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Course 7 · Lesson 6.1

The Gospel, the three letters and Revelation: authorship questions

11 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 7 outline

Module 1: The World of the New Testament

  1. Second Temple Judaism in the time of Jesus
  2. Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and other movements
  3. Rome, the Herods and the province of Judea
  4. Hopes, protest and revolt in Jewish political life

Module 2: Jesus in History

  1. Sources for Jesus: Christian, Jewish and Roman
  2. The quests for the historical Jesus and their methods
  3. Criteria of authenticity and their limits
  4. Historical results and Christian confession

Module 3: The Gospels as Books

  1. The gospels and ancient biography
  2. Traditions of authorship and the arguments about them
  3. The synoptic problem: the evidence of agreement and difference
  4. Solutions: Markan priority, Q, Matthean priority and others
  5. Four portraits of Jesus: the distinct emphasis of each gospel

Module 4: Acts and the Spread of the Church

  1. Pentecost and the Jerusalem church
  2. The mission to the Gentiles and the council at Jerusalem
  3. Paul in Acts and in his own letters
  4. Acts as history and as theology

Module 5: Pauline Theology

  1. Paul and his letters: occasion, authorship and order
  2. Gospel, faith and righteousness in Romans and Galatians
  3. Christ, the Spirit and the body of Christ
  4. Reading Paul: traditional, new perspective and other approaches

Module 6: Johannine Theology

  1. The Gospel, the three letters and Revelation: authorship questions
  2. Word, light, life and love in the Gospel of John
  3. The signs and the I am sayings
  4. The Spirit, the community and the Johannine letters

Module 7: Hope, Authority and Church Order

  1. The kingdom of God and last things in Jesus and the apostles
  2. Ways of reading New Testament eschatology
  3. What an apostle was and how apostolic authority worked
  4. Offices and order in the first churches
  5. How Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches read the evidence

Module 8: The Testaments Together

  1. Fulfilment and continuity: how the New Testament uses the Old
  2. Law and covenant across the Testaments
  3. Comparing Paul and John: a method
  4. Shared convictions and meaningful differences

All courses

Program / Course 7: New Testament Theology and History / Lesson 6.1

What you will learn

  • Name the five New Testament books traditionally connected with John and describe each briefly.
  • Explain the main theories of who wrote the Gospel of John and the letters.
  • Summarize the debate over whether the Gospel and Revelation share an author.
  • Describe how the churches and scholars handle the uncertainty.

The big idea

Five books of the New Testament have been linked to John: the Gospel, three short letters, and the book of Revelation. The church from the second century held that the apostle John, son of Zebedee, was behind the Gospel and probably the letters. Scholars question how directly and offer other proposals: a disciple of the apostle, an otherwise unknown elder named John, or a community or school. Revelation’s author calls himself John, but whether he is the same man is much debated. The books are valued by all churches whatever view is taken.

Key terms

Johannine
Having to do with John. The Johannine writings are the Gospel of John, the letters of John and, in some accounts, Revelation.
Beloved disciple
The unnamed disciple whom Jesus loved in John’s Gospel (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 21:20). John 21:24 says he is the witness behind the book.
The Elder
The title the writer of 2 and 3 John gives himself. Papias, according to Eusebius, also spoke of an elder named John distinct from the apostle.
Johannine community
A name for the group of early Christians scholars think produced and first read the Gospel and the letters, often placed in or near Ephesus.
Apocalypse
From a Greek word for unveiling. It names Revelation and a kind of Jewish and Christian writing that reveals hidden things through visions.
Redactor
An editor who shapes an earlier text into its final form. Some scholars think the Gospel of John was edited, citing the appendix in chapter 21.
Rylands papyrus (P52)
A small papyrus fragment with a few verses of John 18, usually dated to the first half of the second century, the earliest known manuscript of any part of the New Testament.

Background

The Gospel of John differs from Matthew, Mark and Luke in structure, vocabulary and teaching. Its three letters share its style and ideas. Revelation is a very different book, a series of visions written in Greek with distinctive grammar. Yet all five name or imply someone called John, and from the second century Christians linked them.

Tradition records several statements. Irenaeus, about 180 AD, said that John, the disciple of the Lord, who had leaned on his breast, published the Gospel while living in Ephesus. He knew Polycarp, who he said had known John. Papias, earlier, was reported by Eusebius to have distinguished John the apostle from an elder John. Eusebius thought the Revelation might have come from the elder. These reports are why scholars still discuss several Johns.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: What the books say about themselves

The Gospel does not name its author. The final verses say of the beloved disciple, ‘This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true’ (John 21:24). The beloved disciple is at the Last Supper, the cross and the empty tomb, but is never named. The sons of Zebedee are mentioned only once, in the appendix (John 21:2).

The first letter has no name or greeting but speaks as one who has heard, seen and touched the word of life (1 John 1:1 to 3). The second and third letters come from ‘the elder’ to a ‘lady’ and her children, and to Gaius. Revelation names its author as John, who was on the island of Patmos ‘for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ’ (Revelation 1:9). He does not call himself an apostle.

Step 2: Theories about the Gospel

The traditional view is that John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, was the beloved disciple and wrote or dictated the Gospel in his old age at Ephesus. Defenders point to the testimony of Irenaeus and to features of the Gospel, such as its apparent knowledge of Jerusalem and Judea before 70 AD, and its claim to eyewitness testimony.

Critics note that Irenaeus may have confused two Johns, that the Gospel’s style and theology differ markedly from the synoptics, and that the fishermen apostles are unlikely to have written such Greek. Other proposals include that the beloved disciple was a Jerusalem disciple, not one of the Twelve; that he was John the Elder, as Richard Bauckham argues; or that he was a Lazarus or other figure. Raymond Brown suggested the Gospel arose in stages from a witness’s tradition, shaped by a community and an editor. A few scholars hold that the beloved disciple is an ideal figure and not a person.

Step 3: The letters and Revelation

The three letters share language with the Gospel, such as light, truth, love and the new commandment. Most scholars think they come from the same circle as the Gospel, and many think the same hand wrote 1 John and the Gospel, though some note differences. 1 John deals with a split in the community, in which some who left denied that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 2:19, 4:2 to 3). The letters are also the evidence for the community’s life.

Revelation is the hardest case. About 250 AD Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, argued that the author of Revelation was not the author of the Gospel because the Greek, the style and the outlook differ. He thought there must have been two Johns in Ephesus. Many modern scholars agree. Others see enough common themes, such as the Lamb and the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), to propose a common school or a single author whose style changed with the type of book. Revelation’s date is also debated: most scholars place it in the 90s under Domitian, while some prefer the late 60s.

Step 4: Living with uncertainty

The church received these books as Scripture because they were used and valued in the churches from early times, and not because the exact identity of the author was known. A reader can study the books as Scripture and as historical documents while holding the authorship questions loosely. What matters for study is what the books say about Jesus and the life of the community.

The next lessons turn to the content of the Gospel. The question of authorship will return in discussions of how close the Gospel is to the events and how it relates to the synoptics. Scholars generally date the Gospel to about 80 to 100 AD, with some arguing for an earlier date. The fragment P52 shows that John was in circulation in Egypt by around the middle of the second century, perhaps earlier.

  1. What is the significance of the Gospel’s reference to the beloved disciple as the witness behind the book?
  2. How does the title the Elder in 2 and 3 John affect the question of authorship?
  3. Why would Dionysius of Alexandria separate the author of Revelation from the author of the Gospel?
  4. What kinds of evidence, inside and outside the books, count in deciding authorship?
  5. How would you explain to a friend that a church can use a book without knowing exactly who wrote it?
  6. What is gained from reading the Gospel and the letters together?

Examples

Irenaeus and Polycarp

Irenaeus recalls that as a boy he heard Polycarp tell of his conversations with John and others who had seen the Lord. If this memory is exact, it gives a short chain from the apostle to the late second century. Critics ask which John Polycarp meant.

A split in the community

In 1 John 2:19, the writer says of some who left: ‘They went out from us, but they were not of us.’ Scholars treat this as the sign of a schism in the community behind the letters, around the question whether Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.

The Greek of Revelation

Revelation contains unusual grammar that departs from ordinary Greek in many places, while the Gospel’s Greek is simple and correct. This difference led Dionysius to separate their authors, and it is still an argument in the debate.

Different perspectives

Catholic view

Catholic tradition has held that John the apostle wrote the Gospel, the letters and Revelation, though the Church has not defined the matter. Catholic scholars today, such as Raymond Brown, have proposed that the Gospel came from a community drawing on the witness of the beloved disciple.

Orthodox view

The Orthodox Church honors St. John the Theologian, apostle and evangelist, as the author of the Gospel, the letters and Revelation, and reads the Gospel at Pascha. Orthodox scholars may discuss critical theories while retaining the church’s attribution.

Protestant view

Conservative Protestants have usually defended the apostle John as the author of the Gospel and the letters, and many also of Revelation. Other Protestant scholars hold community or elder theories. Luther and Calvin accepted John as the author of the Gospel, though Luther had doubts about Revelation.

Critical scholarly view

Most critical scholars accept a shared source for the Gospel and letters in a Johannine circle or school and doubt direct authorship by the apostle. Many consider that Revelation came from a different John. A minority argue for the traditional position.

Why it matters

The authorship of the Johannine books bears on how close they are thought to be to the events, and on how the early church is imagined. It is also a good example of how historical judgment and church tradition can be held in tension without rancor.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: The New Testament plainly says that John the apostle wrote the Gospel.

Correction: It does not. The Gospel names no author, and the identity of the beloved disciple is inferred. The attribution comes from early tradition.

Misunderstanding: Doubting apostolic authorship means the Gospel is false.

Correction: Scholars who doubt direct authorship by the apostle often still hold that the Gospel preserves real tradition from an eyewitness. Truth and authorship are different questions.

Misunderstanding: Revelation and the Gospel were certainly written by the same man.

Correction: The question was raised as early as the third century and remains open.

Misunderstanding: All the Johannine writings are from the same year.

Correction: Scholars date them across about three decades, from perhaps the 60s for Revelation to the 90s for the Gospel and letters, with debate on each.

Knowledge check

Which books are called Johannine?

The Gospel of John, the three letters of John, and often the Book of Revelation. The Gospel and the letters share vocabulary and themes. Revelation names its author John but differs greatly in style and form.

What does John 21:24 say?

It says that the beloved disciple is the one who testifies to these things and who wrote them, and adds a group voice saying that his testimony is true. Scholars read it as evidence that a witness stood behind the book and others helped bring it out.

What did Papias report about two Johns?

As quoted by Eusebius, Papias distinguished John the apostle and an elder John, both of whom he heard about. This led some to propose that the elder wrote the Gospel, letters or Revelation, and not the apostle.

Why did Dionysius separate Revelation from the Gospel?

Because the Greek style, vocabulary and form of the two are very different, and because Revelation names its author as John while the Gospel does not. He suggested two persons named John at Ephesus.

How do churches regard the Johannine books despite the uncertainty?

All three major traditions receive them as Scripture, and the Orthodox and Catholic churches honor John the apostle and evangelist. Their authority rests on their use and recognition in the church, not on settling the authorship debate.

Think it through

  1. How important is it to you to know who wrote a book of the Bible?
  2. What does the phrase ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ suggest about how the author wished to be known?
  3. How do you weigh a tradition from the second century against internal evidence?
  4. What would you want to know about the community that produced these books?

Independent assignment

Collecting the self-descriptions

In your own notebook, write 300 to 450 words. List every place where the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 and 3 John and Revelation say anything about their authors or witnesses (for example John 19:35, 21:24, 1 John 1:1 to 4, 2 John 1:1, Revelation 1:9). Then state in a paragraph which theory of authorship seems to fit the lists best and what remains unsure. Do not send this to anyone.

Further study