Gospel of John 09.vp

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The Gospe l of John

b. We know nothing of his life until we read of his banishment to Patmos, along with references to the “old man” at Ephesus which occur in the Christian literature of the 2nd century.

c. Papias’s comment, preserved by Eusebius ( Historia Ecclesiastica , III, 39), regarding a “Presbyter John,” a disciple of the Lord, who was one of his living authorities

d. Question: Were there two Johns at Ephesus, or only one? (Some suggest that John the Apostle died early, and therefore could not have written the NT books associated with his name.)

e. Positions are held on either side; some hold that there were two, and others that there was only one, John, the son of Zebedee .

f. The best conclusion: Only one John was at Ephesus – the son of Zebedee (cf. John Chapman, John the Presbyter and the Fourth Gospel , 1911).

5. Historical testimonials of the power of John’s Gospel

a. Origen: “The Gospel is the consummation of the Gospels as the Gospels are of the Scriptures.”

b. Jerome: “John excels in the depths of divine mysteries.”

c. A. T. Pierson: “It touches the heart of Christ. If Matthew corresponds to the court of Israel, Mark to the court of the Priests, and Luke to the court of the Gentiles, John leads us past the veil into the Holy of holies.”