John’s Gospel contains words that, for many Christians, are some of the most familiar and best loved in the Bible. However, many scholars have long held the view that it is historically unreliable and is a theological work presenting views that evolved as Christianity spread in the first century.
This book will challenge and interest both those with a conservative view and those with a radical view of the New Testament. Using an easily accessible style, it argues from a critical approach that, as the Gospel itself asserts, it is a ‘true witness.’ Examining the New Testament reveals reasons for believing that John’s Gospel is one of the earliest pieces of Christian writing, and it represents the teaching of the closest of Jesus’ friends, the Apostle John.
The peculiarities of the Gospel are a consequence of John’s passion to persuade people that believing in Jesus can transform their lives. The message is not the teaching of Jesus, the message ‘is’ Jesus. This is the belief that the Gospel wishes to share; it was written for faith.