The Gospel of John

It is the universal testimony of the early church that the author of the Gospel of John is John the Apostle, "the disciple whom Jesus loved."  Not until the 19th century, when frantic theology students needed a new topic for their ThD. theses did anyone challenge the authorship.  Many strange theories were spun on this.

The Gospel itself is clearly different from the other three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke.  John wrote this work some time after the writing of Matthew, Mark and Luke, as is evident from the things he did not repeat.  He assumes you've read the other ones.  So his stories are those of one who was closest to Jesus.  He was Jesus' best friend, his long time companion - and the only Apostle to die a natural death.  It reads not so much like history as it does reminiscences. 

Because of its powerful presentation of Jesus, the Christ, it is the first book translated into any newly discovered language.  This is a mark also of its usefulness.  More than that, it is the best loved of the Gospels, for it is the Gospel of Love Himself.