Becker Bible Teacher Resources

A copy of the Gospels in a manuscript of intricate design and beautifully illuminated, produced around AD 800 by a monastery on the island of Iona (Scotland). An outstanding work of art in the early Middle Ages, which according to tradition was written by Saint Columba, was still being used to bless Irish armies in the 1690s.

Pseudo author of the Dionysian works that were the corpus containing three treatises. The work was translated into Latin by John (the Scot) Eriugena in the ninth century. His writings profoundly influenced medieval theology and spirituality and through time impacted Alber the Great, Thomas Aquinas, and mystic Richard of St. Victor, Bonaventure. The Gothic architecture of Saint-Denis in Paris is also named for the author-become-missionary, attributed to his uplifting illumination (Hill, 103).

Bibliography

Hill, Jonathan. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity. Oxford: Lion Publishing, 2006.

Issued by Constantine and his eastern co-ruler, Licinius, the Edict of Milan officially ended all persecution and allowed freedom of religion throughout the Roman Empire.

A Christian writer and historian who lived in the first half of the fourth century. He is noted for his book The Life of Constantine which he wrote following personal interviews with the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great. He is also known for his final book of Ecclesiastical History which accounts the church from its early days to his own time. His book Panegyric to Constantine sings rapturous praises for Constantine as an earthly image of the divine monarchy that exists halfway between heaven and earth.

The gnostic influence triggered a response in Irenaeus and Tatianus to defend the historical nature of the Book of John, to remove the heretical connections brought forth. The defense of Scripture against the control of the Gnostic believers was a critical point in Christian history; so these authors become important to begin the process of winnowing the Truth of God from the heretics.

Origen's writings on the Book of John in the 3rd century infused the life, spirit and history of Christ through the Book of John.That infusion encouraged scholars to approach the Book of John not only historically, but spiritually as well, though refuting the Gnostic ideas.

Augustine's insistence that the historical life of Jesus, along with great theological concepts, and spiritual depth were an important consideration to the reading of the Fourth Gospel. This develops ideas of spiritual connections, but links them to the historical dating that is so available to interpreters through the Book of John. Augustin leads the early Church into their surety of belief that the Book of John is a historical compilation of the life of Christ.

B. F. Westcott's defense of the apostolic origins of the Book of John allows readers to directly connect the disciple's writings to Christ. Apostolic authority elevates the Book of John to the highest level of consideration and makes it crucial to base new theological ideas upon. Bultmann's demythologizing approach gave further insight in the life of Christ with a theological paradigm.[1]

Polycarp's words about how he witnessed John as he witnessed Christ, down to his appearance, words, discourse, and nature are profound.[2]He speaks of his devotion to John and his recollection as the one Christ loved the most amongst His disciples with a connection of proximity and authority to Him as John stood, walked, witnessed, loved, and cried in the presence the Lord.
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[1] Leo Percer, "Nbst615, Lecture #2: Introduction to John - Interpretations of the Fourth Gospel,"  (accessed 1/15/2015).

 [2] D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 26.

John 13:21-23 the disciple "whom Jesus loved” leaned upon Christ's bosom at the Passover meal.  Peter and Judas Iscariot speak also during this account, precluding them from being the disciple of whom Jesus loved.

John 13-16 -Philip, Peter, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, or Judas the son of James cannot be "the beloved disciple” because they are mentioned alongside him in the three chapters.  Also, John 21:12 confirms that the beloved disciple is not Peter, Thomas, or Nathanael.

John 15:26-27 - Jesus speaks to his disciples about the coming Spirit of Truth that will bear witness, and lead to them bearing witness.  The actual Disciples' writings connects these witnesses to verify the apostolic authority that was granted the four Gospels by the early church.

John 19:26-27 - Jesus chooses "the disciple standing by, whom he loved” to care for his mother at His crucifixion

John 19:35 - Declares the direct witness of Christ by the author who has been there from the beginning; this precludes the "community” approach  to assigning authorship.

John 21:21-23 - Peter sees the disciple that Jesus loved following them, and identified him as the same one that leaned on his breast at the Passover supper.  This reference comes just before the confirmation of the writings by the disciple. Its positioning also suggests a connection between Peter's eyewitness testimonies as a major source towards John's Gospel.   It does preclude Peter from the authorship of the Book of John.

John 21:24-25 confirms the author of the Book of John as a disciple that is testifying of the things of Christ.

Further, when the Synoptic Gospels are compared, authorship can be narrowed down to Matthew, Simon the Zealot, James the son of Alpheus, or John the son of Zebedee. Because Peter is linked closely with John, and took part in the Resurrection search of the tomb, it is likely that the beloved disciple is part of the inner three (Peter, James, and John) that are closest to Jesus.  Since both Peter and James are named in the Book of John, it seems likely that the author is John with this circumstantial, but compelling clue.

The earliest external witness and declaration that John, son of Zebedee, wrote the Book of John comes from Irenaeus, a student of John's disciple Polycarp.  It was the traditional view of the early church for Johanean authorship, as indicated by their external writings up until the 18th century.  There is no piece of internal or external evidence that is inconsistent with naming John, the son of Zebedee as author of the Book of John.  

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ, was given a unique position as witness to his ministry from the beginning.  His witness required his lifetime attention.  Unlike all other disciples, John grew old, and eventually found his way to the Island of Patmos to write the Book of Revelation.  He was not martyred quickly like all of the other original Disciples. Jesus chose one Disciple to witness not only his ministry but the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and the works of the early church in order for continuity of the message of Christ to be solidly founded and make it possible to introduce theological and typological connections that would be expounded on generations later.  Like the one survivor of a plane accident, John was that disciple with the responsibility to witness it and write it as directed by God.  The Book of John, and all of the writings of John, would be watered down, and incomprehensible if it were not written by him, the witness to all things that led to the establishment of the Christian Church.

A Syrian living in Phoenicia