John was the author of five books in scripture, the gospel of john, the three epistles of john and the revelation. However, two significant factors point to the identification of john as the author. John the baptist was beheaded during the ministry of jesus, so in most cases he is easily distinguished from other johns. According to tradition, the book of john was written by the disciple john. Later, the ephesians claimed this fugitive had actually been the beloved disciple himself. Therefore the origin of the gospel must in some way be connected to this personthe gospel of john may be a record of his eyewitness account of jesus life. The first epistle of john is the sixtysecond book in the christian bible, and the twentythird in the new testament this book is believed to a letter from john. John is the fourth and last gospel an account of jesus life and ministry in the new testament. So it is not surprising to find in the new testament not only a gospel but also the book of revelation and three letters, all written by someone named john. The early 2nd century writer, justin martyr, was the first to equate the author of revelation with john the apostle. Is john the baptist the same person that is in the bible in the new. These bible writers wrote as they were inspired by the holy spirit see 2 timothy 3.
John was part of three men who made up the inner circle of companions. But if you read the books of the prophets and gods law closely, you will see them culminate in john, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the messiah of the kingdom. Of the new testament works, only revelation names its author explicitly as john. John, one of the writers sums it up well, now jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. Gospel of john commentary is easy to findsome of the most famous theologians in history have closely examined the text and underscored its importance from as early as the beginning of the third century. There has been some debate about whether an author named john the elder wrote this letter as well as 3 john, which is addressed the same way or if john the apostle was using a different title for himself. The elder, the seer, and the apostle bible odyssey. The author is the apostle john, the disciple whom jesus loved. This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true john 21. He is believed to have outlived the other apostles. We cannot tell who wrote john s gospel, and it is unclear which disciple is the one singled out as beloved.
The early church fathers, after disputing who this john really was, finally decided to include revelation in case the author was the apostle john, son of zebedee. In this article, we examine the evidence for the gospel of john. Among early christians, john was a favorite name, especially since one of jesus disciples was named john. This is currently the leading theory in johannine scholarship, expressed for example by r. In addition to the gospel, he is also presumed to be the author of other books in the new testament. Written by the apostle john, who received the revelation when he was exiled for his faith on the island of patmos, the book tells us exactly what to expect when jesus comes again.
It is usually assumed that john was a young man, perhaps the youngest of the apostles when the lord called him to follow him. One such setting is steve warner s power anthem come and see, written for the 20th anniversary of the alliance for catholic education and including lyrical fragments taken from the book of signs. Therefore, the evidence of the similarities of the context points that the author of the books of 2 and 3 john is john the beloved disciple who also wrote the gospel of john. All of his books were written later in life and after all the other books in the bible were recorded. Even so, john had much to add to the record of jesus life and ministry. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. One of the projects i remember from bible college that came up often was to do research to show why it is believed that certain men wrote. There is some disagreement over whether the john who wrote the letters of john, the john who wrote the gospel of john, and the john who wrote the book of revelation are the same person. Reference to the apostles authorship is found as early as justin martyr, in his dialogue with trypho. Clement of alexandria indicates that john ministered in the various churches scattered throughout that province. The gospels, the first four books of the new testament, tell the story of the life of jesus. In light of the strong ancient evidence, one can claim with confidence that john wrote the letters attributed to him in ephesus. Vernon mcgee lead you through the entire book in these 21 summaries from thru the bible s tried and trusted five year study. History of the bible who wrote the bible why its reliable.
While church tradition has attributed the gospel of john, the letters of john, and the book of revelation to the same authorjohn the apostle and son of zebedeeinternal and external evidence may require us to attribute them to other individuals who may or may not have also been named john. What brother of jesus wrote a book of the bible answers. Books marked with an asterisk are apocryphaldeuterocanonical. But that john wrote as a very old man is an inference which only appears later and combined with other statements which cast considerable doubt on its. Which books of the bible did the apostle john write exactly. Jimmy akin discusses whether john the beloved disciple, john the evangelist, and john of patmos are all the same person, embarking on a tour of several historical theories about the different. No mention of future destruction of jerusalem, which for fullpreterists is odd, since john writes the entire book of revelation about it and the topic would be front and center on his mind that is. Euangelion kata ioannen is the fourth of the canonical gospels. Check out our bible answers page for more information on a variety of topics. The main theme in the bible book of john is to prove conclusively that jesus is the son of god and that all who believe in him will have eternal life. Whats the perfect book in the bible for those who are. This could have been john the apostle or, quite possibly, someone pretending to be. Esv 1 that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. Asked in the bible who wrote the book of zephaniah in the bible.
John was a companion of simon peter, and was a fisherman by trade before jesus called him. The following list arranges the books of the bible according to their most probable dates. The book of 2 john would most likely have been written at about the same time as johns other letters, 1 and 3 john, between a. This is one of my own personal favorites of all the sixtysix books of the bible. So it is extremely unlikely that the same person wrote all of these books.
Book of second john overview insight for living ministries. That john was the last evangelist to write is also well attested, mentioned by irenaeus adv. There is no scholarly consensus as to the authorship of the johannine works. The apostle john is the author of five new testament books. John was part of jesus inner circle and, along with peter and james, john was given the privilege of witnessing jesus conversation with moses and. The content, style, and vocabulary seem to warrant the conclusion that these three epistles were addressed to the same readers as the gospel of john. As we have in previous articles, this article will look at the proposed author, the internal and external evidences for authorship, the dating, and the. Study scripture verses with commentary, concordances, and use highlighting, underlining, take notes in the bible. The gospels are the four canonized books of the new testament which explicitly. This summary of the book of 1 john provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 1 john.
In addition to this one, john wrote two other new testament letters, a gospel, and possibly the prophetic book of revelation. In the new testament, the books of matthew, mark, luke, john, james, i peter, ii peter, i john, ii john, iii john and jude were all written by the men after whom they are named. He was prominent in the early church but is not mentioned by name in this gospel which would be natural if he wrote it, but hard to explain otherwise. John was part of jesus inner circle and, along with peter and james, john was given the privilege of. The gospel of john is often the first new testament book recommended to new christians for study. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself as john, and the book has been traditionally credited to john the apostle. Allowing time for the book to travel in the ancient world, the gospel must have been written by 120 ce.
Moses was the first person to write portions of scripture while john, the disciple of jesus, was the last. Also, look for the free chronological bible reading schedule on our bible reading plans page. It is thought that john the apostle wrote those books. The book of revelation by john the apostle bible probe. Traditions in the early church linked this book to the apostle john, one of the sons of zebedee, and considered him to be the disciple whom jesus loved, as this character is frequently named in the gospel. A papyrus fragment of john 18, dated about 140 ce, now at manchester in the rylands library, is the oldest ms of the nt in existence.
Are the books of the bible in the order they were written. Since the author of 1 john seems to build on concepts and themes found in the fourth gospel see 1jn 2. Matthew and luke follow the version of events in mark, which is thought by scholars to be the earliest and most historically accurate gospel. This begins the study in the most spiritual book in the entire bible, the book of john. The book went through two to three stages, or editions, before reaching its current form, at the latest, around ad 80100. According to scholars, the gospel of john was written by the beloved disciple john. The book of the revelation of jesus christ was written by john probably close to the same time he wrote the epistles which bear his name. John did not identify himself by name in this letter, but he did adopt the term elder for himself 2 john 1. The first five books wikimedia commons moses, as painted by rembrandt. The books of the hebrew scriptures were organized slightly differently than our king james old. John bible book with full chapters king james version. This study helps us understand what he saw and heard for the generations of the church without eyewitnesses.
First, the book itself identifies the author as the disciple whom jesus loved. Yet only onethe gospel of johnclaims to be an eyewitness account, the testimony of the unnamed disciple whom jesus loved. It is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom. The 2003 film the gospel of john, was directed by philip saville, narrated by christopher plummer, with henry ian cusick as jesus. Revelation is written in much poorer greek than the gospel and letters are, and it even spells the name jerusalem in greek differently than the gospel does. The gospels of matthew, mark, and luke had been circulating for over 30 years when john wrote his account. Certainly not the beloved disciple, according to modern scholarship, which claims the book is more or less.
John focuses on the deity of christ more so than the other four. As an old man and the last surviving apostle, john wrote about the life of christ as he experienced it. He had greeks in mind, as the gospel is evangelical in nature. He was one of jesus 12 disciples, and therefore was an eyewitness to the events he recorded. The first epistle of john, often referred to as first john and written 1 john or i john, is the first of the johannine epistles of the new testament, and the fourth of the catholic epistles. Jan 02, 2020 however, all the evidence points to the author as john the beloved disciple who also wrote the gospel of john. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to. Below are approximate dates of when each book of the bible was written, listed in chronological order with links to each book on bible gateway.
Intro to 1 john biblica the international bible society. This one who once leaned on jesus chest in the gospel of john is also the one who fell as a dead man at the feet of his resurrected and glorified lord in the book of revelation 1. The book of john is not like the book of matthew, mark, or luke which cover the same period of time. This book was written by a disciple whom jesus lovedthe church traditionally attributes it to john. Many today think the author of 1 john and possibly 2 and 3 john as well was a christian leader who was neither a personal acquaintance of john the apostle nor the author of the fourth gospel. Johns next two letters, however, are written to specific audiences. Thru the bible gospel of john devotional reading plan. Ford proposes that revelation originated as prophecy of john the baptist, expanded by his followers to produce the book in its current form, but most scholars reject this theory. The topic i intend to speak on this weekend is the life and writings of the apostle john. John, who wrote the gospel of john, wrote it exquisitely, for he was steeped in jewish tradition and heritage. If the gospel were written about the end of the first century and if john the.
However, most biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals since the text was written around 100 ad, after the death of john the apostle. Tradition has identified him with john the apostle, although many scholars dispute that they are the same person. Jude, written by jude, the brother of jesus and james, not the apostle jude 17 prophecy. John 1 john 2 john 3 john revelation john was probably the last surviving apostle. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of john in the bible king james version. Though it is one of easiest books to read, john is also one of the most profound books to understand.
The main debate centers on who authored the writings, and which of the. He wrote the gospel according to john, first, second and third john, and he was the penman of the book of the revelation of jesus christ. Jesus told john to write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later rev 1. Answer john the apostle is traditionally credited with writing the gospel of john, the three epistles and the book of revelation, however, this attribution did not occur until 180 ce, when it was.
John the immerser is also referenced in matthew 3, mark 1, luke 3. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen god 3 john 11. Whoever wrote the book appeared to have wanted to remain anonymous, because the only reference he gave to himself was disciple whom jesus loved. Book of john overview insight for living ministries. John is identified as the dsiciple whom jesus loved. John also wrote first, second, third john, and revelation.
What books of the bible did john the apostle write answers. Such identifications were not made in any of the other three biblical gospels either. The book of revelation is signed by a person called john but which john. In addition to this gospel, the church traditionally associates john with three new testament letters first, second, and third john and the prophetic book of revelation. It may be assumed, therefore, that 1 john was sent to the churches of the province of asia see map no. He also wrote the gospel of john,three lettersjohn 1,2 3,and received the end time revelation known as the book of revelation which jesus gave him while. The authorship of the johannine worksthe gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelationhas been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. No warnings to flee the destruction of jerusalem which was only 48 years away when john supposedly wrote the book before ad 70. In one of his letters he wrote, we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard 1 john 1. It is important to begin with a discussion of authorship, in light of the christological controversy which permeates the three johannine letters.
According to both jewish and christian dogma, the books of genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy the first five books of the bible and the entirety of the torah were all written by moses in about 1,300 b. It is possible that john used an amanuensis to write the gospel and the first letter and wrote 2 and 3 john with his own hands. It makes a significant difference if the author particularly of 1 john was in fact an eyewitness to the earthly ministry of jesus christ as he appears to claim in 1 john 1. John s gospel alone discusses jesus prehuman existence.
Not surprisingly, the gospel of john never provides the name of its author. Yes, john wrote the book of revelation before writing the letters we know as john 1 and 2. With scripture readings, inspirational readings, questions to answer, space for journaling, and a prayer, its like studying the bible with max lucado. Which john wrote the book of revelation in the bible. The book of the revelation was written about the vision that john saw while banished to the greek island of patmos on the aegean sea. Looked at in this way, john is the elijah youve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the messiah. Many contemporary biblical scholars believe that the writer of the letters was not the author of the gospel. The gospel of john is the fourth of the canonical gospels. John the baptist wasnt the author of the gospel of john. Here are 20 inspiring verses from the book of john in the order they appear in the book. He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. Tradition tells us that john was the longest living disciple and that his gospel was probably written last.
How could john the baptist have written the gospel of john. First epistle of john simple english wikipedia, the free. If the books in my bible dont follow a chronological arrangement, what was the order in which they were written. The gospel of john, a favorite book of the bible, gives us the story behind the stories of the gospels. Revelation is written in much poorer greek than the gospel and letters are. For the past few weeks, we have investigated the authors of the gospels and the book of acts. He was a leader in the early church, and he probably wrote his documents after most of the other new testament books were already written. Its history pre written a guide to the signs, circumstances and events that.
John is, of course, the author of the johanine epistles first, second and third john and of the book of revelation. John was second only to paul in the number of new testament books written. Jun 14, 2008 john the immerser wrote the book of john. The books of the bible are organized according to the topic rather than in the order in which they were written.
1194 1402 606 1249 126 898 510 1503 925 9 763 1387 1209 48 1010 1234 136 843 1234 485 847 409 541 1234 800 1225 1169 100 620 289 929 714 138 1485 475 1354 959 1205