-12:50), recounting the public life of Jesus from His baptism to the eve of His [[Passion of Christ|Passion]].  This part includes [[John 3:16]], probably the best-known passage in the entire Bible.
* The second part (13-21:22), relating the history of the Passion and Resurrection of the [[Savior]].  This includes another famous passage: John 14:6, where Jesus declares Himself as the only way to God the Father.  (Evangelist [[Billy Graham]] had this verse publicized at all of his evangelistic meetings, and it is inscribed on his tombstone.)

The arrangement follows the historical order of events.

==Distinctiveness==

The Gospel of John was an independent work, with almost no duplication with [[the Gospels|the other Gospels]] and many notable omissions of what is recounted elsewhere.  The Gospel of John was written in [[Greek]] with a distinctive character; John uses about ninety words not found in any other hagiographer.<ref>A hagiographer is a biographer of a holy person.</ref>  When describing times of day, John uses the Roman (Gentile) method of beginning the day at midnight (as opposed to the Hebrew method, used in the other three Gospel accounts, which starts the day at sunset).

Even more distinctive, the vocabulary is the grammatical use of pronouns, prepositions, and verbs. The [[Evangelist]] reveals a deep knowledge of Hellenistic speech of the first century AD, which is flavored with certain Hebrew expressions. His literary style is lauded for its noble, natural, and artistic simplicity. He combines harmoniously the rustic speech of the Synoptics with the urban phraseology of [[Saint Paul|St. Paul]].

What first attracts the reader's attention is the subject matter of the Gospel; the confinement of the narrative to chronicling events that took place in [[Judea]] and [[Jerusalem]]. The Savior's labors in Galilee relate a few events, without dwelling on details, and of these events only two—the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (6: 1-16), and the sea voyage (6: 17-21) -- are already related in the Synoptic Gospels.

Compared with the other Evangelists, John chronicles fewer [[miracle]]s but concentrates more attention on the discourses of [[Christ|Jesus]]. The events depicted form a frame for the words, conversation, and teaching of the Savior and His disputations with His adversaries. It is the controversies with the [[Sanhedrin|Sanhedrists]] at Jerusalem that seem especially to claim the attention of the Evangelist. John's interest is a highly theological one.

Even in the earliest ages of Christianity, the honorary title of the "theologian"  was bestowed on John. There are certain great truths, constantly referred to, in the Gospel which are regarded as his governing ideas, special mention should be made of such expressions as the [[Light]] of the World, the [[Truth]], the Life, the Resurrection.

From his very opening sentences, John looks to the deepest of eternity; the Divine [[Logos|Word]] in the bosom of the Father. He never tires of portraying the dignity and glory of the Eternal Word Who took up His abode among men. As evidence of the Divinity of the Savior, the author chronicles some of the great wonders by which Christ revealed His glory, but he is far more intent on leading us to a deeper understanding of Christ's Divinity and majesty by a consideration of His words, discourses, and teaching, and His [[Divine]] [[Love]].

Much more than in the Synoptics, the whole narrative of the Fourth Gospel centers around the Person of the Redeemer.  The Gospel of John is unique in not recounting any of the parables.
== Specially Observed Events ==
The Gospel of John includes several specially observed events that are not in [[the Gospels|the other Gospels]].  These include:
*Jesus's disclosing his [[divinity]] to the promiscuous [[Samaritan]] woman at {{bibleref|John|4|7-26}};
*Jesus's mother at the [[Cross]];
*the thrusting of the spear into Jesus's side on the [[Cross]]; and
*Jesus's appearance to [[Mary Magdalene]] outside the tomb.

== Omissions ==

There are many omissions from the [[Gospel of John]], some of which even involved [[John]] such as the [[Transfiguration]].  The omissions confirm the independence of this work.  Here is a sample of the many omissions of events and concepts described elsewhere:

*Background and baptism of Jesus, and [[John the Baptist]]'s fate.
*[[Three Temptations of Christ]].
*[[Hell]].
*[[Parable]]s.
*[[Transfiguration]], which is described in Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9 and 2 Peter 1 - perhaps John was avoiding repetition.
*[[Eucharist]].
*[[Peter]] weeping after denying [[Christ]].
*[[Apocryphal]] "Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing."
*Use of the concept [[repent]] and [[forgiveness]].
*Use of the term [[gospel]] or compassion.
*Teaching against divorce.
*Use of the concept [[faith]].
*No ban on preaching to the [[Samaritan]]s, and there is even a suggestion that Jesus may have been a Samaritan.
*[[Exorcism]]s.
*prophesies of the Second Coming of Jesus are also mostly omitted in this Gospel.

==Author==

The evidence is overwhelming that the [[Apostle John]] was the author of the Gospel of John.  Skeptics try to deny this by saying that the text is beyond the capabilities of a fisherman, but John himself was probably not a career fisherman and that would not be a disqualification of intelligence anyway.  Even skeptics do not deny that this Gospel was written by an eyewitness of [[Jesus]].<ref>According to the ''The New Oxford Annotated Bible,''
:tradition says [the author] was the apostle John. Most scholars, however, suggest a disciple of John who recorded him preaching as Mark did that of Peter. In any case, the historical basis of the Gospel has become increasingly recognized.  May, Herbert G. and Bruce G. Metzger, ''The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version,'' New York: Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 1286</ref>

===Evidence for authorship by the apostle John===

The ancient manuscripts and translations of the Gospel constitute the first group of evidence. In the titles, tables of contents, and signatures, which are usually added to the text of the separate Gospels, John is in every case named as the author of this Gospel.

Its author can be discerned from the contents.
Judging by the language, the author was a Palestinian Jew, who knew the Hellenic Greek of the upper classes. He displays an accurate knowledge of the geographical and social conditions of Palestine. He must have enjoyed personal intercourse with the Savior and must even have belonged to the circle of his intimate friends. The Gospel shows the writer to have been an eyewitness of most of the events. He speaks of John nine times without giving him the title of "the Baptist," as the other Evangelists invariably do to distinguish him from the Apostle. All these indications point clearly to the conclusion that the Apostle John must have been the author of the Fourth Gospel.

The Gospel of John never mentions John by name, referring to him as "the disciple that Jesus loved."  This is understandable if John is the author, but would be hard to explain otherwise.

The age of John when he became an Apostle is unknown, and he could have been as young as an Apostle.  The teacher-student type of relationship that Jesus developed with John suggests an age difference, and publication of this Gospel by John long after Jesus was [[Crucifixion|crucified]] suggests that John was young when the events occurred.

==Date==
According to the general opinion, the Gospel was the last to be released in John's old age.  This Gospel is estimated by [[Columbia University]] researchers to have been completed between A.D. 80 and 110, and the oldest extant fragments from it are dated between A.D. 125 and 150 A.D.<ref>https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/node/1754#:~:text=The%20Gospel%20According%20to%20Luke,middle%20of%20the%20third%20century.</ref>  Grounds for estimated dates of authorship are briefly as follows:

* According to Clemente of Alexandria, the Fourth Gospel was released after the three Synoptics.
* the Gospel of John avoids repetition with [[the Gospels|the other Gospels]], which implies John completed his later.
* It was probably completed after the death of [[Saint Peter|Peter]], since the last chapter - especially 21:18-19 presupposes his death.  Peter died in A.D. 64. 
* It was completed after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, for the Evangelist's references to the Jews (cf. particularly 11:18; 18: 1; 19:41) seem to indicate that the end of the city and of the people as a nation is already come.  Jerusalem fell in 70 AD.
* The text of John 21:23, might imply that John was already old when he completed and released the Gospel.
* Those who denied the Divinity of Christ, the very heresy to which St. John devotes special attention throughout his Gospel, are believed to have disseminated this view near the end of the first century.
* This Gospel also emphasizes the mortality of Jesus (e.g., he ate fish), which countered another heresy that he was not mortal.<ref>https://christ.org/questions-and-answers/when-was-the-gospel-of-john-written/</ref>
* John mentions the banning of Christians (followers of Jesus) from the synagogues, which happened around A.D. 90 (see Council of Jamnia).
There is also a school of thought that John, and the entire [[New Testament]] for that matter, were written before the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 believing that heresies had always been around.  John 5:2 is cited, where John speaks of a pool with "is" instead of was, even though it was destroyed in A.D. 70.  (It should be noted that John sometimes uses the present tense to describe situations that have passed in other instances.)<ref>NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985</ref>

==Composition==

The great contrast between John and the Synoptics is the choice and arrangement of materials. The first three Gospels show us the Savior almost exclusively in Galilee, laboring among the common people. John, however, devotes himself chiefly to chronicling Christ's work in Judea, and His conflicts with members of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem.
John supplements the evangelical story in such a manner as to lead to a deeper knowledge of the Person and Divinity of the Savior.
But it was chiefly in Jesus' discussions with the [[Scribes (Bible)|Scribes]] and [[Pharisees]] at Jerusalem that Christ had spoken of His Person and Divinity. In his Gospel, therefore John made it his primary purpose to set down the sublime teachings of Jesus, to safeguard the Faith of the Christians.
Two major differences:

*The duration of Christ's public ministry extends in the Fourth Gospel probably over three years, and some months. The three earlier Evangelists also suppose the space of at least two years and some months.
*The purification of the Temple is referred by John to the beginning of the Savior's ministry, while the Synoptists narrate it at the close.

===Presentation===

The great sublimity of the Fourth Gospel stands in sharp contrast to the simplicity of the Synoptics. But there were great differences in the circumstances under which the Gospels were written.
Saint John was forced to adopt an entirely different style from that used in the Synoptics, writing for the newly converted Jews.

The peculiar style of John is found not only in the narrative portions of the Gospel but also in the discourses of Jesus and in the words of John the Baptist and other people. The discourses had to be transliterated from Aramaic into Greek, and in this process received from the author their distinctive style. The leading ideas alone are set forth in exact accordance with the sense and they come to reflect the style of the Evangelist. Finally, the disciple surely received from his Master many of the distinctive metaphors and expressions which imprint on the Gospel its peculiar character.

===General Character===

Also, having mentioned in his account of the [[Crucifixion]] that the disciple whom Jesus loved stood beneath the Cross beside the mother of Jesus (John 19:26 ), he adds, after telling of the death of Christ and the opening of His side, the solemn assurance: "And he that saw it hath given testimony; and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true: that you also may believe" (19: 35). John calls himself the "disciple whom the Lord loved".  He assures us, not merely that this testimony is true, but that he was a personal witness of its truth. In this manner he identifies himself with the disciple beloved of the Lord who alone could give such testimony from intimate knowledge. This is repeated at the end of his Gospel. After again referring to the disciple whom Jesus loved, he immediately adds the words: "This is that disciple who giveth testimony of these things, and hath written these things; and we know that his testimony is true" (John 21:24).

===The Doctrine===

John makes his teaching center around the Person of Jesus, while the Synoptics bring into relief rather the Kingdom of God. At the end of the first century, there was no need for the Evangelist to repeat the lessons concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. His task was to emphasize the fundamental truth of the Divinity of the Founder of this Kingdom. By chronicling those words and works of the Redeemer in which He Himself had revealed the majesty of His glory.

== See also ==
*[[John Rylands Fragment]]
*[[The Twelve Apostles]]
*[[Targum]] and [[Aramaic Church]] for the Aramaic explanation of John 1:1
*[[Gospel of John (Translated)]]
*[[Aramaic Judaism, Jewish Aramaic Christianity, and John 1:1]]

==References==
{{reflist}}


{{New Testament Books}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gospel of John, The}}

[[Category:Conservative Bible|*]]
[[Category:New Testament Books| nt4]]
[[Category:Gospels| nt4]]