Introduction to the New Testament – Class 4

Tonight we discussed the Gospel of John which was probably written in the 90s, and as with the other Gospels, was probably not written by one person. The final editing of the gospel and arrangement in its present form probably dates from between A.D. 90 and 100. This gospel is quite different in character from the three synoptic gospels. It is highly literary and symbolic, and it does not follow the same order or reproduce the same stories as the synoptic gospels. To a much greater degree, it is the product of a developed theological reflection and grows out of a different circle and tradition.

The Gospel of John begins with a magnificent prologue, which proclaims Jesus as the preexistent and incarnate Word of God who has revealed the Father to us. The gospel narrative contains a series of "signs", and because the author is primarily interested in the significance of these deeds, they are interpreted for the reader by various reflections, narratives, and discourses. The fourth gospels narrative has been organized and adapted to serve the evangelist's theological purposes as well. Among them are the opposition to the synagogue of the day and to John the Baptist's followers, who tried to exalt their master at Jesus' expense, and the desire to convince Christians that their religious belief and practice must be rooted in Jesus. Such theological purposes impelled the evangelist to emphasize motifs that were not so clear in the synoptic accounts of Jesus' ministry, such as the explicit emphasis on his divinity.

The whole gospel is a progressive revelation of the glory of God's only Son, who comes to reveal the Father and then returns in glory to the Father. The author's purpose is clearly expressed in what must have been the original ending of the gospel at the end of John 20: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name."