A depiction of the Apostle John, author of the Gospel, in an article discussing when the Gospel of John was written.
The question of When Was John Written is a critical one for understanding the New Testament. During a recent Colson Center Short Course, this very question arose, specifically concerning the dating of John’s Gospel. It’s a widely held belief that this Gospel appeared after the Synoptic Gospels – Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Compelling historical and textual evidence supports this view, suggesting John’s Gospel holds a unique place in the New Testament timeline. Let’s delve into the reasons why scholars believe John’s Gospel was written later than the others, and importantly, explore when “later” actually was.
Evidence Suggesting John’s Gospel Was Written Last
Several lines of evidence point towards the Gospel of John being the last of the four Gospels to be written. These arguments range from the testimony of early church leaders to the internal textual clues within the Gospels themselves.
Testimony from Early Church Fathers
The early Church Fathers, figures who were leaders and writers in the centuries immediately following the apostles, provide significant historical insight. Clement of Rome, a first-century bishop, stated that John’s Gospel was written after the other Gospels. This is documented in Eusebius’ History of the Church. Similarly, Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lugdunum in the second century, corroborated this, as noted in his work Against Heresies. Later influential figures like Origen, Eusebius again, and Jerome echoed this early consensus. Their proximity to the time of the apostles and their access to early church traditions lend weight to their claims that John was written after Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Assumed Familiarity with the Apostles
A striking difference between John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels lies in how the apostles are presented. In the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke), when disciples are first introduced, they are named and often described, providing context for the reader. John’s Gospel, in contrast, often mentions disciples without detailed introductions. For instance, in John 6:67, he refers to “the twelve” as a distinct group within Jesus’ followers without explicitly naming them or explaining their significance. He writes as if his audience already possesses this foundational knowledge, likely from reading the Gospels that came before his. This implicit assumption suggests when John was written, the readers were already familiar with the apostolic narratives presented in the Synoptics.
Assumed Knowledge of John the Baptist
Similar to the apostles, John the Baptist is presented differently in John’s Gospel compared to the Synoptics. The Synoptics carefully establish John the Baptist’s role and importance as the forerunner to Jesus. However, the Apostle John often simply refers to Jesus’ cousin as “John,” omitting “the Baptist” title. This suggests he assumed his readers were already well-acquainted with John the Baptist and his story. Furthermore, details surrounding John the Baptist’s imprisonment and death, events narrated in detail in the Synoptics, are only alluded to in John’s Gospel. For example, in John 3:24, it’s mentioned that John the Baptist “had not yet been thrown in prison,” as if the reader is already aware of this eventual event from other sources. This approach implies when John was written, the audience was already informed about John the Baptist’s narrative, likely through the Synoptic Gospels.
Lack of Synoptic Gospel Awareness of John’s Gospel
While the Synoptic Gospels exhibit parallels and overlaps, suggesting the authors were aware of each other’s accounts, none of them show any indication of knowing the Gospel of John. There’s no information in Mark, Matthew, or Luke that seems to be drawn from John’s Gospel. While it appears the Synoptic authors might have consulted each other or shared sources, their writings show no awareness of John’s text. This absence of cross-referencing is logical if John was written after the Synoptic Gospels were already in circulation.
Challenging the “Late” Dating of John: Evidence for an Early Gospel
While the evidence suggests John’s Gospel was written last relative to the other three, this doesn’t automatically imply it was written late in history. In the past, some skeptical scholars, notably from the Tubingen School, controversially argued for a very late date for John’s Gospel, placing it in the latter part of the second century (around 175 AD). If this were true, it would cast doubt on the traditional authorship by the Apostle John, an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry. However, contemporary New Testament scholarship overwhelmingly supports a much earlier dating for the Gospel of John. In fact, the evidence points to when John was written being early enough for the Apostle John himself to be the author, recording events within the lifetime of those who could verify their accuracy.
Absence of the Olivet Discourse
John’s Gospel notably omits the Olivet Discourse, a significant passage found in all the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21). In this discourse, Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. If John had been writing after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, it would be expected that he would have included Jesus’ prophecies about this event, especially as a powerful confirmation of Jesus’ foresight. The omission of the Olivet Discourse suggests that when John was written, the destruction of the Temple might not yet have occurred, placing it before 70 AD.
Lack of Mention of the Temple’s Destruction
Further supporting the pre-70 AD dating is John’s silence on the actual events of the siege of Jerusalem, the city’s fall, and the Temple’s destruction. Writers known to have written after 70 AD, such as the author of the Epistle of Barnabas, explicitly mention the Temple’s destruction. Barnabas, for example, refers to the Temple demolition in his epistle. The inclusion of the Temple’s destruction in post-70 AD writings, contrasted with its absence in John, strengthens the argument that when John was written, the Temple was still standing, indicating a date before 70 AD.
Use of Early Terminology
The language and terminology used in John’s Gospel align with the early years of Christianity. For example, John consistently refers to Jesus’ closest followers as “disciples,” the term used in the Gospels to describe followers of Jesus during his ministry. He notably avoids the term “apostles” to describe them collectively, which became more common later, especially in the Book of Acts and later New Testament writings. Luke, in Acts, frequently uses “apostles.” John’s preference for “disciples” suggests when John was written, the terminology was still reflective of the earlier period, before “apostle” became the dominant term for Jesus’ inner circle.
The Pool of Bethesda in the Present Tense
In John 5:2, describing the Pool of Bethesda, the author uses the present tense verb “is” (ἐστιν in Greek) to describe its existence: “there is in Jerusalem, by the sheep gate, a pool… which has five porticoes.” This detail is significant because the Pool of Bethesda, along with much of Jerusalem, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Writing in the present tense suggests the pool was still standing at the time of writing. Furthermore, John’s brief explanation of the pool’s stirring and the healing tradition implies he was writing for an audience familiar with Jerusalem and its landmarks. The present-tense description of the pool strongly indicates that when John was written, Jerusalem, including the Pool of Bethesda, was still intact, pointing to a date before 70 AD.
Parallels with the Dead Sea Scrolls
Scholarly analysis has revealed textual and conceptual similarities between John’s Gospel and the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls, discovered near Qumran and dated to the first century, share thematic parallels with John’s Gospel, particularly in areas like dualism, predestination, and messianic expectations. These connections suggest a shared intellectual and theological environment. Given that the Dead Sea Scrolls are confirmed to be from the first century, the parallels lend further credence to the idea that when John was written, it was within a similar timeframe, in the first century.
Papyrus Evidence: The John Rylands Papyrus Fragment
Physical evidence from ancient papyri also supports an early dating. The John Rylands Papyrus fragment (P52), containing a portion of John Chapter 18, is dated to around 125 AD. Crucially, this fragment was found in Egypt, far from where the Gospel was originally written. Scholars reason that for a Gospel manuscript to reach Egypt by 125 AD, it would have required decades to be written, copied, circulated, and transported. This timeline pushes the original composition of John’s Gospel significantly earlier than 125 AD, placing when John was written firmly within the first century, and likely within the lifetime of the Apostle John.
Documentary Evidence and Early Church Testimony
Further documentary evidence, such as the Papyrus Egerton 2 fragments (dated around 150 AD) and the Muratorian Fragment (circa 180 AD), corroborates an early date for John’s Gospel. Papyrus Egerton 2 contains narratives resembling all four Gospels, including John, indicating John’s Gospel was already in circulation by the mid-second century. The Muratorian Fragment describes the origin of John’s Gospel, suggesting it was written with the awareness and presence of other apostles, including Andrew. This detail also points to an earlier period when these apostles were still alive. Additionally, the Anti-Marcionite Prologues, dating as early as 150 AD, cite Papias as stating that “the Gospel of John was revealed and given to the churches by John while still in the body.” This phrase strongly suggests that when John was written, the Apostle John was still alive, reinforcing an early, first-century date.
Concluding the Timeline: When Was John Actually Written?
Considering all the evidence, a compelling picture emerges. It’s reasonable to conclude that John was written after the Synoptic Gospels, leveraging their narratives while offering a distinct theological perspective. However, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that John’s Gospel was written prior to 70 AD. A potential clue for narrowing down the date further lies in John 21:20-23. This passage refers to a saying circulating about the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (traditionally identified as John), suggesting he would not die. John clarifies that Jesus didn’t say he wouldn’t die, but rather, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” This clarification might indicate that Peter’s death (around 64 AD) was already known to John and his audience, as Peter’s martyrdom could have been misinterpreted as the “coming” Jesus referred to. If this interpretation is correct, it would place the writing of John’s Gospel between 64 and 70 AD.
In conclusion, while John was written after Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it was demonstrably early enough to have been authored by the Apostle John himself, an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus. This early dating is crucial as it strengthens the reliability of the Gospels as firsthand accounts, recorded within the living memory of those who could verify their truthfulness.
For a deeper investigation into the reliability of the New Testament Gospels and the evidence for Christianity, explore Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book provides a unique investigative approach to examining the Gospel accounts. You can also find further resources in the Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set and Participant’s Guide.
J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured Cold-Case Detective, Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Adj. Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, author of Cold-Case Christianity, God’s Crime Scene, and Forensic Faith, and creator of the Case Makers Academy for kids.
