raphy of the American Standard Revised is preserved. Elsewhere the divine pronouns are capitalized and chapter numbers are given in the Arabic form. In the two preliminary chapters on authorship and the author the statement is made in as bold and abbreviated form as possible. This is done intentionally in the hope of stimulating the investigation and discussion of the class. These chapters are in the main simply condensations from Westcott's Commentary. It is not pretended that these questions do not involve difficulties. It is believed that the difficulties are least in the way of accepting the traditional conviction of the Church. It need only be added that this little book springs from the unreserved and joyful acceptance of John's belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," and that its humble hope is the same as John's, that others also may believe. (John xx, 31.) JOHN'S GOSPEL AUTHORSHIP-WHO WROTE THE FOURTH GOSPEL? WHY do we believe that the fourth Gospel was written by the Apostle John? Because the reasons for this belief are satisfactory. It is in accordance with the universal tradition of the early Church and it is supported by the internal evidence of the Gospel itself. We can examine this internal evidence for ourselves. It shows 1. That the writer was a Jew. a. His familiarity with (1) Prevalent Messianic conceptions. i, 21; iv, 25; vi, 14 f; vii, 40 f; xii, 34. (2) Jewish notions. iv, 9, 27; vii, 15, 35, 49; ix, 2. (3) Details of Jewish observance. vii, 22, 37, 38; xviii, 28. Domestic life, ii, 1-10, V, 6. Burial of Lazarus, xi, 17-44. b. Form of narrative. Style. Vocabulary. Imagery. Symbolism. c. The Old Testament the source of the writer's religious life. (1) Jewish opinions and faith. Judea the home of the Word and the people His The law the Jews' property, viii, 17; x, 34. Old Testament types. iii, 14; vi, 32; vii, 37; viii, 12. Even xiii, 18 and xv, 25 only fulfillings of the (2) In speaking for himself he shows the same faith So special incidents of the Passion. xix, 23, 28, 36, 37. All these grounds of faith, xix, 35. 9 d. The writer's vivid portraiture of the people. Plotted the murder of Lazarus, xii, 10. 2. That he was a native of Palestine. a. Local knowledge. Palestine. Cana of Galilee, ii, 1, 11; iv, 46; xxi, 2. Bethany beyond Jordan, i, 28; a place already Bethany near Jerusalem, 15 furlongs, xi, 18. Pool of Bethesda, v, 2. Brook Kidron, xviii, 1. Pool of Siloam, ix, 7. Golgotha nigh the city, xix, 17. Garden, xix, 20, 41. The Temple. Forty and six years in building, ii, 20. Feast of Tabernacles, vii, viii. Water. Night lamps. The great vine, xv, I. b. Quotations from the Old Testament suggest that the writer was independent of the Septuagint and acquainted with the Hebrew. 3. That he was an eye witness. a. Persons portrayed. Momentous questions connected with individuals. Philip Whence shall we buy bread? vi, 5, 7; cf. Matt. xiv, 14. Greeks and Philip, xii, 21. Thomas, "Lord, we know not," xiv, 8. Philip, "Show us the Father," xiv, 8. Judas, not Iscariot, "How is it?" xiv, 22. The disciple whom Jesus loved, xiii, 25; xxi, 20. Nicodemus, iii, 1; vii, 50; xix, 39. Lazarus, xi, 1; xii, 1. Simon, father of Judas Iscariot, vi, 71; xii, 4; Malchus, xviii, 10. His kinsman, xviii, 26. |