LiTBRATtnii.— .A. JOBy THE APCSTT.I: r. Trencli, St. John the Kiangelul (IHSCi)', Neandcr, J'latiting qf Christianiip (Eiig. It. 18«4), 1. a)>4~-113; Krepkel, AjHuIrl Johanntt (11>7I); OoUet, Studies on the .V7'(En^■. tr. 1871), 277-293; Stanlcv. tleiayt on Apoit. .^<;<>(1S74), 231-281 ; Macdonald. Life aiul irrtin.;» o/ S(. John (1877): N'iese, Lfben dej heit. Ji'hannes (1&76); Culrou, John tchotn Jesus Lored, 187S ; Lochlcr, Apcst. and PostApost. Titnes (Enif. tr. 1880): Farrnr, Eartii Dw qf Chris- tianili/ (Pop. cd. IS9I), 302 (I. ; 01o»«, Lyfe qf St. John (1891); lUnkln, Ftrit SainU (1893), 160-182; MUligui Id Expos. 8rd Ser. X. 321-311.
D. Tiis TiiKoi.oar or St. Jon.v: Beside* th« Bihllcal The- olo(rli-» of NT (McMiitr, 18S«; Itaur, 1804; OosterMc. 1S70; Uf ui», 1872 ; Si-hiiiid, 1877 : Inimcr, 1877 ; Wclm, 1882 ; Adcncy, 181M ; U«ys('hliu;, 189'>), and Iht' Conitu. on 8t, John's i;ospol, Kpi9llr», "and iTic Apoc, (for which ttec Lit. at thc8e artlcIoH); Kroiiiiimnn, ./nArtnn. />«*Arf»A;r(.'r(18i?9) : Kontlin, Lrhrfte<jrifdes He. u. drr ISrir/e Juh (181:0: Soara, Fourth CMfiet the Heart
5 f Christ 067 ~) ; l.iaji, [h^rt. Si/ttrtn o/ St. John Oi>'^); llorton, trrrlalion aiul llille (l>i\)2). 3(l»-<02 ; Wnult. Teaching qf Jesus (181)2); Wordawortli iViinory Witness (189 i), 182-219; Calrd,
694
JOHN, GOSPEL OF
JOHN, GOSPEL OF
Evolution 0/ Religion (1893), U. 217-248 ; St«rens, Johan. Theol'^jV (1S94); Alexandt-r, leading Idftu 0/ the GotpeU* (IfOa), Itii-'^i ; Burton iu BiUicat World, Jiui.-March, 18ill>.
T. B. Steono. JOHN, GOSPEL OF—
Introduction. I. External Evidence for the Early Existence of FourOoapels. IL External Evidence (or the Early Exiiitonce of the Fourth Qo6p«L (J) The Testimony of Justin Martyr. {IT) Testimonies after Justin down to Iren»l]&
III. Canonicity of the Fourth Uospel.
IV. Internal Evidence for the Authorship.
Y. Character and Career of John as presented In other Literature. (A) Tlic Synoptic Gospels.
(B) The Acts of the Apostles.
<o -
The Kpistle to the (jaliitiuna. (ii) The First Epistle of John. (£.') The Uccoiul and Third Epistles of John. (/') The .\pocalypse. TL Eelation of the Fourth Gospel to the Synoptic Narrative.
(A) A General Statement of the Coutnutt between
them.
(B) Special Divergence*. fC) Correspondences.
(/>) Miscellaneous Objections. Literature on (Questions of Authorship, Date, eta VIL The Teachinu of the Fourth Gospet
lA) Theolo{,'y and Christolo^.
iB) Doctrine of the Cosmoe.
(O Soteriology.
(£*) Eschatoloffj'. Literature on the Teaching.
The Fourth Gospel is "enerally admitted to be the work of one remarkably gifted man. Neither in style nor in motive can criticism break it up into ditl'crent centuries or antagonistic tendencies. Editorial hands have for the most part spared its subtle beauty. There is little witli which it can be compared. It stands free of fashion, and pos- sesses tnroughout a strongly marked idiosyncrasy.
The problem that is forced upon the student is this : Is the so-called ' Gospel the outline of a biography, or the artistic clothing of an ideal? Have wo a true report of the impression produced on the consciousness of an intimate friend by the teaching, manner, and deeds of One whom he could not think of as less than the Eternal Word of God manifest in the flesh, or must we conclude that what we have is the speculation of some one who did not shrink from creating its material and inventing the basis of its theologoumena ?
The problem is the more puzzling because to the presumed author of the Gospel is also attri- buted the production of the Apocalypse. If this compound authorship can be accepted, the person- ality of 'John' becomes almost as perplexing to scientific history as that of the Lorti Jesus Clirist Himself. When the diversity of the character- istics of the two documents came into the clear consciousness of the 3rd cent. (Eus. HE vii. 10, 24, 25), the apostolic origin of the Apocalypse was repudiated, rather than that of the Gospel. But the preponderant belief of Christians has practi- cally accepted the unity of the Johannine writings. The fact that St. Jwin had the insight which enabled him to preserve discourses and sayings of the Lord Jesus, to see in His human life the fulness of grace and truth, the glory of the only-begotten Son, has seemed consonant with the fact that the same eyes might also have discerned in Him the slain Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Jadah, the Prince of the kings of the earth.
If the Son of God did say and do the things recorded in this document, then everything in the universe, every fact in the history of the world, the conclusions 01 all philosophy, the meaning of all scientific discovery, the future of the world, and the goal of humanity, must be affected by its disclosu; es. We do not, indeed, contend that the Christian faith is dependent on the Fourth Gospel, or tliat, should this supreme expression of its inmost spirit be banished to the realm of speculative romance,
the faith or the kingdom of Christ is relega'.ed to the same region, 'lue ministry of the Apostle to the Gentiles must have been comiiloted between 30 and 40 years before this Gospel saw the light. Great historic Churches grew into importance and began to sull'er disintegration from internal dis- cord before it was j)Ossible to heal them by th« Valedictory Discourse. The Churches of Judajs and of the Dispersion lived by ' the faith of the Lord of Glory ' (Ja 2'), and ' looked for the niercj* of our Lord Je-sus Christ unto eternal life ' (Jude '"''"), before this document could have come into circa- lation.