Gospel {c.ff. Wendt's), and it is assumed in this article that their authors have failed to prove their case. If, on the other hand, the writer was the beloved
we have an assurance that when, for example, he wrote the opening sentences of the Gospel, he felt himself in touch not merely with current theological thought, but with the historic fact of the conscious- ness of Jesus of Nazari'Hi, So fur from being a stumbling-block to the .loli.uiniiii' .lutliorship, the Prologue even gains in valur :iihI si-nillcance with the acceptance of thotraililioii.il \\r\\ . Tho striking,' juxtaposition in llic rrnlouurcf tin. lim.l.-^s l.ci'jo^ idea and the liis|..iic.-il \\itiii-^ nf tlir r.:!|.ii-l. \n whom the concc|_il inn was \iiif.-iiiiiliai , an.l ihr in- quent mention ot tliu r!a]ili-t iIhoii-Ih.iii i lir ( ;..s]ii'I, even at times when thi' >ii uai ion -i ai v,-l\- ilcinamls
it (e..(/._10*'-*2), are saved tiMiii alii ii|ii '..njyif (he
writer is developing an iiii|iii~-iiiii lii.ailc mi liim liy his earliest tcaclin. mIk. le.l limi I., t'lirist. His expericiHc >tii>tili(> in ■■m- iiintiiiuiius whole from thattiiiM- ti. Ilii- «li.-n hr l..-iiis ti. write.
I. EXTKHSAL l-'.VIhF.SCK iVU THE AUTHOR- SHIP OF THE Fourth Gospel.— The face of the Johannine problem has greatly changed since the days of Baur and his school. The proiihecy of Lightfoot, that ' we may look forward to tlie time
been amply fultillcd. sii I In ah. may lie regarded as the termini a i^Hoand mf :/ii, ,,, \,n The elate of the writing, and the trend of iii.nlerii lii.iiiinii is towards tlip end "f the 1st century. Thi.^ result makes it ile^iivilile til throw the emphasis in a less degree on till' iMciii.il evidence for an early date, and in a urealei .Iruree cm the evidence for the Apostolic autlu»rslii|j. If, liiiwever. the problem of external evidence be presentiil in tlii^ f'lnn, we mu.st guard ourselves against a iiiiain feeling of disappoint- ment at the iiiiaLii li -nil-. In the first place, there is no eviiliine ili.n tlie Apostolic author- ship was contesiiil m ihi. jml eent. except by the Alogi ; and nom- iliai ii was ever debated.. The questions that a-iiaii.j il,,. mind of the Church in
Go.spel. Kmyyt the general con the facts conee Lord, and we li
{Apol. I. Ixvi.). The contrast between tne Synop- tics and John in this period arose entirely from the ,i;«e''°"'"'= '" '="^je'-t-"^<"t+e'- °n'' t'^o-e '- "oi"dica tion th vt the 1 oui th Gospel v as set on i lo^\ ei jJane ot auth<>iit>
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AN e shiU now pioteed to cxanune in detail ^\oIUln^ backwards fiom the end of the 2nd cent tne eviaence of tnose Lcciesiasiical writers wno have made direct or indirect reference to the Fourth Gospel.
1. A group of writers in the last quarter of the 2nd cent, whose geographical distribution over the Christian Church gives evidence of a widespread tradition.
(1) Irenseus was bishop of Lyons in Gaul. His work entitled Against Heresies has come down to us, and in the writings of Eusebius we possess other fragments. An important letter to Florinus has also been preserved. The date of his literary acti^dty may be put within the limits 173-190. He explicitly attributes the Fourth Gospel to the Apostle, and gives it a jilace alongside Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He says that ' .Inlin, the disciple
of the Lord, who learn while dwelling in l^jil '{rrr.\\\.\. 1). Stvi>-s
east, wrote it y of Asia' (adv. laid on the fact s not merely as \ |.i.-ii.iii-, iiiii .ii-i. .i- iii-|'iii-u ii^ ilie Holy Spirit. I'.ir him the irailiii.iii oi the f<.uri..lil Gospel, which he sii|i|iiirls struiigly, lias pa>scd in lo a deep spiritual hut, whieh he .seeks to establish, not by bringing fiiiwaid iirciofs of authorship, but in his well-known mystic fasliion. 'The gospel is the Divine breath or w ord of life for men ; there are four chief winds ; therefore four Gospels,' He brings forward other analogies, all of which are equally fanciful, but serve to show that this firm belief in the fourfold Gospel as a I>i\ iiie arrangement could not have been acreatiiiii ill hisuwii minil, Imt represents a tradition of eiinsiileral.li' aiitii|iiit \ . The opinion of Irenseus
i at V ienne and Lyons lor during the time of mseus is in touch with
(2) Clement of Alexandria is the author of a
,stateiiiiiii |iii -erveil hy laisel.iiis (llEvi. 14), which profes-e- til ie|ireseiit ' the ti.ulitiiin of the Presby- ters [roiii llie lir>,L [TvapuooaLv tu^v df^Kadev irpej- fivT^puv) that John, last, having observed that the bodily things [ffwuariKd, i.e. the simple facts relating to the life and teaching of Christ] had Ireen set forth in the Gospels, on the exhortation of liis friends {yndipi/jioi), inspired by the Spirit. ]iriiilmei| a spiri- tual Gospel.' From about IS'J. i'lr ni ^^.ls head
of the celebrated catechetical sel I ai .\l.\andria.
His ureal n\erenre for his teacher Pant lenus, who al.sii piic iili il him in office, may fairly be regarded as iiiilii aiiiiu that he represents the ecclesiastical tr.aililiiiii ai \li\.iiiilria. He was also in living ti.ii.h \Mili .i|iini.iii ai iiihia- reiitre-. He travelled ill Cii....... \l,i. ii.i i.ia i la, s\ri ,. and the East,
..\|iii. U i.ii I li.- |.iii i".-i' iii i iilli'ii iiig information ,il I il'ii' \|.ii li.h. I i.alii li.ii. It! his extant writ- Hi.' hi' i ■- \'iiiil iiiii.. ill 'hi- h.iir (iospels,