Indeed, at the end of the 19th century scholar Ernest DeWitt Burton wrote that there could be " no reasonable doubt " that 1 John and the gospel were written by the same author, and Amos Wilder has said that, " Early Christian tradition and the great majority of modern scholars have agreed on the common authorship of these writings, even where the author has not been identified with the apostle John.

John Ernest Grabe found an otherwise unreported saying of Jesus, attributed to the Apostle Barnabas, amongst the Greek manuscripts in the Baroccian collection in the Bodleian Library ; which he speculated might be a quotation from this lost gospel ; and John Toland claimed to have identified a corresponding phrase when he examined the surviving Italian manuscript of the Gospel of Barnabas in Amsterdam before 1709.

The gospel is closely related in style and content to the three surviving Epistles of John such that commentators treat the four books together, yet, according to most modern scholars, John was not the author of any of these books.

the majority do not believe that John or one of the Apostles wrote it, and trace it instead to a " Johannine community " which traced its traditions to John ; the gospel itself shows signs of having been composed in three " layers ", reaching its final form about 90-100 AD.

According to the Church Fathers, the Bishops of Asia Minor requested John, in his old age, to write a gospel in response to Cerinthus, the Ebionites and other Hebrew groups which they deemed heretical.

Conservative scholars consider internal evidences, such as the lack of the mention of the destruction of the Temple and a number of passages that they consider characteristic of an eyewitness, sufficient evidence that the gospel was composed before 100 and perhaps as early as 50 – 70: in the 1970s, scholars Leon Morris and John A. T. Robinson independently suggested earlier dates for the gospel's composition.

In the earliest surviving gospel collection, Papyrus 45 of the 3rd century, it is placed second in the order Matthew, John, Luke and Mark, an order which is also found in other very early New Testament manuscripts.

In 2004 Scott Kellum published a detailed analysis of the literally unity of the entire Farewell Discourse and stated that it shows that it was written by a single author, and that its structure and placement within the Gospel of John is consistent with the rest of that gospel.

As a gospel, John is a story about the life of Jesus.

Following on from " the higher criticism " of the 19th century, Adolf von Harnack and Raymond E. Brown have questioned the gospel of John as a reliable source of information about the historical Jesus.

" Sanders points out that the author would regard the gospel as theologically true as revealed spiritually even if its content is not historically accurate and argues that even historically plausible elements in John can hardly be taken as historical evidence, as they may well represent the author's intuition rather than historical recollection.

Geza Vermes discounts all the teaching in John when reconstructing his view of " the authentic gospel of Jesus.

While a large number of 20th century biblical critics argue that the teaching found in John does not go back to the historical Jesus, they usually agree that gospel is not entirely without historical value.

Recent evidences such as the pool and a turn away from the vestiges of positivism as evidenced by the growing number of books addressing the historicity of John reveal that the final word has not been said on how much of the historical Jesus inhabits John's gospel.

* The gospel of John gives no account of the Nativity of Jesus, unlike those of Matthew and Luke, and his mother's name is never given.

Harris believes that the tradition that John lived to old age in Ephesus developed in the late 2nd century, although the tradition does appear in the last chapter of the gospel, though this debatable tradition assumes that John the Evangelist, John the Apostle, the Beloved Disciple mentioned in John 21 and sometimes also John the Presbyter are the same person.

This account presents the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and offers men peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.

A general account of the blessings that the gospel reveals.

The saint's body was claimed to have been discovered in a cave with a copy of the canonical Gospel of Matthew on its breast ; according to the contemporary account of Theodorus Lector, who reports that both bones and gospel book were presented by Anthemios to the emperor.

Some scholars who maintain the antiquity of the Gospel of Barnabas propose that the text purportedly discovered in 478 should be identified with the Gospel of Barnabas instead ; but this supposition is at variance with an account of Anthemios's gospel book by Severus of Antioch, who reported having examined the manuscript around the year 500, seeking to find whether it supported the piercing of the crucifed Jesus by a spear at Matthew 27: 49 ( it did not ).

This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.

While the traditional view that Paul's companion Luke authored the gospel is still often put forward, a number of possible contradictions between Acts and Paul's letters lead many scholars to dispute this account.

A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

The single account of the Massacre comes in the Gospel of Matthew: it is not mentioned in Luke's gospel or by any contemporaneous historians, or by the later Roman Jewish historian, Josephus.

The well-known gospel tract " How the Lost Sheep was Saved " gives his personal account of a visit he paid to a dying shepherd boy in this area, painting a vivid picture of what his work among the poor people involved.

In John's gospel this part of the account is omitted.

In the standard account of the development of the Insular gospel book, the Book of Durrow follows the fragmentary Northumbrian Gospel Book Fragment ( Durham Cathedral Library, A. II.

Since then, the rite is celebrated after the homily that follows the reading of the gospel account of how Jesus washed the feet of his twelve apostles ().

The Church of Christ Temple Lot assumes its authority from the account of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15 of 1829 when a messenger came to them and ordained them in the Priesthood of Aaron, " which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins ; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness ".

The gospel account of Jesus being invited to a wedding, attending, and using his divine power to save the celebrations from disaster are taken as evidence of his approval for marriage and earthly celebrations, in contrast to the more austere views of Saint Paul as found, for example, in 1 Corinthians 7.

Contextual theology has been defined as " A way of doing theology in which one takes into account: the spirit and message of the gospel ; the tradition of the Christian people ; the culture in which one is theologising ; and social change in that culture.

In like manner, God takes the person's response to the gospel, empowered by prevenient grace, into account as relevant information when freely choosing whether or not to save that person.

The gospel account of Jesus being invited to a wedding, attending, and using his divine power to save the celebrations from disaster are taken as evidence of his approval for marriage and earthly celebrations, in contrast to the more austere views of Saint Paul as found, for example, in 1 Corinthians 7.

* Matthew the Evangelist, the author of the first gospel account is symbolized by a winged man, or angel.

* Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second gospel account is symbolized by a winged lion – a figure of courage and monarchy.

* Luke the Evangelist, the author of the third gospel account ( and the Acts of the Apostles ) is symbolized by a winged ox or bull – a figure of sacrifice, service and strength.

* John the Evangelist, the author of the fourth gospel account is symbolized by an eagle – a figure of the sky, and believed to be able to look straight into the sun.

Most biblical scholars see the gospel account of Mark as having been written first ( see Markan priority ) and John's gospel account as having been written last.

This is not the only incident not present in the fourth gospel, and the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is another key example, indicating that the inclusion of material in the fourth gospel was selective.

The gospel also recounts that James was present at the Last Supper.

While the historicity of the gospel accounts is questioned to some extent by some critical scholars and non-Christians, the traditional view states the following chronology for his ministry: Temptation, Sermon on the Mount, Appointment of the Twelve, Miracles, Temple Money Changers, Last Supper, Arrest, Trial, Passion, Crucifixion on Good Friday (,), Nisan 14th (,, Gospel of Peter ) or Nisan 15th ( Synoptic Gospels ), ( 7Apr30, 3Apr33, 30Mar36, possible Fri-14-Nisan dates ,-Meier ), entombment by Pharisees Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus of the Sanhedrin, Resurrection by God on Easter Sunday, appearances to Paul of Tarsus (), Simon Peter (), Mary Magdalene (,), and others, Great Commission, Ascension, Second Coming Prophecy to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy such as the Resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and establishment of the Kingdom of God and the Messianic Age.

In the gospel accounts, towards the end of the final week in Jerusalem, Jesus has the Last Supper with his disciples, and the next day is betrayed, arrested and tried.

This incident, traditionally known as the Last Supper, is also described by the gospel writers, Mark and Luke, and by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians.

The Armenian Easter Vigil also preserves what is believed to be the original length of the traditional gospel reading of the Easter Vigil, i. e., from the Last Supper account to the end of the Gospel according to Matthew.

Last of all, aware that the physical facts had been recorded in the gospels, encouraged by his pupils and irresistibly moved by the Spirit, John wrote a spiritual gospel.

In his pamphlet " Last Report of the English Wars " ( 1646 ) he urged religious toleration, an alliance with foreign Protestants, and an active propagation of the gospel.