Introduction to the Gospel of John
The date of the Gospel of John has been a source of debate for centuries. The suggestions range between pre-AD 70 and the end of the second century, though second-century dating has been pretty much abandoned since the discovery of Papyrus Egerton 2.[1] With the recent archeological discoveries, the best approximant date would be toward the end of the first century.[2] Carson stated that since no argument is entirely convincing, a date between AD 55 and 95 would be possible.[3]
The occasion for John’s gospel, while he was in Ephesus, was as Irenaeus asserts, “John…published the Gospel while he was resident at Ephesus in Asia.”[4] The gospel is thought to have been written after the temple's destruction in AD 70. John's emphasis on Jesus replacing the temple and the Jewish festivals supports this conclusion.
The main purpose of the Gospel of John is evangelism, as made perfectly clear in 20:31. John's gospel was written to help others believe in Jesus as the Christ.[5] The gospel also focuses on primarily the Jews since the Jews were most concerned about the questions of the Messiah's identity. Some believe that this gospel was written to help answer some of the questions that were brought up in conversations between the Christians and the Jews or Jewish proselytes.[6]
The purpose of John’s gospel still holds true today. It has helped many people come to a saving knowledge of who Christ is and what he has done for humanity. So, John's gospel's role in a believer's spiritual journey is to strengthen their faith in Jesus as the Christ. The role of a non-believer is to provide enough knowledge/evidence that Jesus is indeed the Christ so that they would, in turn, come to a saving knowledge of who he is and accept him as their personal Lord and Savior.
[1] D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 82.
[2] Thomas D. Lea, and David Alan Black, The New Testament Its Background and Message, (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2003), 158-159.
[3] Carson, 82.
[4] Andreas J. Kostenberger, Encountering John, (Grand Rapids, MI: BakerAcademic, 2013), 7.
[5] Lea & Black, 162.
[6] Ibid., 163.
