The question of who wrote the gospel of John is quite a challenging one. You may answer, of course, it’s John! Yes, certainly, but which John? Bear in mind that a handful of names were widely typical in the first century of Israel. Some of those names include Simon, Judas, James, and John. The frequency with which-h they arise in historical writings, such as Scripture, makes it difficult to sort out who is “who.”
Apart from that, the first-century Jews didn’t have any last names. Sometimes, a person goes by many different names. Simon son of John, Simon, son of Jonah, Simon, Simeon, Cephas, Peter, Simon Peter. All of these are all the same individual.
Thus, who wrote the gospel of John?
The author of the gospel of John is…
The Gospel of John indicates an eyewitness wrote into the ministry of Christ. It’s somewhat sarcastic that the gospel of John—of all the other Gospels—is the only one that points to its author, yet it does not name him. You may be wondering, why?
Well, the author himself was known to be the first reader. It wasn’t needed to say his name in a sense, but there might have been various reasons for that. One likelihood is that the author keeps himself nameless and unacknowledged out of humility, acknowledging himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
Furthermore, he may be making himself a symbol for every one of his readers, all of whom Christ loves. He might have wanted to be unidentified, as he was writing in risky times so that he didn’t get in trouble together with the authorities. The strategy might not have worked.
Nonetheless, if he is the author of Revelation, he ended up being imprisoned on the island of Patmos. It’s somewhat stimulating that of all the books associated with John, the book of Revelation is the only book that names its authors. The most surprising part here is that the book was made after he was exiled.
The most common view is that the Gospel of John was written by John the Apostle. In 21:20, he put the author among the core groups of Jesus’ disciples. It’s also an easy step from there to determine that he is one of the twelve.
What is the purpose of John’s gospel?
John does not provide the details that the synoptic gospels recorded some thirty years before. However, he provides the information that is needed to confirm the essential truths of the gospel. He begins his gospel with the principle that what had persuaded him would persuade others too. The synoptic gospels show the Messiah-ship of Jesus inductively, but John positively announces that truth in the first chapter and then presents the evidence.
When he wrote the gospel at the close of the first century, three main concerns threatened the Christian church. Those were fading godliness, persecution, and heresy. Thus, John, the survivor of the twelve apostles, was convicted of writing a book to help the believers see a clearer picture of the Savior. He wanted to encourage their faith in the incarnation, the deity, and the real Savoir of humanity. He wanted to show the ideal life, the sacrificial death, the resurrection, and the second coming of Jesus as well.
What’s the difference between the gospel of John to other synoptic gospels?
The book of John differs from those synoptic gospels in that it chronicles nothing of such events as the experience in Gethsemane, the transfiguration, or even the baptism. As an alternative, big portions of the gospel cover controversial discourses in the template Jerusalem and the last meeting of Jesus Christ with the disciples on the night of the crucifixion.
In that respect, the gospel complements the synoptic gospels, and the miracles it records specifically prove the divinity of the son of God.
Keep in mind that John first verifies that he was an eyewitness to Jesus by saying in John 1:14 that, “We beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Moreover, as an eyewitness, he confirms that he could tell many more, like in John 20:30, saying, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.”
You see, the keyword of the gospel is the “word.” John grants Jesus as the incarnate expression of God, which made salvation a lot more possible. John also refers to the truth that Jesus Christ came as the living expression of the Father’s character, will, and mind and shows it in twenty-six instances.
He also highlights Him as the Creator of everything and the source of life and truth. He also concentrates on the necessity of believing the truth about Christ, using the word “believe.”
Conclusion
Therefore, we can tell that the purpose of John is not so much historical or biographical, as it is theological. If you’re interested in purchasing this book, check out alabaster co.