Gospel of john in Biblical History

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What is the Gospel of John?
        JOHN'S GOS'PEL
        It was the last Gospel written, and was probably composed, or at least put in its present shape, at Ephesus, between a.d. 70 and 95. The particular design of it is expressed by the author to be that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, we might have life through his name. John 20:31. Hence the subjects and discourses of this book have special relation to our Lord's character and offices, and are evidently intended to prove his nature, authority, and doctrines as divine. John probably had the other Gospels before him, or was familiar with their general contents. This fact affords substantial evidence of the genuineness of these writings, and also accounts for the omission of many important occurrences which are particularly stated by the other evangelists. We should not regard John, however, as attempting to correct the other evangelists, or merely to supplement them. This idea is at once contradicted by his having many points in common with them. His work is all one effusion, and though it serves as a valuable complement to the other Gospels is yet a complete whole in itself. John wrought on a fixed plan. He grouped all the events around the several Jewish feasts, mentioning three - indeed, probably four - Passovers, John 2:13; Jud 5:1; Am 6:4; John 11:55; Neh 12:1; Acts 13:1, one feast of tabernacles, John 7:2, and one feast of dedication, Num 10:22, But there is likewise a certain inward order, a progressive development of the relation of Jesus to his disciples and the world; especially is this to be traced in the growth of love and devotion on the one hand, and of hate and rage of the unbelieving Jews on the other. All through the history we hear the sound of the hammer in the making of his cross, but more loudly the shouting of the coming saints.
        The Gospel contains -
        A. The prologue, ch. 1:1-18;
        B, The history, ch. 1:19 to ch, 21.
        1. The preparation for Jesus' public ministry,
        (a) by John, 1:19-36;
        (b) by the choice of disciples. 1:37-51.
        2. The public labors of Jesus in doctrine and miracle, chs. 2-12,
        3. Jesus in the private circle of his disciples, chs. 13-17.
        4. The history of the passion and resurrection or public glorification of the Lord, chs. 18-21.
        "The Gospel of John is the Gospel of Gospels. It is the most remarkable as well as most important literary production ever composed. . . . It is a marvel even in the marvellous Book of books. It is the most spiritual and ideal of Gospels. It brings us, as it were, into the immediate presence of Jesus. It gives us the clearest view of his incarnate divinity and his perfect humanity." - Special Introd. by Dr. Schaff to Lange on John. The Gospel of John is a battlefield of modern criticism, but the fight is in the main between belief and unbelief. It must also be confessed that the latter is fairly defeated. Both parties recognize the crucial character of the Gospel, Grant to it authenticity and genuineness, then the divinity of Christ, to which the Gospel testifies in the plainest, simplest, but also profoundest way, must be acknowledged as taught in the N.T. It is this fact which gives bitterness to the frequent and often learned and plausible attacks made upon it. The attempt has been made to assign it to some great "unknown" author in the second century, but at that time it was already widely known, and the second century is so far below the apostolic age that it could not possibly have produced such a work. Up to a quite modern date the genuineness of this Gospel was undisputed. The verses John 21:24-25 give the contemporary Ephesian testimony. 2 Pet 1:14 alludes to John 21:18. Ignatius, Polycarp, the Epistle to Diognetus, Basilides, Justin Martyr, Tatian (especially in the light of the recent discovery of a commentary of Ephraem Syrus on Tatian's Diatessaron), impliedly quote from it. This carries the date up to the middle of the second century, when it was in current use. The external evidence is in favor of John's authorship, while internally it is so befitting the known character and opportunities of John that it is either from him or else it is a forgery. But it cannot be a forgery; it is too self-possessed, too well-balanced, too original, too profound, too divine. The heart of Christ throbs in no liar's breast. The high-priestly prayer came from the hand of no hypocritical or designing man. Read the Gospel and compare it with the productions of the Fathers, and you will endorse the statement, "Verily, no man in the second century, or of any other subsequent century, could have written the work. No man in the first century but John the apostle could have written it, and even John himself could not have written it without inspiration." - Schaff. And in this conclusion the heart of Christendom will always abide. The Epistles of John are three in number. They were written in Ephesus, after the Gospel, though before the date of the Revelation. Dr. Lange assigns them between the years 96 and 100. The First has always been attributed to John, though his name is neither prefixed nor subscribed. It is a kind of practical application of the Gospel. It is addressed to Christians, and does not aim, therefore, to produce, but to nourish, the Christian life, to warn them against all errors, and to induct them into the mysteries of redeeming love and into the principles and duties which the religion of Christ enjoins, and to furnish them with certain signs or criteria by which to determine the genuineness of their faith. The Second Epistle is addressed to the "elect lady and her children." The elect lady is supposed to have been some honorable woman distinguished for piety, and well known in the churches as a disciple of Christ. Some, however, have thought some particular church and its members might be denoted. Those who adopt the latter opinion apply the term to the church at Jerusalem, and the term "elect sister" 2 John 13, to the church at Ephesus. The title of "elder" was indicative of the apostle's office, with a reference also to his great age, then not far from 100 years, as it is supposed. The substance of this letter is an exhortation to continual obedience and an admonition against deceivers, especially against a new form of error, that Christ was a man in appearance only, and not in reality, and therefore his sufferings and death were not real. The Third Epistle, which is addressed to Gaius, or Caius, a private individual, and is commendatory of his piety, was written about the same time with the others. John, Revelation of. See Revelation.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'gospel of john' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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