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The Identity of the Beloved Disciple
Though most people throughout church history have assumed that the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, as we’ve seen throughout our year-long study of this amazing text, this is actually an open question even among conservative scholars. On this special edition of the program, we’ll hear from Richard Bauckham who makes a case that the Fourth Gospel was written by someone known as “John the Elder.” Then D.A. Carson, Andreas Köstenberger, Craig Blomberg, and Lydia McGrew will present their arguments in favor of the traditional view.
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:20-25)
Show Quote:
Justin Holcomb: I know the traditional understanding of the authorship is John the Apostle, and then there are others like Richard Bauckham who say it’s John the Elder.
D.A. Carson: The reasons for appealing to John the Elder as a separate individual in my view are pretty weak.
G.K. Beale: I think it’s very difficult. I would still say it’s probably John the Apostle, but Richard Bauckham has made a very plausible argument that it’s another John.
Lydia McGrew: You’ve got this possible reading that there are two different Johns, and then Bauckham kind of takes off with it from there.
Term to Learn:
“Liberalism”
In the sphere of religion, in particular, the present time is a time of conflict; the great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology. This modern non-redemptive religion is called “liberalism.”… [This] movement is so various in its manifestations that one may almost despair of finding any common name which will apply to all its forms. But manifold as are the forms in which the movement appears, the root of the movement is one; the many varieties of modern liberal religion are rooted in naturalism-that is, in the denial of any entrance of the creative power of God (as distinguished from the ordinary course of nature) in connection with the origin of Christianity. (Adapted from J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism)
(This podcast is by White Horse Inn. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)