It is easter time.Crucifixion or Cruci-fiction

John 20:8-9 Then the disciple [he whom Jesus loved] who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed� for until then they still hadn�t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.

This disciple (identified as the author John) witnessed the crucifixion also.

I was not claiming that the disciple John wrote the Gospel, only that the beloved disciple within the narrative is identified as the author John. But even if I was making this claim, the use of the third person in the narrative does not disprove it. Julius Caesar's 'Gallic Wars' were written by him (before 47 BC), but he continually refers to himself in the third person as 'Caesar'.

Personally I believe it unlikely that the disciple John wrote the Gospel himself, but it is probable that the beloved disciple (whoever you identify that as) was the primary source for the writer of the Gospel of John. This beloved disciple was an eyewitness to the crucifixion and the resurrection.

That the Gospel of John contradicts the Synoptic Gospels in some details is down to the different sources they used. The Synoptic Gospels either rely on the Gospel of Mark, or on a common source used by Mark, and then by Matthew and Luke. Mark's contact with the story of Jesus was primarily through the apostle Peter. Whilst Peter and the beloved disciple/John are portrayed as together a lot of the time, they had different sources themselves for information that happened out of their presence.



Edited by Lachi - 14 March 2014 at 5:05pm

The Bible says at the critical juncture all all all his disciples forsook him and fled.Does all mean all in your language??????

Lachi wrote: I was not claiming that the disciple John wrote the Gospel, only that the beloved disciple within the narrative is identified as the author John. But even if I was making this claim, the use of the third person in the narrative does not disprove it. Julius Caesar's 'Gallic Wars' were written by him (before 47 BC), but he continually refers to himself in the third person as 'Caesar'. Personally I believe it unlikely that the disciple John wrote the Gospel himself, but it is probable that the beloved disciple (whoever you identify that as) was the primary source for the writer of the Gospel of John. This beloved disciple was an eyewitness to the crucifixion and the resurrection. That the Gospel of John contradicts the Synoptic Gospels in some details is down to the different sources they used. The Synoptic Gospels either rely on the Gospel of Mark, or on a common source used by Mark, and then by Matthew and Luke. Mark's contact with the story of Jesus was primarily through the apostle Peter. Whilst Peter and the beloved disciple/John are portrayed as together a lot of the time, they had different sources themselves for information that happened out of their presence.

Julius Caesar's use of the third person was done to give his account an aura of authenticity.  It was a literary device.  What motive did "John" have to write his "Gospel" in the third person?

The so-called "beloved disciple" has been traditionally identified as John.  Even if he was not, not evidence exists that the author of the Gospel used the disciple as a "source". 

The contradictions between the Gospels are of course due to the different sources they used.  That only proves that they were not "inspired".  But if we assume that the Christians are right to believe that the gospels were actually written by the disciples, then the logical question would be why do the different disciples contradict each other?