The bs from you is endless, you are lacking in credibility, typical blueblood cultist! .....John reached its final form around AD 90–110, although it contains signs of origins dating back to AD 70 and possibly even earlier. Like the three other gospels, it is anonymous, although it identifies an unnamed "disciple whom Jesus loved" as the source of its traditions. It most likely arose within a "Johannine community", and – as it is closely related in style and content to the three Johannine epistles – most scholars treat the four books, along with the Book of Revelation, as a single corpus of Johannine literature, albeit not from the same author...... ....The Gospel of John, like all the gospels, is anonymous...... .....for example, the gospel is written in good Greek and displays sophisticated theology, and is therefore unlikely to have been the work of a simple fisherman. These verses imply rather that the core of the gospel relies on the testimony (perhaps written) of the "disciple who is testifying", as collected, preserved and reshaped by a community of followers (the "we" of the passage), and that a single follower (the "I") rearranged this material and perhaps added the final chapter and other passages to produce the final gospel. Most scholars estimate the final form of the text to be around AD 90–110. Given its complex history there may have been more than one place of composition, and while the author was familiar with Jewish customs and traditions, his frequent clarification of these implies that he wrote for a mixed Jewish/Gentile or Jewish context outside Palestine.....
In a round-a-bout way John did tell us that he wrote the Gospel of John. John 21:20-24: 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john The Gospel of John provides no explicit internal evidence concerning its author. John, the disciple, is nowhere identified by name. But the Fourth Gospel might provide us with clues concealed in the enigmatic figure of the “Beloved Disciple.” This title occurs in five passages: John 13:23: “One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.” John 19:26: “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son.’” John 20:2: “So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’” John 21:7: “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’” John 20:20: “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.” In addition to this, John 21:24 describes the Beloved Disciple as the “disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down.” Therefore the origin of the Gospel must in some way be connected to this person—the Gospel of John may be a record of his eyewitness account of Jesus’ life.
Evidence for John’s authorship from the Early Church Patristic evidence seems to confirm that John wrote the Gospel. Here are a few examples: Irenaeus, writing at about AD 200, says that the Beloved Disciple was John, the disciple of Jesus, and that John originated the Gospel at Ephesus. Irenaeus even writes that when he himself was young, he knew another teacher, Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (c. AD 69–155), who claimed to have been tutored by John. The church historian Eusebius (c. AD 300) records this John/Polycarp/Irenaeus connection in the same way. Further, Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus (AD 189–198), refers to John’s association with the Gospel in his letter to Victor the Bishop of Rome. It is also confirmed by Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 200) and the Latin Muratorian Canon (AD 180–200). https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john
https://isjesusalive.com/polycarp-early-use-of-new-testament/ Polycarp was born in 69 AD. While we don’t know a whole lot about his personal life, we do know that he was the bishop of the church in Smyrna, which is now Izmir, Turkey. He was martyred at the age of 86. He wrote a letter to the church at Phillipi, which is dated between 110-140 AD. He was carrying the letters of his fellow church father Ignatius to the church at Phillipi, and decided to attach a letter of his own. We can learn a lot about what Polycarp thought about the Scriptures we possess today from this brief epistle. POLYCARP KNEW JOHN AND OTHER APOSTLES The reason why Polycarp is important as he’s a bridge to the original apostles themselves. According to his student Irenaeus (try spelling that name without looking it up), Polycarp was a student of the apostle John, and he knew other apostles, although they go unnamed. Here’s Irenaeus: “But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true.” – Against Heresies (Book III, 3.4) And also: “For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time than of recent events (inasmuch as the experiences of childhood, keeping pace with the growth of the soul, become incorporated with it); so that I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse — his going out, too, and his coming in — his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance.” – Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus, Chapter 2 So if Polycarp is a direct link to the eyewitnesses of Jesus, we can look at his writings and see if anything he says contradicts the New Testament documents. Does he respect the accounts, or does he play fast and loose with them? Does he quote any non-canonical sources outside of the New Testament? These are the things that would undermine our confidence that the New Testament writings are genuine and trustworthy. On the flipside, if Polycarp shows that he values the NT texts and uses them frequently, then they pass a test of “early use”. SO WHAT NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS DOES POLYCARP QUOTE? Matthew (4 times) Mark (once) Luke (once) Acts (twice) Romans (once) 1st Corinthians (4 times) 2nd Corinthians (4 times) Galatians (3 times) Ephesians (4 times) Philippians (3 times) 1st Thessalonians (once) 2nd Thessalonians (once) 1st Timothy (3 times) 2nd Timothy (3 times) Hebrews (twice) 1st Peter (9 times) 1st John (once) 3rd John (once) Whoa. That’s 17 out of the 27 books in the New Testament way before any church councils in the 300s. Let me address quickly that some skeptics have cried foul over the church’s claim that Polycarp knew John. After all, he doesn’t quote from John’s Gospel. But the writer of 1st and 3rd John clearly is the writer of the Gospel of John. Moreover, Polycarp might have written other letters, we just have one of them. We don’t want to make an argument from silence. If you read Polycarp’s letter, he’s firing out quotes from the New Testament like machine-gun bullets. You probably got the gist of that looking at the list above. You just can’t get through more than a few sentences before he starts plainly drawing from the Gospels or Epistles. He quotes from our New Testament 47 times. Out of those times, the meaning of the text may be paraphrased but is never substantially changed. WHAT WE LEARN FROM POLYCARP ABOUT JESUS AND THE NEW TESTAMENT Polycarp mentions Paul’s martyrdom. He cites Paul’s letters and calls them Scripture. (12:2) He says that he knows that the Philippians are already well-versed in the Scriptures as he continues to quote Paul. (12:1) This is extraordinary because it shows us that in the early first century the Gospels and Epistles were already treated as the Word of God. This is also interesting because if no one knew who had written these works as some critics allege, then why would the Christians accept them as authentic? Repeatedly Polycarp quotes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Matthew and Luke. He also says that: Jesus came in the flesh Jesus was a servant to all Jesus died on the cross Jesus bore our sin Jesus was raised from the dead Jesus was glorified Jesus is our High Priest Christians are saved by grace through faith Jesus will judge the living and the dead (You can see specifically what verses Polycarp quotes right here.) Polycarp refuted the Gnostic notion that the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus were all imaginary episodes of essentially ethical or mythical significance. These were historical happenings. Notably, Polycarp quotes zero heretics, zero gospels outside of our New Testament and contradicts zero teachings of Jesus or the apostles that we find in our Bible. Everything he says is consistent with the New Testament records. His followers attest to him knowing the apostles and being a student of John himself. Not one to mince words, this disciple of the apostles says that anyone who perverts these teachings is the “first-born of Satan”. (7:3) And he died rather than deny the truths that he dearly held. IN SHORT, POLYCARP’S WITNESS IS A BIG DEAL. The importance of what we glean from just this short letter can’t be understated. It can be read for free online in about 15-20 minutes and it packs quite a punch. So when critics and skeptics ask you “how do you know the books in your Bible are the right ones?” introduce them to your newfound friend with the funny name. While Polycarp isn’t the only early evidence we have for the early use of the New Testament, he is one of the beginning links to a greater chain of unbroken testimony for our Bible.
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/testing-the-gospels-from-john-to-hippolytus/ John (6-100AD) was the youngest of Jesus’ disciples. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the brother of James. While a young man, John witnessed the life of Jesus and saw firsthand many of the amazing miracles Jesus performed. John also witnessed the Resurrection. John wrote his Gospel as an eyewitness account, accurately reflecting the truth related to what he observed as a disciple of Jesus. This Gospel is a critical piece of evidence from the “crime scene” and John taught three important students and passed his Gospel into their trusted hands. These three men (Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp) became important early Church leaders in their own right and wrote about what they learned from John. John Taught Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp Ignatius (35-117AD) also called himself “Theophorus” (which means “God Bearer”). Church tradition describes Ignatius as one of the children that Jesus blessed in the Gospel accounts. Ignatius was a student of John and eventually became Bishop at Antioch, (Turkey), following the Apostle Peter. He wrote several important letters to the early Church and seven of them survive to this day. These letters are important because they demonstrate the New Testament documents were already written and familiar to the early Christians. Ignatius quoted or alluded to many New Testament books (including Matthew, John and Luke, and several, if not all, of Paul’s letters). Ignatius provides us with a link in the Chain of Custody related to the original eyewitness accounts, demonstrating they were written very early and entrusted directly to key disciples who guarded them as Scripture. Papias (60-135AD) was described by Irenaeus as a “hearer of John, and companion of Polycarp, a man of old time”. He eventually became the Bishop of Hierapolis (now known as Pamukake in Turkey). He was quite familiar with the oral testimony of the eyewitnesses during the early documentation of their Gospel accounts. These documents were still being written and circulated during Papias’ early lifetime. Papias wrote a lengthy five-volume treatise called “Interpretations of the Sayings of the Lord”, but this text has been lost to us. Papias’ work (as quoted later by Eusebius), alludes to many Gospel passages and stories. Papias represents another link in the chain of custody, learning from John and the other eyewitnesses and passing this information down to the next generation. Polycarp (69-155AD) was a friend of Ignatius and a student of John. Irenaeus later testified that he once heard Polycarp talk about his conversations with John, and Polycarp was known to have been converted to Christianity by the eyewitness Apostles themselves. Polycarp eventually became the Bishop of Smyrna (now known as Izmir in Turkey) and wrote a letter to the Philippians that references fourteen to sixteen New Testament books (including Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 1 Peter and 1 John, with some scholars observing additional references to 2 Timothy and 2 Corinthians). Polycarp’s letter demonstrates the early texts were in circulation and familiar to the Philippians, making Polycarp’s references in his letter all the more meaningful. Ignatius, Papias and Polycarp Taught Irenaeus Irenaeus (120-202AD) was born in Smyrna, the city where Polycarp served as Bishop. He was raised in a Christian family and was a “hearer” of Polycarp; he later recalled hearing Polycarp talk about his conversations with the Apostle John. He eventually became a priest (and then the Bishop) of Lugdunum in Gaul (presently known as Lyons, France). Irenaeus matured into a theologian and apologist and wrote an important work called “Adversus Haereses” (Against Heresies). This refined response to the heresy of Gnosticism provided Irenaeus with the opportunity to address the issue of Scriptural authority and he identified as many as twenty-four New Testament books as Scripture (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation). Irenaeus provides us with another link in the chain of custody, affirming the established eyewitness accounts and faithfully preserving them for the next generation. Irenaeus Taught Hippolytus Hippolytus (170-236AD) was born in Rome and was a disciple of Irenaeus. As he grew into a position of leadership, he opposed Roman Bishops who modified their beliefs to accommodate the large number of pagans who were coming to faith in the city. In taking a stand for orthodoxy, he became known as the first “anti-pope” or “rival pope” in Christian history. He was an accomplished speaker of great learning, influencing a number of important Christian leaders such as Origen of Alexandria (who heard him preaching while he was a presbyter under Pope Zephyrinus). Hippolytus wrote a huge ten-volume treatise called, “Refutation of All Heresies”. In this expansive work, Hippolytus identified as many as twenty-four New Testament books as Scripture (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John and Revelation). Unfortunately, Hippolytus was persecuted under Emperor Maximus Thrax and exiled to Sardinia where he most likely died in the mines. As a result of Hippolytus’ exile and martyrdom, this particular chain of custody ends without a clear “next link”, although it is certain Hippolytus had many important students who preserved the Scripture with the same passion he had as a student of Irenaeus. One thing we know for sure: the Canon of Scripture was already established in the early 2nd Century, as eyewitness accounts were recorded by the Apostles and handed down to their disciples who wrote about them, described them, and identified them for later generations.
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/testing-the-gospels-from-john-to-hippolytus/ The following facts about Jesus were affirmed from the earliest “links” in the New Testament Chain of Custody: Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary A star announced His birth He was baptized by John the Baptist, taught and had a “ministry” on earth He was humble, unassuming and sinless He spoke the words of God and taught the Sermon on the Mount Ointment was poured on Jesus’ head He was unjustly treated and condemned by men He was whipped, suffered and was crucified This all took place under the government of Pontius Pilate and Herod the Tetrarch was king Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected He had a physical resurrection body He appeared to Peter and the others after the resurrection He encouraged the disciples to touch and He ate with the disciples The disciples were convinced by the resurrection appearances and were fearless after seeing the risen Christ Jesus returned to God the Father He is our only Master and the Son of God All things are subject to Jesus and all creation belongs to Him He is the “Door,” the “Bread of Life,” and the “Eternal Word” Jesus is our “Savior”, “Lord” and “God” Faith in Christ’s work on the cross saves us This salvation and forgiveness are gifts of grace from God Jesus will judge the living and the dead The facts about Jesus were written early and repeated often; they haven’t changed over time. We can be confident we have an accurate, unaltered record of Jesus’ life because it was written early enough to be fact-checked by those who were actually there (as Paul claimed in 1 Corinthians 15:6), and faithfully transmitted (and cited) by those who had direct contact with the eyewitnesses.
Tell me, if the resurrection was such a big deal for God and humans, how come we have to rely on hearsay accounts from people who weren't there? Why so many grey areas, differing versions and lack of records from the non Christians? Do you think that's because God wants to make life difficult for anyone outside of His chosen cult?