Who Wrote the Gospel of John?

Authorship is essential to studying the Gospels because it determines apostolic authority and historicity.

The Fourth Gospel author identifies himself in a riddle as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20). This research aims to examine the evidence and see where it leads in solving the riddle of the Fourth Gospel. Currently, among scholars, there is no consensus identifying the individual or individuals behind the pen. One of the weaknesses in doing such research is approaching it with presuppositions. Where a person begins their investigation determines their results.[1]

The heading in the fourth Gospel begins with "The Gospel According to John," which was not part of the original manuscript.

Therefore, this should not be where a scholar begins studying the book's authorship. If the author is the disciple John who walked with Jesus and took Mary into his home, it will affect the hermeneutics of the text, making it a first-person eyewitness account. Based on biblical and extra-biblical evidence, it is the position of this author that John, the disciple of Jesus, the Son of Zebedee, wrote the fourth Gospel as an eyewitness and hid his identity in plain view throughout the book intentionally. The discovery of the author's identity will give a foundation for the reader of the fourth Gospel to build on and assist in discovering the meaning intended by the original author.

Background

Based on John's point of view in the text, some scholars believe that the Gospels are all based on a hypothetical text called the "Q" document or, at the very least, the Fourth Gospel was dependent on the Gospel of Mark and maybe Luke.[2]

The commonly held belief is that the Fourth Gospel writer had at his disposal the Synoptics and that he wrote to fill in the gaps and make the picture of Jesus clear.[3]

For example, about John the Baptist, John the Son of Zebedee says, "John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (For John had not yet been put in prison)" (John 3:23-24 ESV).[4]

Mark shifts quickly in his book from Jesus' baptism to his ministry and does not include the additional narrative about John the Baptist that the Fourth Gospel does. After the baptism event, the reader's subsequent encounter with John the Baptist finds him in prison and facing death (Mark 6). When one reads the two Gospels horizontally, the parentheses in the Fourth Gospel no longer seem out of place. Thus, some scholars conclude that John had Mark's Gospel in hand and was writing to fill the narrative gaps.

In the nineteenth century, BF. Westcott claimed that based on internal eyewitness evidence, the author of the Fourth Gospel had to be a member of the inner circle of disciples, which he narrowed down to the Apostle John.[5] Scholars who object to Westcott's position base their objection on the date of composition and its variance in content from the Synoptics.[6] The argument is that if John the Apostle had authored the text, he would have been 80-90 years old, making him a doubtful candidate.[7] Kenner says that it is likely that John lived a long life; although most people died younger than this, mortality was highest during childhood.[8] It is not unreasonable to think that God blessed John with a long life since Jesus, while on the cross, asked John to take on the role of Son and care for Mary. John's long life would agree with the Apostle Paul's principle reiterated from the Old Testament (OT) that those who honor their parents are promised a long life on the earth (Eph 6:2).

Stanley Porter highlights the absence of the sons of Zebedee in the Fourth Gospel as an issue that causes some scholars to believe John had the Synoptics at his disposal.[9] Bauckham is one scholar who thinks that John the Elder from Ephesus is the author of the text rather than John the Apostle.[10] Bauckham's view further highlights the differences among scholars. He says that the author of the Fourth Gospel likely knew Mark, Matthew, and Luke as individuals but unlikely that their writings had reached Ephesus, where John the Elder lived.[11] According to Bauckham, the reason this debate on authorship and dependency continues today is that modern scholars are preoccupied with the idea of John's dependence on Mark rather than his audience's familiarity with Mark.

The Inner Circle

Among Jesus' disciples, Peter, James, and John were part of the inner circle. These three men were the only members of Jesus' disciples present at the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, and in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 9:18-26;17:2, Mark 5:21-24; 9:2-3, Luke 8:40-50; 9:28-36). The omission of these events in John's Gospel is a challenge to those who hold the position of Apostolic authorship.

If John the Apostle authored the Fourth Gospel, it would seem reasonable to mention these events unless more substantial evidence exists to explain their omission.

Kostenberger, a scholar who believes that John the Apostle authored the Fourth Gospel, believes excluding these specific events was intentional. He states that John featured the raising of Lazarus (11:1-44) rather than the Transfiguration because his goal was to highlight that Jesus came to show his glory to everyone, rather than focus on the special events he was privy to witness.[13]

Similarities between the Fourth Gospel and the Synoptics are explainable if the author was the Apostle John because he was an eyewitness of the events recorded in the other Gospels. The purposeful omission of the three exclusive inner circle events certainly follows the author's pattern of concealing his identity to the reader to glorify the Son. In a hyperbolic sentence, John says that Jesus did many other things that he did not write down because the "world itself" could not hold the books that should be written (John 20:30-31; 21:25). Kostenberger asserts that this statement by the author is one of several that identifies him as an eyewitness to the ministry and works of Jesus, which space or time would not allow him to write.[14]

Outside of the inner circle of Peter, James, and John, the text eliminates Peter as the author when he and the "disciple whom Jesus loved" run to the tomb together (20:2). Early in the history of the Church, James dies by the sword of King Herod, which means that he would not have had time to write the Fourth Gospel. Therefore, if the author was a member of the inner circle, John the Apostle is the only viable answer to his identity.

Alternative Views

Since the writer of the Fourth Gospel never reveals his identity, scholars have identified possible alternatives to the Apostle John. There is a wide range of ideas about authorship ranging from John the Elder to a possible collection of authors. One issue that leads modern scholarship away from identifying John, the Son of Zebedee, is the nickname "sons of thunder" given to him and his brother by Jesus. Kolawole claims that the nickname argument is one-dimensional and does not consider the years of growing and maturing that would have happened in John's life.[15]

Another popular argument is that the author of the Fourth Gospel must have been a Hellenistic Israelite living outside of Israel/Judea because the language used is simple and reflective of Greek thought and language instead of Jewish literature from that period.[16] Again, Kolawole says that this position was proven wrong by discovering the Dead Sea Scrolls, which reveal that the Fourth Gospel theology was part of the Jewish community's view in the first century.[17] Kostenberger's perspective stands against that of the popular argument. He believes that the author of the Fourth Gospel had an in-depth understanding of OT Scripture and prophecy, confirmed by fourteen explicit quotations from the Scriptures.[18]

Other scholars go to the opposite end of the spectrum. They argue that John, the Son of Zebedee, would not have been educated or sophisticated enough to write a text as theological as the Fourth Gospel.[19] This argument is put to rest by an encounter between Peter and John in Acts. Luke documents that the Sanhedrin marveled at the παρρησία (confidence, boldness) of Peter and John because they thought they were uneducated and untrained men. Then Luke says that the Sanhedrin recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus, which seems to have satisfied their previous accusation that they were uneducated and untrained (Acts 4:13). Jesus' disciples and others recognized him as a Ῥαββί, (Rabbi), a Jewish term of honor and respect for a teacher or scholar of the OT Scriptures (John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26; 6:20). [20] Thus, one can conclude that Jesus trained his disciples in the Scripture and theology, educating John to author the Fourth Gospel. Another factor to consider is that the Gospels are not solely man's work. Jesus told the disciples that the Father would send the Holy Ghost to teach them "all things" and bring "all things" into their remembrance (John 14:26), an event fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).

Biblical Witness

Contextual information within the Fourth Gospel and its intertextual connections with the book of Revelation and the OT help identity the author in question.

Internally, the author shares essential information that eliminates some individuals, such as Peter, as potential authors.

The intertextual connections to Revelation show that John authored both of the texts. Intertextual relation to the OT highlights the theological depth of the author. One would assume an individual who spent three years walking with Jesus as part of the inner circle of disciples would have a theological understanding as found in the Fourth Gospel.

Internal Witness

Some basic facts about the author of the Fourth Gospel come from within the text. First, the disciple whom Jesus loved was one of the twelve chosen by Jesus (John 6:70) because he was reclining at the table with the other disciples during the last supper (John 13:25). Though the Scripture does not explicitly state that only the twelve disciples were present, Michaels makes a solid case to support this from John's verb usage in the text. He highlights the verb ἐξελεξάμην (I Chose) in 13:18 and 15:19 echoes that of 6:70. While all disciples are "elect," only the twelve are referred to in Scripture as "chosen."[21] If only the twelve "chosen" were at the supper, then by the elimination process, one can determine that John the Apostle is the same as the disciple "whom Jesus loved" leaning on his Lord at supper.

Second, the author of the Gospel is an eyewitness to the events that he documents (John 19:35; 21:24). Kolawole says that the author is a Jew of Palestine eyewitness because of his impressive knowledge of geography concerning Jerusalem and the surrounding area (John 1:28, 3:23, 5:2, 9:7, 10:22, 11:18, 18:1, and 19:13).[22] The author also exhibits knowledge of Rabbinic civil law that a Palestinian Jew would have known over a Hellenistic Jew.[23] Under Jewish law, an accused individual had the right to a hearing before a judge, and two witnesses were needed to establish the truth.[24] The writer of the Fourth Gospel knows the correct Jewish procedure. He alludes to Jesus' rights in John 7:51 when he quotes Nicodemus and demonstrates an understanding of the witness protocol in 8:13-19.

Additionally, he writes about locations that would have only been known exclusively to Jesus and his disciples when they separated from the crowd (11:54, 18:1-2, 20:19).

The author's focus on testimony is another indication that he was present when the events in the Gospel took place. He uses the word μαρτυρήσῃ (testimony, bear witness) thirty-three times, compared to one time in Matthew and two times in Luke. The author records the testimony of Jesus, John the Baptist, the Samaritan woman, and his own (1:7-8, 15, 19, 32, 34; 4:39; 5:30-47; 21:24).

Intertextuality with Revelation

Working backward from Revelation to the Fourth Gospel is a practical approach to discovering the individual's name called "the disciple whom Jesus loved." We know that "John" wrote Revelation (Rev 1:4,9) while on the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9). From the fragments of Papias, we know that the early church father said that John, one of the twelve disciples, was exiled to Patmos and later died in Ephesus and that he wrote the Gospel bearing his name.[25] Therefore, with the connection between Revelation and the Fourth Gospel established, we know that the author's name is John, and Papias recognized him as one of the twelve disciples. From this starting point, one can continue the reverse investigative work to establish that the author was the Apostle John or someone with the same name.

Polycarp, a disciple of the Apostle John, served as bishop of Symrna until his martyrdom.[26] In a letter to Rome, Polycarp stands firm in upholding traditions that he had "observed" with John, the disciple of the Lord, and the rest of the Apostles.[27] In Revelation, Jesus dictates seven letters to John addressed to specific churches in Asia (Rev 1:4), one of which is the church in Smyrna. The significance of this particular letter is that if the author of Revelation were John the Apostle, he would have had a personal connection to the bishop of Smyrna. It is believed that John the Apostle appointed Polycarp as bishop of the church in Smyrna[28]

One literary device the author of the Fourth Gospel used when clarification was needed was parentheses (John 1:38, 41; 2:9; 4:2, 8, 9, 25, 44).

Since these letters had to pass from Patmos to the churches in Asia, we would not expect John to mention any bishops by name. Nevertheless, the letter to Smyrna indicates a personal connection between the writer and the church found in parentheses. In the letter to Smyrna, Jesus says to the church, "I know your tribulation and your poverty," followed by parentheses, 'but you are rich' (Rev 2:9). Polycarp reading this letter, would have recognized the parentheses as a word of encouragement from John the Apostle. The church endured persecution and was in poverty. John knew that spiritually they were rich because of his connection with the church in Smyrna. This is the only letter in Revelation that contains parentheses.

Another connection between Revelation and the Fourth Gospel is the focus of the Heavenly Temple.[29] In the opening chapter of the Fourth Gospel, the writer says, "And the Word became flesh and ἐσκήνωσεν (dwelt) among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). John also presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the temple by associating him with the heavenly temple in this verse and clearly in John 2:18-22. Greene highlights that the verb ἐσκήνωσεν in John 1:14 is used solely in the Fourth Gospel and Revelation. Further, he says that in Revelation, where σκηνόω is used, it is always about dwelling in a heavenly tabernacle (Rev 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; 21:3).[30]

In the opening chapter of the Fourth Gospel, the writer emphasizes the words of Jesus, saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:51). Greene sees a similarity between this verse, the ladder of Jacob in the OT, and the vision of the New Jerusalem descending from Heaven in Revelation (Rev 21:1-4).[31] Regardless of whether these connections are what the author intended, when John describes the city, he notices that there is no temple because the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple (Rev 21:22), which maintains the Fourth Gospel's theological theme.

Mark Wilson focuses on the water imagery found in the Fourth Gospel and Revelation. Wilson says that the NT has 210 references to water, 92 of which are in Revelation and the Fourth Gospel, with the other instances spread throughout the remaining books.[32] Undoubtedly, John's location on an island influenced some of the water images in Revelation, where he makes 26 references to the sea (4:6; 15:2, 5:13; 10:6, 7:1-3; 8:8-9, 13:1, 18:17, 19, 20:13, 21:1). The metaphors that Wilson believes show a direct connection are John's reference to the Lamb as "springs of living water" (Rev 7:17) and the water of life to the thirsty (21:6; 22:1; 22:17).[33] In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he had "living water" to give and that anyone who drinks the water that he gives will never be thirsty because it will be a spring of water welling up into eternal life (John 4:10-14). On the day of the feast, Jesus proclaimed, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38). These similarities are more than coincidental because they demonstrate that the author of the Fourth Gospel and Revelation had a Jewish theological understanding of the water metaphor connected to Jesus.[34]

Intertextuality with the Old Testament

From the opening words, "In the beginning was the Word," the connection between the Fourth Gospel and the book of Genesis is made clear. The relation between the two texts goes beyond allusions and sharing the same motifs. Both books share the same subject matter.[35] Genesis speaks about the first creation, and the Fourth Gospel carries it forward into the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In the first chapter, the writer reveals Jesus as the creator of all things and the light of the world using terminology reminiscent of the creation account. Dr. Klink believes this connection flows through the Fourth Gospel with its climax when the author uses the word ἐμφυσάω (he blew) in John 20:22. This verse is the only time this Greek word is used in the NT, and it corresponds with Genesis 2:7, where the Lord blew into Adam's nostrils, and he became a living soul. Klink states that the sole use of this verb and its apparent connection to Genesis show a depth of theological understanding of Jesus as the new creation.[36]

When teaching about Jesus from the OT, John goes beyond quoting Scripture. One explanation for his depth of knowledge is that he sat under the instruction of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:13).

The use of the OT in the Fourth Gospel is more indication that John connected the ministry of Jesus to the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. These connections show that John was educated with a Jewish background and was not a Hellenistic Jew writing an anti-semantic Gospel, as some scholars have speculated.[37] Carson states that when compared to the Synoptics, the Fourth Gospel has a "Christology from above" and focuses on Jesus, the "messianic figure."[38] John mentions Moses and the serpent in the wilderness (3:14). He does not explain the term "the Prophet" (1:21; 6:14) and presents Jesus as fulfilling the work of Moses (5:46). These examples, along with the purpose statement in the Gospel (John 20:30-31), led Carson to conclude that the author had a solid Jewish background and understanding and wrote the Gospel to persuade a Jewish audience of the Messiah.[39]

Throughout the Fourth Gospel, the writer refers to what is γράφω (written) and πληρόω (fulfilled) to make a connection between the events taking place and the law and prophets (John 2:17; 5:46; 6:31, 45; 8:17; 10:34; 12:14, 38; 13:16, 18; 15:25, 17:12, 18:9, 19:24, 36). These verses show that the author clearly understood OT prophecy and its fulfillment in Jesus. Notably, he connects specific events at the death of Christ with OT Scriptures: the parting of Jesus' clothes (John 19:24, Psa 22:18), offering Jesus a drink of vinegar (John 19:28-29, Psa 22:15, Psa 69:21), and not breaking Jesus' bones (John 19:36, Psa 22:14, 34:20).

Extra-Biblical Evidence

Apostolic Fathers Irenaeus, Eusebius, and other historians who were closer in time to the writings of the NT than modern scholars attributed the Fourth Gospel to the authorship of John the Apostle.[40] Irenaeus states that the Apostle John's words about Jesus are contained in the Fourth Gospel. He writes, "And again, had He taken nothing from Mary, He would not have been capable of those refreshments derived from the earth, whereby the earthborn body is nourished; neither when He had fasted 40 days, like Moses and Elias, would He have hungered, the body craving its proper food; nor would John, His disciple, writing of Him, have said, But Jesus, wearied with His journey, sat down; nor would David before have cried concerning Him, They have added also to the pain of My wounds."[41]

According to Scripture, Apostolic authority belonged to personal eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord (1 Cor 9:1; 15:7-8), which explains why the early theologians in the church gave credit to John the Apostle as the author of the Gospel in question.

The early Church Father and theologian Origen credited John the Apostle as the author of the Fourth Gospel as early as 230AD.[42] Justin Martyr's quote from John 3:3-5 is one of the earliest references to the Fourth Gospel.[43] Even though he did not specifically give credit to John for this quote, he did reference the Gospels as the "Memoirs of the Apostles."[44] In the late second century, Theophilus of Antioch credits the Fourth Gospel with apostolic authority to "John." However, he does not specify if it is John, the Son of Zebedee, or John the Elder.[45]

According to Jerome, the Bishop of Asia encouraged John to write a Gospel to highlight the divinity of Christ against the false teaching of the Ebionites.[46] Jerome identified the author of the Fourth Gospel as the Son of Zebedee and the brother of James.[47] He also records that John knew the other three Gospels and wanted to fill the gap in their writings by focusing on three years of Jesus' ministry instead of one.[48] At the end of the second-century Polycrates, the Bishop of Ephesus cited the "great luminaries" who are buried at Ephesus, among whom was "John, who lay on the Lord's breast."[49] This citation highlights early on in church history that the dominant view was that the disciple whom Jesus loved, who leaned on Jesus's breast at supper, is John the Apostle (John 21:20).

Conclusion

Upon examination of the information, the most probable author of the Fourth Gospel is the Apostle John, the Son of Zebedee. The Gospel of John communicates Jesus as the Messiah by connecting him to Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. It was not John's purpose to draw attention to himself, a point that he makes by simply referring to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2, 21:7, 21:30). John's goal in writing the Gospel was that his readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ and, through believing, have eternal life (John 20:30). Kolawole says that this expression by John is an expression of modesty, and it was a common practice used by first-century historiographical authors.[50] The question that John leaves with us is not about who authored the book but whether his readers believe the eyewitness testimony that Jesus is the Son of God.

[1] Robert H. Stein, Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ (Downers Grove, IL; Leicester, England: Inter Varsity Press, 1996), [2] Ibid. [3] Grant, Frederick C. (Frederick Clifton), "Was the Author of John Dependent upon the Gospel of Luke?" Journal of Biblical Literature 56, no. 4 (1937), 285. [4] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced employ the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008). [5] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Jn. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid. [9] Stanley E. Porter, The Johannine Writings, vol. 32, The Biblical Seminar; A Sheffield Reader (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995), 49. [10] Richard Bauckham, “John for Readers of Mark,” in The Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences, ed. Richard Bauckham (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 155. [11] Ibid. [12] Richard Bauckham, “John for Readers of Mark,” in The Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences, ed. Richard Bauckham (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 155. [13] Andreas J. Köstenberger, "The use of the Old Testament in the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles," Southwestern Journal of Theology 64, no. 1 (2021), 41. [14] Ibid. [15] Oladotun Paul Kolawole, "An Assessment of the Recent Debates on the Authorship of John's Gospel," Journal of Biblical Theology 4, no. 3 (2021), 236. [16] Ibid. [17] Ibid. [18] Köstenberger, "The use of the Old Testament in the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles," , 41 [19] Ibid. [20]Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 415. [21] J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 14. [22] Kolawole, "An Assessment of the Recent Debates on the Authorship of John's Gospel," , 236 [23] Vhumani Magezi and Peter Manzanga, "A Study to Establish the most Plausible Background to the Fourth Gospel (John)," Hervormde Teologiese Studies 66, no. 1 (2010). [24] Ibid. [25] Joseph M.-F. Marique, “The Fragments of Papias,” in The Apostolic Fathers, trans. Francis X. Glimm, Joseph M.-F. Marique, and Gerald G. Walsh, vol. 1, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1947), 388–389. [26] Eusebius of Caesaria, “The Church History of Eusebius,” in Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, vol. 1, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1890), 242. [27] Ibid, [28] Blomfield Jackson, St. Polycarp: Bishop of Smyrna, Early Church Classics (London; New York; Brighton: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; E. & J. B. Young & Co., 1898), 22–23. [29] Joseph R. Greene, "Jesus as the Heavenly Temple in the Fourth Gospel," Bulletin for Biblical Research 28, no. 3 (2018), 425. [30] Ibid. [31] Ibid. [32] Mark W. Wilson, "The Water of Life: Three Explorations into Water Imagery in Revelation and the Fourth Gospel," Scriptura 118, no. 1 (2019). [33] Ibid. [34] Ibid. [35] Edward W. I. Klink II, "Genesis Revealed: Second Adam Christology in the Fourth Gospel," Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology 5, no. 1 (2018), 27. [36] Ibid. [37]Donald A. Carson, "The Purpose of the Fourth Gospel: John 20:31 Reconsidered," Journal of Biblical Literature 106, no. 4 (1987), 639. [38] Ibid, [39] Ibid. [40] Joseph M.-F. Marique, “The Fragments of Papias,” in The Apostolic Fathers, trans. Francis X. Glimm, Joseph M.-F. Marique, and Gerald G. Walsh, vol. 1, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1947), 388–389. [41] S. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons, Five Books of S. Irenaeus against Heresies, trans. John Keble, A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church (Oxford; London; Cambridge: James Parker and Co.; Rivingtons, 1872), 295. [42] Ibid. [43] Kolawole, "An Assessment of the Recent Debates on the Authorship of John's Gospel," , 236 [44] Ibid. [45] J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 6. [46] Ibid. [47] Jerome, “Lives of Illustrious Men,” in Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius, Rufinus: Historical Writings, Etc., ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Ernest Cushing Richardson, vol. 3, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1892), 364. [48] Ibid. [49] J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 9. [50] Kolawole, "An Assessment of the Recent Debates on the Authorship of John's Gospel," , 236