Johannine literature is the collection of
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
works that are traditionally attributed to
John the Apostle
John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...
,
John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...
, or to the
Johannine community. They are usually dated to the period , with a minority of scholars, including Anglican bishop
John Robinson, offering the earliest of these datings.
List
Johannine literature is traditionally considered to include the following works:
* The
Gospel of John
* The
Johannine epistles
** The
First Epistle of John
** The
Second Epistle of John
The Second Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the other two epistles of John, and the Gospel of John (though this is disputed). Most modern scholars beli ...
** The
Third Epistle of John
* The
Book of Revelation
Authorship
Of these five books, the only one that explicitly
identifies its author as "
od'sservant John" () is Revelation. Modern scholarship generally rejects the idea that this work is written by the same author as the other four documents. The gospel identifies its author as the
disciple whom Jesus loved, commonly identified with
John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...
since the end of the first century.
[Eusebius of Caesarea, ''Ecclesiastical History'' Book iii. Chapter xxiii.]
Scholars have debated the
authorship of Johannine literature (the Gospel of John, Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation) since at least the third century, but especially since the
Enlightenment. The authorship by
John the Apostle
John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...
is rejected by many modern scholars.
See also
*
Apocryphon of John
*
Second Apocalypse of John
References
Works cited
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Further reading
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*Bellinzoni, Arthur J. (25 February 2000)
''The Early Christian Community: From Diversity to Unity to Orthodoxy'' Lecture delivered to the
Wells College Faculty Club.
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{{Gospel of John, state=expanded
1st-century Christianity
2nd-century Christianity
Biblical criticism
New Testament content