Gospel of John#Hymn to the Word

{{Main|Authorship of the Johannine works#Gospel of John}}

The Gospel of John is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle. Many modern scholars continue to affirm the traditional attribution,{{Cite book |last=Kok |first=Michael |title=The Beloved Apostle? |publisher=Cascade Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-1532610219 |pages=13}} but the gospel is internally anonymous, and most either reject or hold this hypothesis tentatively.{{sfn|O'Day|1998|p=381}}{{sfn|Lindars|Edwards|Court|2000|p=41}}{{sfn|Kelly|2012|p=115}} John 21:22{{bibleverse|John|21:22}} references a disciple whom Jesus loved and John 21:24–25{{bibleverse|John|21:24–25}} says: "This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true".{{sfn|Reddish|2011|p=41}} Most scholars believe the verses claim the beloved disciple was the author of the gospel, but others argue the author is claiming to be someone else recording the disciple’s testimony.{{cite book |last= Rodriguez | first= Rafael |title= Jesus Darkly: Remembering Jesus in the New Testament |publisher= Abingdon Press |page= 177 |isbn= 9781501839115}}{{efn|Reddish says these verses imply that the core of the gospel relies on the testimony (perhaps written) of the "disciple who is testifying", as collected, preserved, and reshaped by a community of followers (the "we" of the passage), and that a single follower (the "I") rearranged this material and perhaps added the final chapter and other passages to produce the final gospel. He acknowledges that this scenario could be a forced or simplistic understanding of the text.{{sfn|Reddish|2011|p=41}}}}{{Cite book |last=Attridge |first=Harold |author-link= Harold Attridge |title=Essays on John and Hebrews |publisher=Baker Academic|year=2012 |isbn=978-0801048500 |pages=72}}{{refn|group=note|Attridge: The final reference (John 21:24) makes the claim that this figure is “the one who wrote these things.” Most scholars construe the verse to claim that the Beloved Disciple authored the text, or at least chapters 1-20. Some, however, have argued that the passage merely claims that the Beloved Disciple is the authoritative witness who caused the work to be written, or who perhaps wrote an early account of Jesus on which the final gospel was based.}} There is a consensus among Johannine scholars that the beloved disciple was a real historical person,{{cite book|publisher=Uitgeverij Peeters|year=1991|isbn=9789061864530|first=Frans|last=Neirynck|title=Evangelica II: 1982-1991 : Collected Essays}} but there is no consensus on who the beloved disciple was.{{cite book|quote=but there is no consensus as to the Beloved Disciple's actual identity|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Gnostic Gospels|first=J. Michael|last=Matkin|year=2005|isbn=9781440696510|publisher=Penguin}} Most scholars estimate the final form of the text to be around AD 90–110.{{sfn|Lincoln|2005|p=18}} The Gospel was likely composed in Ephesus, as both second century Christians and the majority of modern scholars say.{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Paul |title=John, Jesus, and History Volume 4 |publisher=SBL Press |year=2024 |isbn=9781628376074 |pages=2}}

The author may have drawn on a "signs source" (a collection of miracles) for chapters 1–12, a "passion source" for the story of Jesus's arrest and crucifixion, and a "sayings source" for the discourses, but these hypotheses are much debated,{{sfn|Reddish|2011|pp=187–188}} and recent scholarship has tended to turn against positing hypothetical sources for John.{{sfn|Keith|2020|p=142}} While a few scholars support old ideas about pre-gospel sources or develop new theories, it is widely considered that John incorporated Synoptic traditions with its own in its composition.{{Cite book |title=The Jesus Handbook |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2022 |isbn=9780802876928 |pages=236}} The author seems to have known some version of Mark and Luke, as John shares with them some vocabulary and clusters of incidents arranged in the same order,{{sfn|Lincoln|2005|pp=29–30}}{{sfn|Fredriksen|2008|p=unpaginated}} but key terms from those gospels are absent or nearly so, implying that if the author did know them they felt free to write independently.{{sfn|Fredriksen|2008|p=unpaginated}} The Hebrew scriptures were an important source,{{sfn|Valantasis|Bleyle|Haugh|2009|p=14}} with 14 direct quotations (versus 27 in Mark, 54 in Matthew, 24 in Luke), and their influence is vastly increased when allusions and echoes are included,{{sfn|Yu Chui Siang Lau|2010|p=159}} but the majority of John's direct quotations do not agree exactly with any known version of the Jewish scriptures.{{sfn|Menken|1996|pp=11–13}} While the author might claim to be an eyewitness in John 21, most scholars view it as a later addition, though a growing minority view it as part of the earliest text.{{sfn|Keith|2020|pp=132,155}} Recent arguments by Richard Bauckham and others that John preserves eyewitness testimony have not won general acceptance.{{sfn|Eve|2016|p=135}}{{sfn|Porter|Fay|2018|p=41}} Tom Thatcher argues that while the beloved disciple did not write the current form of the gospel, this does not entail reconstructions that put the author multiple stages or generations away from the disciple. Instead, he argues that the Fourth Evangelist was a companion of the beloved disciple who was either an amanuensis or used an earlier source attributed to the disciple shortly after his death.{{Cite book |last=Thatcher |first=Tom |title=The Oxford Handbook of Johannine Studies |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0198739982 |pages=98}}

For much of the 20th century, scholars interpreted the Gospel of John within the paradigm of a hypothetical "Johannine community",{{sfn|Lamb|2014|p=2}} meaning that it was held to have sprung from a late-1st-century Christian community excommunicated from the Jewish synagogue (probably meaning the Jewish community){{sfn|Hurtado|2005|p=70}} on account of its belief in Jesus as the promised messiah.{{sfn|Köstenberger|2006|p=72}} This interpretation, which saw the community as essentially sectarian and outside the mainstream of early Christianity, has been increasingly challenged in the first decades of the 21st century,{{sfn|Lamb|2014|pp=2–3}} and there is currently considerable debate over the gospel's social, religious and historical context.{{sfn|Bynum|2012|pp=7, 12}}

{{Anchor|Structure and content}}

File:Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles.jpg to his 11 remaining disciples, from the Maestà of Duccio, 1308–1311]]

{{further|Prologue to John|Book of Signs|John 21}}

The majority of scholars see four sections in the Gospel of John: a prologue (1:1–18); an account of the ministry, often called the "Book of Signs" (1:19–12:50); the account of Jesus's final night with his disciples and the passion and resurrection, sometimes called the Book of Glory{{sfn|Moloney|1998|p=23}} or Book of Exaltation (13:1–20:31);{{sfn|Köstenberger|2015|p=168}} and a conclusion (20:30–31); to these is added an epilogue that most scholars believe was not part of the original text (Chapter 21).{{sfn|Moloney|1998|p=23}} Disagreement does exist; a growing number, including Bauckham, argue that John 21 was part of the original work.{{sfn|Bauckham|2008|p=126}}{{sfn|Keith|2020|pp=132,155}}

• The prologue informs readers of the true identity of Jesus, the Word of God through whom the world was created and who took on human form;{{sfn|Aune|2003|p=245}} he came to the Jews and the Jews rejected him, but "to all who received him (the circle of Christian believers), who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God."{{sfn|Aune|2003|p=246}}
• Book of Signs (ministry of Jesus): Jesus calls his disciples and begins his earthly ministry.{{sfn|Van der Watt|2008|p=10}} He travels from place to place informing his hearers about God the Father in long discourses, offering eternal life to all who will believe, and performing miracles that prove the authenticity of his teachings, which creates tensions with the religious authorities (manifested as early as 5:17–18), who decide he must be eliminated.{{sfn|Van der Watt|2008|p=10}}{{sfn|Kruse|2004|p=17}}
• The Book of Glory tells of Jesus's return to his heavenly father: it tells how he prepares his disciples for their lives without his physical presence and his prayer for himself and for them, followed by his betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion and post-resurrection appearances.{{sfn|Kruse|2004|p=17}}
• The conclusion sets out the purpose of the gospel, which is "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."{{sfn|Edwards|2015|p=171}}
• Chapter 21, the addendum, tells of Jesus's post-resurrection appearances in Galilee, the miraculous catch of fish, the prophecy of the crucifixion of Peter, and the fate of the Beloved Disciple.{{sfn|Edwards|2015|p=171}}

The structure is highly schematic: there are seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus), and seven "I am" sayings and discourses, culminating in Thomas's proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God" (the same title, {{lang|la|dominus et deus}}, claimed by the Emperor Domitian, an indication of the date of composition).{{sfn|Witherington|2004|p=83}}

File:P52 recto.jpg is the oldest known New Testament fragment, dated to about 125–175 AD.Orsini, Pasquale, and Willy Clarisse (2012). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290628533 "Early New Testament Manuscripts and Their Dates: A Critique of Theological Palaeography"], in: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 88/4 (2012), pp. 443–474, p. 470: "...Tab. 1, 𝔓{{sup|52}}, 125-175 AD, Orsini–Clarysse..."]]

{{Further|Christology}}

Scholars agree that while the Gospel of John clearly regards Jesus as divine, it just as clearly subordinates him to the one God.{{sfn|Hurtado|2005|p=53}} Joseph Ratzinger highlights the link of the Gospel with the Old Testament,{{Cite web |last=popebenexvileg |date=2021-01-22 |title=Seeing Jesus in the Gospel of John |url=https://benedict16legacy.com/seeing-jesus-in-the-gospel-of-john/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Pope Benedict XVI Legacy |language=en-US}} while according to James Dunn, this Christology does not describe a subordinationist relation but rather the authority and validity of the Son's "revelation" of the Father, the continuity between the Father and the Son. Dunn sees this as intended to serve the Logos Christology,{{cite book |last1=Dunn |first1=James D. G. |title=Neither Jew nor Greek: A Contested Identity (Christianity in the Making, Volume 3) |date=2015 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-1-4674-4385-2 |page=353 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dVZeCwAAQBAJ |language=ar}} while others (e.g., Andrew Loke) see it as connected to John's incarnation theme.Loke, Andrew. "A Kryptic Model of the Incarnation." Ashgate Publishing, 2014, pp. 28–30 James Barker argues that important aspects of Trinitarianism are present in the New Testament and that an economic Trinity “stood ready-made in the Gospel of John.”{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=James |title=Writing and Rewriting the Gospels |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2025 |isbn=978-0802874528 |pages=289}} Larry Hurtado argues that while the developed doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New Testament, they possess a triadic understanding of God{{sfn|Hurtado|2010|pp=99–110}} and contains a number of Trinitarian formulas.{{sfn|Januariy|2013|p=99}}

{{cite book

|first = Archimandrite |last=Januariy

|editor-last1 = Stewart

|editor-first1 = Melville Y.

|editor-link1 = Melville Y. Stewart

|orig-date = 2003

|location = Dordrecht

|chapter = The Elements of Triadology in the New Testament

|title = The Trinity: East/West Dialogue

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xJzdBgAAQBAJ

|series = Volume 24 of Studies in Philosophy and Religion

|date = 2013

|publisher = Springer Science & Business Media

|publication-date = 2013

|page = 100

|isbn = 978-94-017-0393-2

|access-date = 21 December 2021

|quote = Trinitarian formulas are found in New Testament books such as 1 Peter 1:2; and 2 Cor 13:13. But the formula used by John the mystery-seer is unique. Perhaps it shows John's original adaptation of Paul's dual formula.

}}

John's "high Christology" depicts Jesus as divine and preexistent, defends him against Jewish claims that he was "making himself equal to God",{{bibleverse|John|5:18}}{{sfn|Hurtado|2005|p=51}} and talks openly about his divine role and echoing Yahweh's "I Am that I Am" with seven "I Am" declarations of his own.{{sfn|Harris|2006|pp=302–10}}{{Efn|The declarations are:

• "I am the bread of life"{{bibleverse|John|6:35|DRA|6:35}}
• "I am the light of the world"{{bibleverse|John|8:12|DRA|8:12}}
• "I am the gate for the sheep"{{bibleverse|John|10:7|DRA|10:7}}
• "I am the good shepherd"{{bibleverse|John|10:11|DRA|10:11}}
• "I am the resurrection and the life"{{bibleverse|John|11:25|DRA|11:25}}
• "I am the way and the truth and the life"{{bibleverse|John|14:6|DRA|14:6}}
• "I am the true vine".{{bibleverse|John|15:1|DRA|15:1}}}} At the same time there is a stress like that in Luke on the physical continuity of Jesus's resurrected body, as Jesus tells Thomas: "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."{{sfn|Cullmann|1965|p=11}}{{bibleverse|John|20:27}}

{{Main|Logos (Christianity)}}

{{see also|John 1:1|In the beginning (phrase)}}

In the prologue, the gospel identifies Jesus as the Logos or Word. In Ancient Greek philosophy, the term {{transliteration|grc|logos}} meant the principle of cosmic reason.{{sfn|Greene|2004|p=p37-}} In this sense, it was similar to the Hebrew concept of Wisdom, God's companion and intimate helper in creation.{{sfn|Dunn|2015|pp=350–351}} The Hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo merged these two themes when he described the Logos as God's creator of and mediator with the material world. According to Stephen Harris, the gospel adapted Philo's description of the Logos, applying it to Jesus, the incarnation of the Logos.{{sfn|Harris|2006|pp=302–310}}

Another possibility is that the title {{transliteration|grc|logos}} is based on the concept of the divine Word found in the Targums (Aramaic translation/interpretations recited in the synagogue after the reading of the Hebrew Scriptures). In the Targums (which all postdate the first century but which give evidence of preserving early material), the concept of the divine Word was used in a manner similar to Philo, namely, for God's interaction with the world (starting from creation) and especially with his people. Israel, for example, was saved from Egypt by action of "the Word of the {{LORD}}", and both Philo and the Targums envision the Word as manifested between the cherubim and the Holy of Holies.{{sfn|Ronning|2010|p=}}

The portrayal of Jesus's death in John is unique among the gospels. It does not appear to rely on the kinds of atonement theology indicative of vicarious sacrifice{{bibleverse|Mark|10:45}}, {{bibleverse|Romans|3:25}} but rather presents Jesus's death as his glorification and return to the Father. Likewise, the Synoptic Gospels' three "passion predictions"{{bibleverse|Mark|8:31}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|9:31}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|10:33–34}} and pars. are replaced by three instances of Jesus explaining how he will be exalted or "lifted up".{{bibleverse|John|3:14}}, {{bibleverse|John|8:28}}, {{bibleverse|John|12:32}}. The verb for "lifted up" ({{langx|grc|ὑψωθῆναι}}, {{transliteration|grc|hypsōthēnai}}) reflects the double entendre at work in John's theology of the cross, for Jesus is both physically elevated from the earth at the crucifixion but also, at the same time, exalted and glorified.{{sfn|Kysar|2007a|pp=49–54}}

{{Further|Sacrament}}

Scholars disagree on whether and how frequently John refers to sacraments, but current scholarly opinion is that there are very few such possible references, and that if they exist they are limited to baptism and the Eucharist.{{sfn|Bauckham|2015b|p=83–84}} In fact, there is no institution of the Eucharist in John's account of the Last Supper (it is replaced by Jesus washing the feet of his disciples), and no New Testament text that unambiguously links baptism with rebirth.{{sfn|Bauckham|2015b|p=89,94}}

Compared to the synoptic gospels, John is markedly individualistic, in the sense that it places emphasis more on the individual's relation to Jesus than on the corporate nature of the Church.{{sfn|Bauckham|2015a}}{{sfn|Moule|1962|p=172}} This is largely accomplished through the consistently singular grammatical structure of various aphoristic sayings of Jesus.{{sfn|Bauckham|2015a}}{{Efn|{{harvnb|Bauckham|2015a}} contrasts John's consistent use of the third person singular ("The one who..."; "If anyone..."; "Everyone who..."; "Whoever..."; "No one...") with the alternative third person plural constructions the author could have used instead ("Those who..."; "All those who..."; etc.). He also notes that the sole exception occurs in the prologue, serving a narrative purpose, whereas the later aphorisms serve a "paraenetic function".}} Emphasis on believers coming into a new group upon their conversion is conspicuously absent from John,{{sfn|Bauckham|2015a}} and there is a theme of "personal coinherence", that is, the intimate personal relationship between the believer and Jesus in which the believer "abides" in Jesus and Jesus in the believer.{{sfn|Moule|1962|p=172}}{{sfn|Bauckham|2015a}}{{Efn|See {{bibleverse|John|6:56|DRA}}, {{bibleverse|John|10:14–15|DRA|10:14–15}}, {{bibleverse|John|10:38|DRA|10:38}}, and {{bibleverse|John|14:10, 17, 20, 23|DRA|14:10, 17, 20, and 23}}.}} John's individualistic tendencies could give rise to a realized eschatology achieved on the level of the individual believer, but this realized eschatology is not to replace "orthodox", futurist eschatological expectations, but to be "only [their] correlative".{{sfn|Moule|1962|p=174}}

{{Further|John the Baptist}}

John's account of John the Baptist is different from that of the synoptic gospels. In this gospel, John is not called "the Baptist."{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005}} John the Baptist's ministry overlaps with that of Jesus; his baptism of Jesus is not explicitly mentioned, but his witness to Jesus is unambiguous.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005}} The evangelist almost certainly knew the story of John's baptism of Jesus, and makes a vital theological use of it.{{sfn|Barrett|1978|p=16}} He subordinates John to Jesus, perhaps in response to members of John's sect who regarded the Jesus movement as an offshoot of theirs.{{sfn|Harris|2006|p=}}

In the Gospel of John, Jesus and his disciples go to Judea early in Jesus's ministry before John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed by Herod Antipas. He leads a ministry of baptism larger than John's own. The Jesus Seminar rated this account as black, containing no historically accurate information.{{sfn|Funk|1998|pp=365–440}} According to the biblical historians at the Jesus Seminar, John likely had a larger presence in the public mind than Jesus.{{sfn|Funk|1998|p=268}}

{{Further|Christian Gnosticism}}

In the first half of the 20th century, many scholars, especially Rudolph Bultmann, argued that the Gospel of John has elements in common with Gnosticism.{{sfn|Harris|2006|p=}} Christian Gnosticism did not fully develop until the mid-2nd century, and so 2nd-century Proto-Orthodox Christians concentrated much effort in examining and refuting it.{{sfn|Olson|1999|p=36}} To say the Gospel of John contained elements of Gnosticism is to assume that Gnosticism had developed to a level that required the author to respond to it.{{sfn|Kysar|2005|pp=88ff}} Bultmann, for example, argued that the opening theme of the Gospel of John, the preexisting Logos, along with John's duality of light versus darkness, were originally Gnostic themes that John adopted. Other scholars (e.g., Raymond E. Brown) have argued that the preexisting Logos theme arises from the more ancient Jewish writings in the eighth chapter of the Book of Proverbs, and was fully developed as a theme in Hellenistic Judaism by Philo Judaeus.{{sfn|Brown|1997}} The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran verified the Jewish nature of these concepts.{{sfn|Charlesworth|2010|p=42}} April DeConick, as well as some 19th-century theologians,Adolf Bernhard Christoph Hilgenfeld, {{ill|Gustav Volkmar|de}}, and Davidson, see [https://biblehub.com/john/8-44.htm Pulpit Commentary on John 8:44] suggested reading John 8:44 in support of a Gnostic theology and that the natural reading would be "ye are of the father of the Devil",{{sfn|DeConick|2016|pp=13–}} but this has been disputed.{{sfn|Llewelyn|Robinson|Wassell|2018|pp=14–23}}

Gnostics read John but interpreted it differently from non-Gnostics.{{sfn|Most|2005|pp=121ff}} Gnosticism taught that salvation came from gnosis, secret knowledge, and Gnostics saw Jesus as not a savior but a revealer of knowledge.{{sfn|Skarsaune|2008|pp=247ff}} The gospel teaches that salvation can be achieved only through revealed wisdom, specifically belief in (literally belief {{em|into}}) Jesus.{{sfn|Lindars|1990|p=62}} John's picture of a supernatural savior who promised to return to take those who believed in him to a heavenly dwelling could be fitted into Gnostic views.{{sfn|Brown|1997|p=375}} It has been suggested that similarities between the Gospel of John and Gnosticism may spring from common roots in Jewish Apocalyptic literature.{{sfn|Kovacs|1995}}

File:St. John the Evangelist (Rabbula Gospels).png rendition of St. John the Evangelist, from the Rabbula Gospels.]]

The Gospel of John is significantly different from the synoptic gospels in the selection of its material, its theological emphasis, its chronology, and literary style, with some of its discrepancies amounting to contradictions.{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–237}} The patterns of variation found in the gospels are typical of ancient biographies about actual people and history.{{cite book |last=Keener |first=Craig |author-link=Craig Keener |title=Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2019 |isbn=978-0802876751}} The following are some examples of their differences in just one area, that of the material they include in their narratives:{{sfn|Köstenberger|2013|p=unpaginated}}

In the Synoptics, the ministry of Jesus takes a single year, but in John it takes three, as evidenced by references to three Passovers. Events are not all in the same order: the date of the crucifixion is different, as is the time of Jesus' anointing in Bethany and the cleansing of the Temple, which occurs in the beginning of Jesus' ministry rather than near its end.{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–37}} Ancient compositional practices involved chronological displacement and compression, with even reliable biographers like Plutarch displaying them.{{Cite journal |last=Vytlačilová |first=Magdalena |title=Jesus, the Gospels, and the Galilean Crisis by Tucker S. Ferda (review) |journal=Neotestamentica |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=197-202 |via=Project MUSE}}

Many incidents from John, such as the wedding in Cana, the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, and the raising of Lazarus, are not paralleled in the synoptics. Scholarship has turned against positing hypothetical sources for John,{{sfn|Keith|2020|p=142}} with the majority of scholars today agreeing that the existence of a single source for the miracles in John being highly unlikely.{{Cite book |last=Runesson |first=Anders |title=Jesus, New Testament, Christian Origins |date=2021 |publisher=Eerdmans |isbn=9780802868923 |pages=644}} Some believe the author drew these from an independent source called the "signs gospel", the speeches of Jesus from a second "discourse" source,{{sfn|Reinhartz|2017|p=168}}{{sfn|Fredriksen|2008|p=unpaginated}} and the prologue from an early hymn.{{sfn|Perkins|1993|p=109}} The gospel makes extensive use of the Jewish scriptures:{{sfn|Reinhartz|2017|p=168}} John quotes from them directly, references important figures from them, and uses narratives from them as the basis for several of the discourses. The author was also familiar with non-Jewish sources: the Logos of the prologue (the Word that is with God from the beginning of creation), for example, was derived from both the Jewish concept of Lady Wisdom and from the Greek philosophers, John 6 alludes not only to the exodus but also to Greco-Roman mystery cults, and John 4 alludes to Samaritan messianic beliefs.{{sfn|Reinhartz|2017|p=171}}

John lacks scenes from the Synoptics such as Jesus's baptism,{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|1993|pp=1–30}} the calling of the Twelve, exorcisms, parables, and the Transfiguration. Conversely, it includes scenes not found in the Synoptics, including Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and multiple visits to Jerusalem.{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–37}}

In the fourth gospel, Jesus's mother Mary is mentioned in three passages but not named.{{sfn|Williamson|2004|p=265}}{{sfn|Michaels|1971|p=733}} John does assert that Jesus was known as the "son of Joseph" in 6:42.{{Bibleref2|John|6:42|DRA}} For John, Jesus's town of origin is irrelevant, for he comes from beyond this world, from God the Father.{{sfn|Fredriksen|2008}}

While John makes no direct mention of Jesus's baptism,{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|1993|pp=1–30}}{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–37}} he does quote John the Baptist's description of the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove, as happens at Jesus's baptism in the Synoptics.{{sfn|Zanzig|1999|p=118}}{{sfn|Brown|1988|pp=25-27}} Major synoptic speeches of Jesus are absent, including the Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse,{{sfn|Pagels|2003}} and the exorcisms of demons are not mentioned.{{sfn|Funk|Hoover|1993|pp=1–30}}{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=184}} John does not list the Twelve Disciples and names at least one disciple, Nathanael, whose name is not found in the Synoptics. Thomas is given a personality beyond a mere name, described as "Doubting Thomas".{{sfn|Most|2005|p=80}}

Jesus is identified with the Word ("Logos"), and the Word is identified with {{transliteration|grc|theos}} ("god" in Greek);{{sfn|Ehrman|2005}} the Synoptics make no such identification.{{sfn|Carson|1991|p=117}} In Mark, Jesus urges his disciples to keep his divinity secret, but in John he is very open in discussing it, even calling himself "I AM", the title God gives himself in Exodus at his self-revelation to Moses. In the Synoptics, the chief theme is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven (the latter specifically in Matthew), while John's theme is Jesus as the source of eternal life, and the Kingdom is only mentioned twice.{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–37}}{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=184}} In contrast to the synoptic expectation of the Kingdom (using the term {{transliteration|grc|parousia}}, meaning "coming"), John presents a more individualistic, realized eschatology.{{Sfn|Moule|1962|pp=172–74}}{{efn|Realized eschatology is a Christian eschatological theory popularized by C. H. Dodd (1884–1973). It holds that the eschatological passages in the New Testament do not refer to future events, but instead to the ministry of Jesus and his lasting legacy.{{sfn|Ladd|Hagner|1993|p=56}} In other words, it holds that Christian eschatological expectations have already been realized or fulfilled.}}

In the Synoptics, quotations of Jesus are usually in the form of short, pithy sayings; in John, longer quotations are often given. The vocabulary is also different, and filled with theological import: in John, Jesus does not work "miracles", but "signs" that unveil his divine identity.{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–37}} Most scholars consider John not to contain any parables. Rather, it contains metaphorical stories or allegories, such as those of the Good Shepherd and the True Vine, in which each element corresponds to a specific person, group, or thing. Other scholars consider stories like the childbearing woman{{Bibleref2|John|16:21|DRA}} or the dying grain{{Bibleref2|John|12:24|DRA}} to be parables.{{efn|See {{harvnb|Zimmermann|2015|pp=333–60}}.}}

According to the Synoptics, Jesus's arrest was a reaction to the cleansing of the temple; according to John, it was triggered by the raising of Lazarus.{{sfn|Burge|2014|pp=236–37}} The Pharisees, portrayed as more uniformly legalistic and opposed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, are portrayed as sharply divided; they frequently debate. Some, such as Nicodemus, even go so far as to be at least partially sympathetic to Jesus. This is believed to be a more accurate historical depiction of the Pharisees, who made debate one of the tenets of their belief system.{{sfn|Neusner|2003|p=8}}

In place of the communal emphasis of the Pauline literature, John stresses the personal relationship of the individual to God.{{sfn|Bauckham|2015a}}

The Gospel of John and the three Johannine epistles exhibit strong resemblances in theology and style; the Book of Revelation has also been traditionally linked with these, but differs from the gospel and letters in style and even theology.{{sfn|Van der Watt|2008|p=1}} The letters were written later than the gospel, and while the gospel reflects the break between the Johannine Christians and the Jewish synagogue, in the letters the Johannine community itself is disintegrating ("They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out..." - 1 John 2:19).{{sfn|Moloney|1998|p=4}} This secession was over Christology, the "knowledge of Christ", or more accurately the understanding of Christ's nature, for the ones who "went out" hesitated to identify Jesus with Christ, minimising the significance of the earthly ministry and denying the salvific importance of Jesus's death on the cross.{{sfn|Watson|2014|p=112}} The epistles argue against this view, stressing the eternal existence of the Son of God, the salvific nature of his life and death, and the other elements of the gospel's "high" Christology.{{sfn|Watson|2014|p=112}}

{{Further|Historicity of the Bible}}

Jesus's teachings in the Synoptics greatly differ from those in John. Since the 19th century, scholars have almost unanimously accepted that the Johannine discourses are less likely to be historical than the synoptic parables, and were likely written for theological purposes.{{sfn|Sanders|1995|pp=57, 70–71}} Nevertheless, they generally agree that John is not without historical value. Some potential points of value include early provenance for some Johannine material, topographical references for Jerusalem and Judea, Jesus's crucifixion occurring prior to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and his arrest in the garden occurring after the accompanying deliberation of Jewish authorities.{{sfn|Theissen|Merz|1998|pp=36–37}}{{sfn|Brown|Fitzmyer|Murphy|1999|pp=815,1274}}{{sfn|Brown|1994|p=}}

Recent scholarship has argued for a more favourable reappraisal of the historical value of the Gospel of John and its importance for the reconstruction of the historical Jesus, based on recent archaeological and literary studies.{{sfn|Charlesworth|Pruszinski|2019|pp=1–3}}{{cite book |title=The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415880886 |page=283|chapter=Historical Criticism}}{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=W. D. |last2=Sanders |first2=E.P. |editor1-last=Horbury |editor1-first=William |editor2-last=Davies |editor2-first=W.D. |editor3-last=Sturdy |editor3-first=John |title=The Cambridge History of Judaism. Volume 3: The Early Roman period |date=2008 |publisher=Cambridge Univiversity Press |isbn=9780521243773 |page=620 |chapter=20. Jesus: From the Jewish Point of View}}{{cite book |title=The Jesus Handbook |date=2022 |publisher=William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company |isbn=9780802876928 |pages=138–140}}{{cite book |last1=Blomberg |first1=Craig |title=The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel: Issues and Commentary |date=2011 |publisher=IVP Academic |isbn=978-0830838714}} The works of the John, Jesus, and History Seminar have contributed to the overthrow of the previous consensus that the gospel of John was of no historical value, and many scholars now see John as a source for the Historical Jesus.{{Cite journal |last=Massey |first=Brandon |title=The Quest for the Historical Jesus, 2000-2023 |journal=Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus |volume=21 |issue=1-2 |pages=64}}

File:The last chapter by J. Doyle Penrose (1902).jpg translating the Gospel of John on his deathbed, by James Doyle Penrose, 1902|alt=Bede translating the Gospel of John on his deathbed, by James Doyle Penrose, 1902. Depicts the Venerable Bede as an elderly man with a long, white beard, sitting in a darkened room and dictating his translation of the Bible, as a younger scribe, sitting across from him, writes down his words. Two monks, standing together in the corner of the room, look on.]]

The gospel has been depicted in live narrations and dramatized in productions, skits, plays, and Passion Plays, as well as in film. The most recent such portrayal is the 2014 film The Gospel of John, directed by David Batty and narrated by David Harewood and Brian Cox, with Selva Rasalingam as Jesus.{{update inline|date=August 2021}} The 2003 film The Gospel of John was directed by Philip Saville and narrated by Christopher Plummer, with Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus.

Parts of the gospel have been set to music. 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. Additionally, some composers have made settings of the Passion as portrayed in the gospel, most notably Johann Sebastian Bach's St John Passion, although some of its verses are from Matthew.

{{columns list|colwidth=22em|

• Authorship of the Johannine works
• Chronology of Jesus
• Egerton Gospel
• Farewell Discourse
• Free Grace theology
• Gospel harmony
• Last Gospel
• List of Bible verses not included in modern translations
• List of Gospels
• Reformed Christianity
• Textual variants in the Gospel of John

}}

{{Notelist |30em}}

{{Reflist |30em}}

{{Refbegin |30em |indent= }}

• {{Cite book |author-last=Attridge |author-first=Harold W. |author-link=Harold W. Attridge |year=2008 |chapter=Part II: The Jesus Movements – Johannine Christianity |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6UTfmw_zStsC&pg=PA125 |editor1-last=Mitchell |editor1-first=Margaret M. |editor1-link=Margaret M. Mitchell |editor2-last=Young |editor2-first=Frances M. |editor2-link=Frances Young |title=The Cambridge History of Christianity, Volume 1: Origins to Constantine |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=125–143 |doi=10.1017/CHOL9780521812399.008 |isbn=978-1-139-05483-6}}
• {{Cite book

|last = Aune

|first = David E.

|author-link = David Aune

|chapter = John, Gospel of

|title = The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric

|publisher = Westminster John Knox Press

|year = 2003

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nhhdJ-fkywYC

|isbn = 978-0-664-21917-8

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Barrett | first = C. K.

| author-link = C. K. Barrett

| title = The Gospel According to St. John: An Introduction with Commentary and Notes on the Greek Text

| publisher = Westminster John Knox Press

| year = 1978

| location = Philadelphia

| edition = 2nd

| isbn = 978-0-664-22180-5

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tWR8DJ6C8KsC

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Barton

|first1 = Stephen C.

|editor1-last = Bauckham

|editor1-first = Richard

|editor1-link = Richard Bauckham

|editor2-last = Mosser

|editor2-first = Carl

|title = The Gospel of John and Christian Theology

|publisher = Eerdmans

|year = 2008

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3b2I8v2Gh8oC

|isbn = 978-0-8028-2717-3

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Bauckham

|first1 = Richard

|authorlink = Richard Bauckham

|chapter = The Fourth Gospel as the Testimony of the Beloved Disciple

|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3b2I8v2Gh8oC&pg=PA126

|editor1-last = Bauckham

|editor1-first = Richard

|editor2-last = Mosser

|editor2-first = Carl

|title = The Gospel of John and Christian Theology

|publisher = Eerdmans

|year = 2008

|isbn = 978-0-8028-2717-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John

| last = Bauckham | first = Richard

| publisher = Baker

| isbn = 978-0-8010-3485-5

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQzjDM_L7-oC

| date = 2007

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Gospel of Glory: Major Themes in Johannine Theology

| last = Bauckham | first = Richard

| publisher = Baker Academic

| location = Grand Rapids

| year = 2015a

| isbn = 978-1-4412-2708-9

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpIQBgAAQBAJ

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Bauckham

|first1 = Richard

|chapter = Sacraments and the Gospel of John

|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rgkWCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA83

|editor1-last = Boersma

|editor1-first = Hans

|editor2-last = Levering

|editor2-first = Matthew

|title = The Oxford Handbook of Sacramental Theology

|publisher = Oxford University Press

|year = 2015b

|isbn = 978-0-19-163418-5

}}

• {{Cite book |editor1-last=Black |editor1-first=C. Clifton |editor2-last=Smith |editor2-first=D. Moody |editor3-last=Spivey |editor3-first=Robert A. |year=2019 |orig-date=1969 |title=Anatomy of the New Testament |chapter=John: The Gospel of Jesus' Glory |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3MSHDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA129 |location=Minneapolis |publisher=Fortress Press |edition=8th |pages=129–156 |doi=10.2307/j.ctvcb5b9q.15 |isbn=978-1-5064-5711-6 |s2cid=242455133 |oclc=1082543536}}
• {{Cite book

| title=The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel

| last = Blomberg | first = Craig

| author-link = Craig Blomberg

| publisher = InterVarsity Press

| isbn = 978-0-8308-3871-4

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvcktkwnjxEC

| date = 2011

}}

• {{Cite book |title=Jesus the Purifier: John's Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical Jesus |last=Blomberg |first=Craig L. |publisher=Baker Academic |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-4934-3996-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcB8EAAAQBAJ}}
• {{Cite journal

| title = John 4: 4–42: Defining A Modus Vivendi Between Jews and the Samaritans

| last = Bourgel | first = Jonathan

| journal = Journal of Theological Studies

| year = 2018

| volume=69

| issue=1

| pages=39–65|url=https://www.academia.edu/37029909

| doi = 10.1093/jts/flx215 }}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Gospel According to John, Volume 1

| last = Brown | first = Raymond E.

| author-link = Raymond E. Brown

| year = 1966

| publisher = Doubleday

| series = Anchor Bible series

| volume = 29

| isbn = 978-0-385-01517-2

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olDuAAAAMAAJ

}}

• {{Cite book|last=Brown|first=Raymond E.|title=The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIM0Q0bjgYkC&pg=PA25|year=1988|publisher=Liturgical Press|isbn=978-0-8146-1283-5}}
• {{Cite book|last=Brown|first=Raymond E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-oNIgAACAAJ|title=The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the Grave: a Commentary on the Passion Narratives in the Four Gospels|date=1994|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-14009-5|language=en}}
• {{Cite book

| title = An Introduction to the New Testament

| last = Brown | first = Raymond E.

| year = 1997

| publisher = Anchor Bible | location = New York

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MqpJCgAAQBAJ

| isbn = 0-385-24767-2

}}

• {{Cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Raymond E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mwUAQAAIAAJ|title=The New Jerome Biblical Commentary|last2=Fitzmyer|first2=Joseph A.|author2-link=Joseph Fitzmyer|last3=Murphy|first3=Roland Edmund|date=1999|publisher=Prentice Hall|isbn=978-0-13-859836-5|author1-link=Raymond E. Brown}}
• {{Cite book

| title = The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus

| last1 = Burge | first1 = Gary M.

| editor1-last = Evans | editor1-first = Craig A.

| year = 2014

| publisher = Routledge

| chapter = Gospel of John

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=StasAgAAQBAJ

| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=StasAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA236

| isbn = 978-1-317-72224-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = An introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity

| last = Burkett | first = Delbert

| year = 2002

| publisher = Cambridge University Press

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EcsQknxV-xQC&pg=PA215

| isbn = 978-0-521-00720-7

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Bynum

|first1 = Wm. Randolph

|title = The Fourth Gospel and the Scriptures: Illuminating the Form and Meaning of Scriptural Citation in John 19:37

|publisher = Brill

|year = 2012

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=opHZRjy-8zMC

|isbn = 978-90-04-22843-6

}}

• {{Cite book|last1=Carson|first1=D. A.|authorlink=D. A. Carson|title=The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John|date=1991|publisher=Wm. B. Eardmans|location=Grand Rapids}}
• {{Cite book

| title = An Introduction to the New Testament

| last1 = Carson | first1 = D. A.

| last2 = Moo | first2 = Douglas J.

| year = 2009

| publisher = HarperCollins Christian Publishing

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AV5FXRZo5c4C

| isbn = 978-0-310-53955-1

}}

• {{Cite journal|last=Charlesworth|first=James H.|author-link=James H. Charlesworth|title=The Historical Jesus in the Fourth Gospel: A Paradigm Shift?|journal=Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus|volume=8|issue=1|year=2010|pages=3–46|issn=1476-8690|doi=10.1163/174551909X12607965419559|url=https://jpcatholic.edu/NCUpdf/courses/BIBL526-Charlesworth_The_Historical_Jesus.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926074030/https://jpcatholic.edu/NCUpdf/courses/BIBL526-Charlesworth_The_Historical_Jesus.pdf |archive-date=2020-09-26 |url-status=live}}
• {{Cite book |title=Jesus Research: The Gospel of John in Historical Inquiry |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-567-68135-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=szqEDwAAQBAJ |editor-last=Charlesworth |editor-first=James H. |editor-last2=Pruszinski |editor-first2=Jolyon G. R.}}
• {{Cite book

| title = Judaism in the New Testament: Practices and Beliefs

| last1 = Chilton | first1 = Bruce

| author1-link = Bruce Chilton

| last2 = Neusner | first2 = Jacob

| author2-link = Jacob Neusner

| year = 2006

| publisher = Routledge

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=izKMqNP2hygC

| isbn = 978-1-134-81497-8

}}

• {{Cite journal

| title=Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism and New Testament Interpretation

| last=Combs

| first=William W.

| journal=Grace Theological Journal

| volume=8

| issue=2

| year=1987

| pages=195–212

|url=https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/NTeSources/NTArticles/GTJ-NT/Combs-NagHammadi-GTJ.htm

| access-date=15 July 2016

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021094821/https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/NTeSources/NTArticles/GTJ-NT/Combs-NagHammadi-GTJ.htm

| archive-date=21 October 2016

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

| editor1-last = Cross | editor1-first = F. L.

| editor1-link = F. L. Cross

| editor2-last = Livingstone | editor2-first = Elizabeth A.

| editor2-link = Elizabeth Livingstone

| year = 2005

| publisher = Oxford University Press | location = New York

| chapter = John, Gospel of St.

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ

| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA887

| isbn = 978-0-19-280290-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Immortality and Resurrection

| chapter = Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead

| last1 = Cullmann

| first1 = Oscar

| authorlink = Oscar Cullmann

| editor1-last = Stendahl | editor1-first = Krister

| editor1-link = Krister Stendahl

| publisher = Society of Biblical Literature

| year = 1965

| pages=9–53

| isbn = 978-0020895206

}}

• {{Cite book

|last = Culpepper

|first = R. Alan

|title = The Gospel and Letters of John

|publisher = Abingdon Press

|year = 2011

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5RXBD3meBAoC

|isbn = 978-1-4267-5005-2

}}

• {{Cite book|last=DeConick|first=April D.|authorlink=April DeConick |editor1-first=April D. |editor1-last=DeConick|editor2-first=Grant|editor2-last= Adamson|title=Histories of the Hidden God: Concealment and Revelation in Western Gnostic, Esoteric, and Mystical Traditions|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrTsCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|year=2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-93599-4|chapter=Who is Hiding in the Gospel of John? Reconceptualizing Johannine Theology and the Roots of Gnosticism}}
• {{Cite book

| title=John and the Synoptics

| chapter=The Q-Logion Mt 11, 27 / Lk 10, 22 and the Gospel of John

| last=Denaux | first=Adelbert

| editor-last=Denaux | editor-first=Adelbert

| publisher=Leuven University Press

| year=1992

| isbn=978-90-6186-498-1

| series=Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium | volume=101

| pages=113–47

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V5OwDM1Tu6MC

|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/5371617

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Dunn

| first = James D. G.

| author-link = James Dunn (theologian)

| title = The Question of Anti-Semitism in the New Testament

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9zCh9SBb6Y8C&pg=PA177

| isbn = 978-0-8028-4498-9

| year = 1992

| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Discovering John: Content, Interpretation, Reception

| last1 = Edwards | first1 = Ruth B.

| year = 2015

| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

| location = Grand Rapids, Michigan

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eq-vCAAAQBAJ

| series = Discovering Biblical Texts

| isbn = 978-0-8028-7240-1

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Ehrman

| first = Bart D.

| title =The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture

| author-link = Bart D. Ehrman

| publisher = Oxford University Press

| year = 1996

| isbn = 978-0-19-974628-6

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwkUt2kCIbEC

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why

| last = Ehrman | first = Bart D.

| publisher = HarperCollins

| year = 2005

| isbn = 978-0-06-073817-4

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xmJjSUiJtuQC

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Jesus, Interrupted

| last = Ehrman | first = Bart D.

| publisher = HarperOne

|url=https://archive.org/details/jesusinterrupted00ehrm_0

| url-access = registration

| date = 2009

| isbn = 978-0-06-117393-6

}}

• {{Cite book

|last = Eve

|first = Eric

|authorlink = Eric Eve

|title = Writing the Gospels: Composition and Memory

|publisher = SPCK

|year = 2016

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tDaNDAAAQBAJ&q=%22Bauckham%27s+work+has+not+won+general+acceptance%22&pg=PT85

|isbn = 978-0-281-07341-2

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus

| last = Fredriksen

| first = Paula

| author-link = Paula Fredriksen

| year = 2008

| publisher = Yale University Press

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tDFlfjZ4Ho4C

| isbn = 978-0-300-16410-7

}}

• {{Cite book|last1=Funk|first1=Robert Walter|authorlink=Robert W. Funk |last2=Hoover|first2=Roy W. |title=The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus: New Translation and Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7h2ykq-JZK8C|year=1993|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-02-541949-0|via=Jesus Seminar}}
• {{cite book|last=Funk|first=Robert Walter |title=The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds of Jesus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fg1CAQAAIAAJ|year=1998|publisher=HarperSanFrancisco|isbn=978-0-06-062978-6|via=Jesus Seminar}}
• {{Cite book|first=Colin J. D.|last= Greene|title=Christology in Culture Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iEY5Oy5eo1EC&pg=PA37|year=2004|publisher=Eerdmans Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-8028-2792-0}}
• {{Cite book

| title = Understanding the Bible

| last = Harris | first = Stephen L.

| authorlink = Stephen L. Harris

| year = 2006

| publisher = McGraw-Hill

| edition = 7th

| isbn = 978-0-07-296548-3

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nAsoAAAACAAJ

}}

• {{cite book

| title = The New Oxford Annotated Bible

| editor1-last = Coogan | editor1-first = Michael D.

| editor1-link = Michael Coogan

| editor2-last = Brettler | editor2-first = Marc Z.

| editor2-link = Marc Zvi Brettler

| editor3-last = Newsom | editor3-first = Carol A.

| editor3-link = Carol A. Newsom

| editor4-last = Perkins | editor4-first = Pheme

| editor4-link = Pheme Perkins

| chapter = The Gospel According to John

| last1 = Hendricks | first1 = Obrey M. Jr.

| date = 2007

| publisher = Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

| location = Peabody, Massachusetts

| edition = 3rd

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GyNiyGluEqEC

| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GyNiyGluEqEC&pg=RA2-PA146

| isbn = 978-1-59856-032-9

}}

• {{Cite book |last=Hill |first=Charles E. |year=2005 |chapter=Part III: The Evidence for a Johannine Corpus |title=The Johannine Corpus in the Early Church |location=Oxford and New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/0199264589.003.0009 |pages=447–464 |isbn=978-0-19-926458-2 |oclc=475098055}}
• {{Cite book

|last = Hillar

|first = Marian

|authorlink = Marian Hillar

|title = From Logos to Trinity

|publisher = Cambridge University Press

|year = 2012

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DMQgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA132

|isbn = 978-1-139-50514-7

}}

• {{Cite book |last=Hurtado |first=Larry W. |author-link=Larry Hurtado |year=2005 |chapter=How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Approaches to Jesus-Devotion in Earliest Christianity |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi5xIxgnNgcC&pg=PA13 |title=How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cambridge, UK |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |pages=13–55 |isbn=978-0-8028-2861-3}}
• {{Cite book |last=Hurtado |first=Larry |title=God in New Testament Theology |publisher=Abingdon Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4267-1954-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0aCaqJGgJvAC}}
• {{Cite book

|last1 = Keener

|first1 = Craig S.

|authorlink = Craig S. Keener

|title = Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels

|publisher = Eerdmans

|year = 2019

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AnitDwAAQBAJ&q=%22most+scholars+today+doubt+that+any+eyewitnesses+directly+composed+the+gospels%22&pg=PT368

|isbn = 978-1-4674-5676-0

}}

• {{Cite book

|last= Keith

|first= Chris

|year= 2020

|title= The Gospel as Manuscript: An Early History of the Jesus Tradition as Material Artifact

|publisher= Oxford University Press

|isbn= 978-0199384372

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Kelly

|first1 = Joseph F.

|title = History and Heresy: How Historical Forces Can Create Doctrinal Conflicts

|publisher = Liturgical Press

|year = 2012

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=923-w0Knq-AC

|isbn = 978-0-8146-5999-1

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Köstenberger

|first1 = Andreas

|authorlink = Andreas J. Köstenberger

|chapter = Destruction of the Temple and the Composition of the Fourth Gospel

|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fWXC2krd_6IC&pg=PA69

|editor1-last = Lierman

|editor1-first = John

|title = Challenging Perspectives on the Gospel of John

|publisher = Mohr Siebeck

|year = 2006

|isbn = 978-3-16-149113-9

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Köstenberger

|first1 = Andreas

|title = Encountering John

|publisher = Baker Academic

|year = 2013

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mRe-AgAAQBAJ

|isbn = 978-1-4412-4485-7

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Köstenberger

| first = Andreas J.

| title = A Theology of John's Gospel and Letters: The Word, the Christ, the Son of God

| publisher = Zondervan

| year = 2015

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvcQBwAAQBAJ

| isbn = 978-0-310-52326-0

}}

• {{Cite journal

| title = Now Shall the Ruler of This World Be Driven Out: Jesus' Death as Cosmic Battle in John 12:20–36

| last = Kovacs | first = Judith L.

| journal = Journal of Biblical Literature

| year = 1995

| volume=114

| issue=2

| pages=227–47

| doi=10.2307/3266937

| jstor=3266937

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Kruse

|first1 = Colin G.

|authorlink = Colin G. Kruse

|title = The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary

|publisher = Eerdmans

|year = 2004

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6JYgc2iH_skC

|isbn = 978-0-8028-2771-5

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Kysar | first = Robert

| title = Voyages with John: Charting the Fourth Gospel

| year = 2005

| publisher = Baylor University Press

| isbn = 978-1-932792-43-0

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ev5bp8lY04UC

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Kysar

| first = Robert

| title = John, the Maverick Gospel

| year = 2007a

| publisher = Presbyterian Publishing Corp

| isbn = 978-0-664-23056-2

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=br3ybb1X_KsC

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = John, Jesus, and History, Volume 1: Critical Appraisals of Critical Views

| chapter = The Dehistoricizing of the Gospel of John

| last1 = Kysar

| first1 = Robert

| series = Society of Biblical Literature Symposium series

| volume = 44

| editor1-last = Anderson | editor1-first = Paul N.

| editor-link1= Paul N. Anderson

| editor2-last = Just | editor2-first = Felix

| editor3-last = Thatcher | editor3-first = Tom

| publisher = Society of Biblical Literature

| year = 2007b

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ryybidJYMAQC

| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ryybidJYMAQC&pg=PA80

| isbn = 978-1-58983-293-0

}}

• {{Cite book

| title=A Theology of the New Testament

| last1=Ladd | first1=George Eldon

| author1-link=George Eldon Ladd

| last2=Hagner | first2=Donald Alfred

| authorlink2=Donald Hagner

| publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

| date=1993

| isbn=0-8028-0680-5

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Lamb

|first1 = David A.

|title = Text, Context and the Johannine Community: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of the Johannine Writings

|publisher = A&C Black

|year = 2014

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=w_MPAwAAQBAJ

|isbn = 978-0-567-12966-6

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Gospel According to St John: Black's New Testament Commentaries

| last = Lincoln | first = Andrew T.

| author-link = Andrew T. Lincoln

| year = 2005

| publisher = Bloomsbury Publishing

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eYmxAwAAQBAJ

| isbn = 978-1-4411-8822-9

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = John

| last1 = Lindars | first1 = Barnabas

| authorlink = Barnabas Lindars

| year = 1990

| publisher = A&C Black

| series = New Testament Guides

| volume = 4

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BtjUAwAAQBAJ

| isbn = 978-1-85075-255-4

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Johannine Literature

| last1 = Lindars | first1 = Barnabas

| last2 = Edwards | first2 = Ruth

| last3 = Court | first3 = John M.

| year = 2000

| publisher = A&C Black

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qVOD0PhayhsC

| isbn = 978-1-84127-081-4

}}

• {{Cite journal|last1=Llewelyn|first1=Stephen Robert|last2=Robinson|first2=Alexandra|last3=Wassell|first3=Blake Edward|title=Does John 8:44 Imply That the Devil Has a Father?|journal=Novum Testamentum|volume=60|issue=1|year=2018|pages=14–23|issn=0048-1009|doi=10.1163/15685365-12341587|s2cid=166084766}}
• {{Cite book

|last = Martin

|first = Dale B.

|authorlink = Dale Martin (scholar)

|title = New Testament History and Literature

|publisher = Yale University Press

|year = 2012

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jUWUOwHHiiMC&pg=PT164

|isbn = 978-0-300-18219-4

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Menken

|first1 = M.J.J.

|title = Old Testament Quotations in the Fourth Gospel: Studies in Textual Form

|publisher = Peeters Publishers

|year = 1996

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=drPgSxi20ZwC

|isbn = 978-90-390-0181-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Text of New Testament

| last1 = Metzger | first1 = Bruce M.

| author1-link = Bruce M. Metzger

| last2 = Ehrman | first2 = Bart D.

| publisher = Рипол Классик

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lA4WAwAAQBAJ

| date = 1985

| isbn = 978-5-88500-901-0

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Michaels | first = J. Ramsey

| authorlink = J. Ramsey Michaels

| title = The Gospel of John

| chapter = Verification of Jesus' Self-Revelation in His passion and Resurrection (18:1–21:25)

| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

| location = Grand Rapids

| year = 1971

| isbn = 978-1-4674-2330-4

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HWVyCgAAQBAJ

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Moloney

|first1 = Francis J.

|title = The Gospel of John

|publisher = Liturgical Press

|year = 1998

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2xDRFYKldboC

|isbn = 978-0-8146-5806-2

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Doubting Thomas

| last = Most | first = Glenn W.

| authorlink = Glenn W. Most

| url=https://archive.org/details/doubtingthomas00glen

| url-access = registration

| year = 2005

| publisher = Harvard University Press

| isbn = 978-0-674-01914-0

}}

• {{Cite journal

| title = The Individualism of the Fourth Gospel

| last = Moule | first = C. F. D. | author-link = C. F. D. Moule

| journal = Novum Testamentum

| volume = 5

| issue = 2/3

| pages = 171–90

| date = July 1962

| doi = 10.2307/1560025

| jstor = 1560025

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Invitation to the Talmud: A Teaching Book

| last = Neusner | first = Jacob

| authorlink = Jacob Neusner

| publisher = Wipf and Stock Publishers

| year = 2003

| isbn = 978-1-59244-155-6

| series = South Florida Studies in the History of Judaism

| volume = 169

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WOBKAwAAQBAJ

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = O'Day

|first1 = Gail R.

|authorlink = Gail R. O'Day

|chapter = John

|editor1-last = Newsom

|editor1-first = Carol Ann

|editor-link1 = Carol A. Newsom

|editor2-last = Ringe

|editor2-first = Sharon H.

|title = Women's Bible Commentary

|publisher = Westminster John Knox Press

|year = 1998

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ymp4S2qZJ4cC

|isbn = 978-0-664-25781-1

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform

| last = Olson | first = Roger E.

| authorlink = Roger E. Olson

| publisher = InterVarsity Press

| location = Downers Grove, Illinois

| year = 1999

| isbn = 978-0-8308-1505-0

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3QHRJNkbKJgC&q=The+story+of+Christian+theology+%3A+twenty+centuries+of+tradition+%26+reform

| url-access = registration

}}

• {{Cite book |author-last=Ong |author-first=Hughson T. |year=2015 |chapter=The Gospel from a Specific Community but for All Christians: Understanding the Johannine Community as a "Community of Practice" |editor1-last=Porter |editor1-first=Stanley E. |editor1-link=Stanley E. Porter |editor2-last=Ong |editor2-first=Hughson T. |title=The Origins of John's Gospel |location=Leiden and Boston |publisher=Brill Publishers |series=Johannine Studies |volume=2 |pages=101–123 |doi=10.1163/9789004303164_007 |isbn=978-90-04-30316-4 |issn=2214-2800}}
• {{Cite book

| title = Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

| last = Pagels | first = Elaine

| author-link = Elaine Pagels

| publisher = Random House

| location = New York

| year = 2003

| isbn = 0-375-50156-8

|url=https://archive.org/details/beyondbeliefsecr00page

| url-access = registration

}}

• {{Cite book |author-last=Painter |author-first=John |author-link=John Painter (theologian) |year=2010 |chapter=Johannine Literature: The Gospel and Letters of John |editor-last=Aune |editor-first=David E. |editor-link=David Aune |title=The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament |location=Chichester, West Sussex |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |pages=344–372 |doi=10.1002/9781444318937.ch20 |isbn=978-1-4443-1893-7}}
• {{Cite book

| last = Perkins

| first =Pheme

| title = Gnosticism and the New Testament

| publisher = Fortress Press

| year = 1993

| isbn = 978-1-4514-1597-1

|url=https://archive.org/details/gnosticismnewte00perk

| url-access = registration

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = John, His Gospel, and Jesus: In Pursuit of the Johannine Voice

| last = Porter | first = Stanley E.

| author-link = Stanley E. Porter

| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

| year = 2015

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2llZCgAAQBAJ

| isbn = 978-0-8028-7170-1

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Porter

|first1 = Stanley E.

|last2 = Fay

|first2 = Ron C.

|chapter = Introduction

|editor1-last = Porter

|editor1-first = Stanley E.

|editor2-last = Fay

|editor2-first = Ron C.

|title = The Gospel of John in Modern Interpretation

|publisher = Kregel Academic

|year = 2018

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MOZoDwAAQBAJ

|isbn = 978-0-8254-4510-1

}}

• {{Cite book

|last = Reddish

|first = Mitchell G.

|title = An Introduction to The Gospels

|publisher = Abingdon Press

|year = 2011

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hliGUOv18cQC

|isbn = 978-1-4267-5008-3

}}

• {{Cite book |author-last=Reinhartz |author-first=Adele |author-link=Adele Reinhartz |year=2013 |chapter=Forging a New Identity: Johannine Rhetoric and the Audience of the Fourth Gospel |editor1-last=Krans |editor1-first=Jan |editor2-last=Lietaert Peerbolte |editor2-first=L. J. |editor3-last=Smit |editor3-first=Peter-Ben |editor4-last=Zwiep |editor4-first=Arie W. |title=Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology: Studies in Honour of Martinus C. de Boer |location=Leiden |publisher=Brill Publishers |series=Novum Testamentum: Supplements |volume=149 |pages=123–134 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MoKxIeOTkqYC&pg=PA123 |doi=10.1163/9789004250369_009 |isbn=978-90-04-25026-0 |issn=0167-9732 |s2cid=171267332}}
• {{Cite book

|last1 = Reinhartz

|first1 = Adele

|chapter = The Gospel According to John

|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=I4stDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA

|editor1-last = Levine

|editor1-first = Amy-Jill

|editor2-last = Brettler

|editor2-first = Marc Z.

|title = The Jewish Annotated New Testament

|publisher = Oxford University Press

|year = 2017

|isbn = 978-0-19-046185-0|edition=2nd

}}

• {{Cite book|last=Ronning|first=John L.|title=The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B0rmwAEACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Hendrickson|isbn=978-1-59856-306-1}}
• {{Cite book

| title = The Historical Figure of Jesus

| last = Sanders | first = E. P.

| author-link = E. P. Sanders

| year = 1995

| publisher = Penguin UK

| isbn = 978-0-14-192822-7

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John

| last = Senior | first = Donald

| year = 1991

| publisher = Liturgical Press

| isbn = 978-0-8146-5462-0

| series = Passion of Jesus Series

| volume = 4

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31BDFECBGF8C

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity

| last = Skarsaune | first = Oskar

| authorlink = Oskar Skarsaune

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IAlQTo4H4F4C

| year = 2008

| publisher = InterVarsity Press

| isbn = 978-0-8308-2670-4

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide

| last1 = Theissen | first1 = Gerd

| author1-link = Gerd Theissen

| last2 = Merz | first2 = Annette

| year = 1998

| orig-date = 1996

| publisher = Fortress Press

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZU97DQMH6UC

| isbn = 978-1-4514-0863-8

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels

| chapter = The Gospel According to John

| last = Thompson | first = Marianne Maye

| editor1-last = Barton | editor1-first = Stephen C.

| year = 2006

| publisher = Cambridge University Press

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lX16qfiZkOoC

| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lX16qfiZkOoC&pg=PA182

| series = Cambridge Companions to Religion

| isbn = 978-0-521-80766-1

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Tuckett

| first = Christopher M.

| authorlink = Christopher M. Tuckett

| chapter = Introduction to the Gospels

| editor1-last = Dunn

| editor1-first = James D. G.

| editor1-link = James Dunn (theologian)

| editor2-last = Rogerson

| editor2-first = John William

| editor-link2 = John W. Rogerson

| title = Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible

| year = 2003

| publisher = Eerdmans

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vo-11umIZQC

| isbn = 978-0-8028-3711-0

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Valantasis

|first1 = Richard

|last2 = Bleyle

|first2 = Douglas K.

|last3 = Haugh

|first3 = Dennis C.

|title = The Gospels and Christian Life in History and Practice

|publisher = Rowman & Littlefield

|year = 2009

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_rFr9bGY5s4C

|isbn = 978-0-7425-7069-6

}}

• {{Cite book

| last1 = Van den Broek | first1 = Roelof

| author-link1 = Roel van den Broek

| last2 = Vermaseren | first2 = Maarten Jozef

| title = Studies in Gnosticism and Hellenistic Religions

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ONQUAAAAIAAJ

| year = 1981

| publisher = E. J. Brill

| location = Leiden

| series = Études préliminaires aux religions orientales dans l'Empire romain

| volume = 91

| isbn = 978-90-04-06376-1

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Van der Watt

| first = Jan

| authorlink = Jan van der Watt

| title = An Introduction to the Johannine Gospel and Letters

| publisher = Bloomsbury

| year = 2008

| isbn = 978-0-567-52174-3

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8nRJDwAAQBAJ

}}

• {{Cite book

|last1 = Watson

|first1 = Duane

|chapter = Christology

|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=StasAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA111

|editor1-last = Evans

|editor1-first = Craig

|title = The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus

|publisher = Routledge

|year = 2014

|isbn = 978-1-317-72224-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = Preaching the Gospel of John: Proclaiming the Living Word

| last = Williamson | first = Lamar Jr.

| publisher = Westminster John Knox Press

| location = Louisville

| year = 2004

| isbn = 978-0-664-22533-9

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rKl0EivRoEkC

}}

• {{Cite book

| title = The New Testament Story

| last = Witherington | first = Ben

| authorlink = Ben Witherington III

| year = 2004

| publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFZSyZi2vUQC

| isbn = 978-0-8028-2765-4

}}

• {{Cite book

|last = Yu Chui Siang Lau

|first = Theresa

|chapter = The Gospels and the Old Testament

|editor1-last = Harding

|editor1-first = Mark

|editor2-last = Nobbs

|editor2-first = Alanna

|editor-link2 = Alanna Nobbs

|title = The Content and the Setting of the Gospel Tradition

|publisher = Eerdmans

|year = 2010

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UNIelnuGATgC

|isbn = 978-0-8028-3318-1

}}

• {{Cite book|last=Zanzig|first=Thomas |title=Jesus of History, Christ of Faith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QMyiWpV-dx8C&pg=PA118|year=1999|publisher=Saint Mary's Press|isbn=978-0-88489-530-5}}
• {{Cite book

| title = Puzzling the Parables of Jesus: Methods and Interpretation

| last = Zimmermann | first = Ruben

| author-link = Ruben Zimmermann

| publisher = Fortress Press

| location = Minneapolis

| year = 2015

| isbn = 978-1-4514-6532-7

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQ6qCgAAQBAJ

}}

{{Refend}}

{{Wikisource|John (Bible)|John}}

Online translations of the Gospel of John

• Over 200 versions in over 70 languages at [https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-American-Bible-Revised-Edition-NABRE-Bible/#booklist Bible Gateway]
• David Robert Palmer
• [http://www.bibletranslation.ws/trans/johnwgrk.pdf Translation from the Greek]
• [http://www.bibletranslation.ws/trans/john.pdf Text of the Gospel with textual variants]
• [https://holy-bible.online/kjv.php?book=1%20John Online version of Book of John, KJV ]

{{S-start}}

{{S-hou|Gospel|||}}

{{S-bef|before=Gospel of
Luke }}

{{S-ttl|title=New Testament
Books of the Bible}}

{{S-aft|after=Acts
of the Apostles}}

{{S-end}}

{{Jesus footer}}

{{Books of the Bible}}

{{Gospel of John|state=expanded}}

{{Subject bar

|portal1 = Religion

|portal2 = Christianity

|portal3 = Bible

|commons = yes

|b = yes

|q = yes

|s = yes

|v = Biblical Studies (NT)#The Gospels: The Life and Ministry of Jesus

}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1st-century Christian texts

Category:2nd-century Christian texts

Category:Catharism

Category:Johannine literature

John

Category:Texts in Koine Greek

Category:Works of uncertain authorship