Page 20 - New Testament Survey Student Textbook

Overview of Luke Chapters 10-24

The Book of John: Son of God

John's Gospel - Introduction
The Gospel of John demonstrates how it looks when God the Son finds His physical dwelling among His
people. The Gospel of John overwhelmingly shows how God’s Son, Jesus, makes it possible for us to
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have an eternal relationship with God the Father (John 3:16–17).

Authorship
The gospel of John does not mention its author, similar to the three previours Gospel writers. However,
according to the testimony of the early church, the authorship of apostle John recieves overwhelming
support. Irenaeus (130-200 AD.) was the first person to explicitly name John as author. The church
fathers after Irenaeus consistently held that the apostle John authored this gospel. The testimony of the
church fathers further confirms that John was the last of the four Gospels to be written. According to
the tradition of the early church, John wrote his gospel while living in Ephesus. The Muratorian Canon (a
second – century list of New Testament books) the earliest Orthodox list of New Testament books to
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come down to us, tells us that John's fellow disciples and bishops urged him to write.

57 Barry, J. D. et al
58 Ibid
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