Internal &
External Evidence of Johannine Authorship
It is important to establish John
as the author of the Gospel bearing his name primarily for apostolic eyewitness
and authorship. This especially during a period of Gnostic influences. Köstenberger
aptly puts it this way: “John’s Gospel claims to represent apostolic eyewitness
testimony regarding Jesus’ earthly ministry.”[1] There is ample internal and external evidence
in support of Johannine authorship with John being “John, the son of Zebedee,” one of Jesus’ disciples. The internal
evidence is as follows:
·
The author is identified in Jn. 13:23 as “the
disciple whom Jesus loved.” That he is “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is also
mentioned in 21:2, 23, and stated as the “one who “testified to these things
and wrote them down” (21:24). The author also has close connections to Peter
and part of Jesus’ inner circle (Lk. 5:8-10,8:51; Mk. 3:16-17, 5:37; Mat.
17:1-2). Of noteworthy mention is the visit to Jesus’ tomb on Resurrection
Sunday, where the author is identified as “the one whom Jesus loved” (20:1-8).
·
We know the author is not Peter nor James (these
men have authored other books as affirmed by patristic testimonies). Peter died
before him (21:23) and James was also martyred before John passed on (Acts
12:2).
·
That John has firsthand testimony of the life of
Christ is mentioned in 19:35, 18:15, 19:26-27, 21:7). The author also places
himself in prominent mentions throughout the Gospel as a matter of “historic
fact.”[2]
·
A process of elimination can be applied to all
the other disciples in regards to authorship. Also important is that the early
church fathers have given “unanimous support of Johannine authorship.”[3]
The external evidence of authorship includes[4]:
·
The testimonies of church fathers Irenaeus,
Polycarp, Clement and Eusebius. Polycarp claimed to be one of John’s disciples
and “affirmed the author of John to be “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Clement
stated “John composed a spiritual Gospel.”
In an age of relativism presently
and of past questions to the apostolicity of New Testament writings,
establishing John as author to this Gospel “safeguards this Gospel’s character”
and attests to the veracity of the Scriptures. This book has post-apostolic
authority as it was written by a follower of Jesus (John, the son of Zebedee).
The Purpose &
Provenance of John’s Gospel
It is “virtually unanimous” that
John the son of Zebedee wrote the Gospel of John, as supported by both internal
( Jn. 21:24-25) and external evidence (not limited to the testimonies of
Irenaeus, Polycarp and Eusebius.)[5]
Drilling down on the date of authorship, internal evidence such as Jn. 21:19
affirms an eyewitness account of a prediction of Peter’s death, which did not
occur until AD 64-5. The author alludes to an historical fact in reference to a
“Sheep Gate” (Jn. 5:2) which was still standing before the destruction of AD
70. Carson provides additional support for a late first century authorship:[6]
(1) agreement among theologians of the book being written during the reign of
Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96); (2) Church father Jerome “places John’s death
sixty-eight years after Jesus’ death” (making it approx. AD 98); and (3) strong
Christocentric theology available in the Gospel of John more than any other
Gospel and in language from that contemporary culture. There is also a
post-resurrection emphasis found in John attesting to the time period. The
above-mentioned evidence favor a late first century date, approximately AD
80-95.
While many places have been
suggested for provenance including Alexandria, Antioch and even Palestine,
there is considerable patristic consensus that the book was written in Ephesus.
Irenaeus’ statement that “John was published while he was a resident at Ephesus
in Asia”[7]
to the Jewish Diaspora and Eusebius’ account of John being stationed in western
Asia-Minor remains the traditional view of the church.
Now, while John was written
primarily to a Jewish Diaspora, for the modern reader it continues to be true
to its original purpose – evangelism and edification. John’s thesis statement
(20:30-31) provides the big picture for his readers. His wish is to present the
Messiah, his ministry, to encourage faith
(“initial and continuing”[8])
in the Messiah and in so doing, provide solid theological footing for corporate
edification (keep in mind that the original audience was facing the challenge
of post AD 70). Rather than being a supplementary Gospel, the book of John
stands on its own (said to be the most theological of the Gospels), providing
discourses aimed at spiritual maturity and conversion. This makes it an
essential read for both believers and non-believers in this present age. John
explains very pointedly what it means to be a Christian and what it takes to
remain one (apostolic themes of later New Testament writings). In a grand mix
of Old Testament allusions and echoes, warnings and Christo-centric narratives,
John will stress the Messiah’s humanity and his mission that provides eternal
hope for those who accepts Messiah’s message (Jn. 1:29, 4:22, 14:6, 1 Jn.
5:13).
[1]
Köstenberger, Encountering John, 4.
[2]
Ibid., 6.
[4]
Ibid., 7-8.
[5]
D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to
John, (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. E. Publishing Company, 1991), 68, 86.
[6]
Carson, John, 83-5.
[7]
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Encountering John: The
Gospel in Historic, Literary, and Theological Perspective, (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 7-8.
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