An Early Date for John’s Gospel?

Series: The Gospel of John Year-Long Series

Apologetics

An Early Date for John’s Gospel?

37 min

Series: The Gospel of John Year-Long Series

Apologetics

An Early Date for John’s Gospel?

37 min

Most scholars today assume that the Gospel of John was written toward the end of the first century, but is this conclusion really consistent with the internal and external evidence? Also, how reliable is our present copy of John? Have various passages been added or deleted over time? Joining the program to discuss these issues and more is Daniel Wallace, the executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts and author of Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.


SHOW QUOTE

John says there is, in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate, a pool that has five porticos. That implies both the pool and the porticos were standing when the author wrote this.

Daniel Wallace

So, it seems to me that this is just a really awkward way to describe the area if it’s already been destroyed by the Romans, just as it would be awkward for me to say today that there is this beautiful place in New York called the World Trade Center that has these two amazing twin towers. After 2001, that just sounds really weird, doesn’t it?

Shane Rosenthal

You are quite correct and I think that’s a good illustration to use here.

Daniel Wallace

TERM TO LEARN

“How to Study the Bible”

The study of the Bible must be done with the recognition that Jesus Christ, His life, death, and resurrection, is the key to the understanding of the whole Scripture. In Christ, God’s redeeming love is preeminently revealed, the testimony to which is the heart of Scriptural revelation. This is to say that the Bible alone tells us about a God who loved the world so much that He determined to save it through His Son Jesus. We can learn much about God’s power and greatness by studying the natural world around us because He made it and His glory is reflected in it. But God’s grace, His saving mercy toward a lost world is revealed to us only in the Holy Scriptures. In fact, the knowledge of God as revealed in the Christ of the Scriptures is an absolute necessity for the understanding of God as revealed in the natural order.

(Taken from Derke Bergsma’s Redemption: The Triumph of God’s Great Plan, p. 3)

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Shane Rosenthal is executive producer of The White Horse Inn national radio broadcast which can be heard online at whitehorseinn.org.

Series • 52 Episodes

The Gospel of John Year-Long Series

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A Sneak Peek at our New Series on the Gospel of John

On this program, Michael Horton talks with producer Shane Rosenthal about the plans they have in store for the coming year. In particular, they’ll introduce the new year-long series that they are planning for 2019 on The Gospel of John. This new series will focus on reading this gospel in its original first century Jewish […]

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Eyewitness Testimony in the Gospel of John

If you pay close attention to the details of the fourth Gospel, you’ll notice that words such as testimony, witness, judgment, and truth appear quite frequently throughout this text. And this has led various scholars to conclude that the basic underlying structure of this Gospel is actually that of trial narrative. Though Jesus was rejected […]

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Richard Bauckham on the Reliability of John

Scholars frequently claim that John is the latest and most idealized of all the Gospels. Its picture of Jesus, they say, represents the beliefs of late first century Christians, rather than actual historical events. But is this view consistent with the evidence? What if it could be demonstrated that the author of this text was […]

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In the Beginning Was the Word

Why does the Gospel of John begin with this strange concept of the Word of God who was “with God” and yet somehow also “was God”? Some have tried to argue that the author of this text attempted to borrow concepts from Greek philosophy in order to appeal to his largely Gentile readers. Others push […]

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The Jewishness of John’s Gospel

There was a time in which Judaism & Christianity had many more beliefs in common. As it turns out, many ancient Jews before the time of Christ actually expected the coming of a divine messiah who would appear in bodily form in order to atone for sin and accomplish redemption. In fact, some Jews even […]

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The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

On this edition of the program we’re continuing our discussion of John’s opening prologue and will unpack the significance of verse 14, as the Word becomes flesh and “pitches his tent” among us. Just as God’s glory resided in Israel’s ancient tabernacle, so too John witnesses the glory of the incarnate Word who dwells in […]

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The Lamb of God

If the Gospel of John is seen as a kind of “trial narrative,” then John the Baptist is the first witness who is called to testify on Christ’s behalf. And John’s declaration is perhaps a little different from what many today might expect. For example, he doesn’t point to Jesus saying, “Behold your best friend […]

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Climbing Jacob’s Ladder?

If you ask people today what they think the Bible is about, you’ll probably be told that it’s a collection of morality tales that encourages people to behave. Even many of those raised in Christian homes tend to think of Scripture primarily as a helpful guide that tries to steer us in the right direction. […]

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Water into Wine

On this episode in our series on the Gospel of John, we find ourselves at the wedding of Cana as Jesus turns water into wine. Though some have attempted to argue that Jesus actually turned water into grape juice, the implications of this passage are unmistakably clear. So what is the point being made here […]

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An Interview with D.A. Carson

Was the Fourth Gospel written by John the Apostle, or a mysterious figure known as John the Elder? And was this text penned before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., or some time later? Is there a conservative trend in the world of New Testament scholarship? On this edition of the program, Shane Rosenthal […]

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