Ministerial Theology Assignment 2022

Running head: MINISTERIAL THEOLOGY 1
Ministerial Theology
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MINISTERIAL THEOLOGY 2
The Gospel of John
Introduction
The main objective of composing the Gospel of John is a complicated as it’s symbolic world
(Johnson, 467). The fourth Gospel stands out to be an extraordinary testimony among the books
in the new testament. The fourth Gospel is one of the books that reveal the life and ministry of
Jesus, his teachings as the word of living, creating the second individuals and the divine trinity
(God the father, son and holy spirit) (Ehrman 181). It's the fourth Gospel that accounts the
theology of Jesus that reveals his mysteries where Jesus is coming to affirm the old covenant.
However, various questions regarding dating, provenance, authorship, and unity can not avoid
being scrutinized. Therefore, the main objective of this easy is to use the only given authors in
analyzing and comparing different argument concerning dating, provenance, authorship, and
unity in the Gospel of John.
The Authorship
John, the apostle, is always known as the author of the Gospel of John. The first claim is that he
might have witnessed the ministry of Jesus. Secondly, John might have a familiarity with
Palestine before the destruction of the temple in the A.D. 70 and also being familiar with the life
of Jewish. Apostle John fit in the description as the early traditions help in identifying him as the
author. Irenaeus, one of the disciples of John, is the person who identified the exitance source in
associating John, the apostle as the author of the Gospel of John (Brown, 369). According to
Brown just like other gospels, according to John, can be traced in the earlier Bible manuscripts.
The brother of James and John accompanied by Zebedee their father was called by Jesus while
preparing fishing nets. The two, John and James left Zebedee to follow Jesus. In other instances,

MINISTERIAL THEOLOGY 3
Jesus usually took James, Peter, and John aside, which defined the inner circle of the disciples of
Jesus. John was not only regarded as one of the counted. After the resurrection of the Messiah,
John continued with his crucial role in the development of the early churches. Paul referred to
James, Peter, and John as the critical pillars of the Jerusalem Church (Gal 2: 9). Peter and John
are also found ending to the temple the time of healing the disabled man (Acts 3: 1-11). Due to
the healing of the disabled man, the two found themselves before the Sanhedrin. Johnson has as
well recalled the journey to Samaria whose objective was to confirm the work that was going on
there.
According to (Carson-moo, 365), it's commonly known as the Gospel of John does not bear the
name of its author. However, the author agrees as well "according to John" was found attached to
it immediately when the canonical gospels began in circulating to distinguish it from other
collections. But for (Mathew chapter 2), it might have served as the main title at the beginning.
However, earlier documentation both in the Gnosticism and orthodox stream claim that the first
writer to quote the Gospel of John ascribed to the work to John was Theophilus of Antioch.
Before this time a large number of writers overwhelming the Tatian, the Athenagoras and
Claudius Apollinaris unambiguously quoted the Gospel of John as from the authoritative source.
Thus, pushing us back to Papias and Polycarp, concerning the individual who derived basically
from the Eusebius and Irenaeus regarded as the historian of the first church in the Fourth
Century. The martyred of Polycarp took place in 156 at the age of 86. Hence, there is no reason
in denying the truth about his connection with John, Philip, and Andrew in Asia. It is during this
time that Polycarp was entrusted in oversight churches in Smyrna according to those who were
the eye-witness to the ministers of the Lord (Brown, 365).