The Gospel of John: Does It Have Historical Validity?

By Stuart F. Hayes

Church tradition maintains that John, the last of Jesus disciples left alive, wrote his gospel from the Island of Patmos at the end of a long life. Was his memory still vigorous and clear? Was he tempted to enhance events or even introduce miraculous ones in order to present a more appealing Jesus? Are there inconsistencies between Johns narrative and the other gospels that suggest that all of them may have historic inaccuracies? These are questions frequently asked.

On the other hand, if Jesus was simply a good teacher who performed no authentic miracles, why did it take three years to arrest and convict him? What made the authorities hesitate? And if the gospels are partially exaggerated or fictionalized, why are they so candidly unflattering about the failings of Jesus followers? These are questions not frequently asked.

Stuart Hayes has advanced degrees in both science and divinity, so he brings a rigorous but respectful approach to the gospel of John. This book combining reflection and commentary is intentionally written with laypeople in mind using careful, but commonsense thought. That is not to say it will be dismissed by, or is dismissive of, the work of scholars. Instead, it is a book written to people genuinely wrestling with doubts about the authenticity of the work of the gospel writers that often go unaddressed by, or made inaccessible by scholars. In an unusual approach, this book examines Johns Gospel to find internal evidences of historical dependability and also reconciles passages where skeptics think there are errors. There has been much valuable and helpful work examining the historicity of scripture using both textual criticism and higher criticism. However, there is a need for a careful reading and reflection of the gospels themselves, by themselves, in order to uncover and focus on internal authenticities in the narratives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512722383

Stuart F. Hayes

Dr. Stuart Hayes has advanced degrees in both science and divinity, so he brings a rigorous but respectful approach to the New Testament book of Acts. This book combining reflection and commentary is intentionally written with laypeople in mind using careful, but commonsense thought. That is not to say it will be dismissed by, or is dismissive of, the work of scholars. Instead, it is a book written to people genuinely wrestling with doubts about the authenticity of New Testament writings that often go unaddressed by or are needlessly complexified by scholars. This book fills a need to return to the text of Acts in order to release it to speak for itself. Along the way, it picks up important details a casual reader might miss and puts confidence back in the hands of readers to judge for themselves.

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Copyright © 2016 Stuart Fleming Hayes.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Any Bible citations are my own translations from the Nestle-Aland Greek text.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-2237-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2238-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919952

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/04/2016

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

About the Author

This book is

dedicated to the memory of Dr. Donald B. Fullerton, founder of the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship, whose exposition of Paul’s Letter to the Romans changed my darkness into light and brought me, for all time, back to God, my Father and Savior and Companion, the One.

Foreword

My father came to faith as an undergraduate studying physics at Princeton University during the late 1940s. Soon after college, he married and was promptly shipped overseas for a stint in the army during the Korean War. When he finished his tour of duty in Korea, he returned to the United States, started a family, and enrolled at Faith Theological Seminary, which is near Philadelphia. Money was tight, but fortunately my parents were aided by the GI Bill. His seminary classmates wanted to elect him to the class presidency. Out of integrity, he turned them down because he was struggling with what he called miserable doubts as to the historical validity of Christian faith.

Faith with sincere doubts was to be a chronic theme for my father for more than half his life, including the thirty-five years that followed his conversion in college. Prior to his time at the university, Dad grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and was raised Episcopalian. As a boy, his faith was more assumed than chosen, but after reading a book by a well-known biblical critic debunking Christ’s resurrection, Dad dissolved into atheism. He came of age in a generation rocked by the Great Depression and World War II. At the same time, seminaries were likewise being rocked by increasingly acute forms of modern criticism that suggested Scripture was unreliable historically and, more specifically, that miracles recorded in the Bible could not be trusted.

My father knows intimately the lonely journey of sustaining faith with genuine doubts. He also knows the devastation of losing faith through the influence of biblical critics who come to the text with assumptions and agendas even though they purport to be objective. Dad comes to the text with both perspectives of science and historical scholarship and the illumination of faith. In approaching the text, he works patiently, like a detective interviewing witnesses, not discarding a single detail in the written record and asking the inconvenient questions. He does not shy away from apparent inconsistencies in the Gospels or problem-ridden areas of the texts. It helps that he has immersed himself in the Gospels (in Greek) for more than sixty years. He knows them thoroughly in their big-picture sweep, their micro details, and in the way they interrelate. My father has also examined the work of scholars, historians, and archaeologists; he has compared and contrasted New Testament writings to other ancient texts.

His unusual approach has resulted in sturdy and insightful commentaries on many of the books of the New Testament—in this case, the book of John. In The Gospel of John, which follows, my father assesses the historicity of the text by examining its thematic consistency with the other gospels. He also evaluates also its ability to stand alone and to complement the other accounts. Finally, as objectively as possible, he evaluates the honesty of the author’s reporting.

In the end, his years of painful journey with doubt have yielded a study that has been our gain.

John Hayes, author of Sub-merge;

Living Deep in a Shallow World

The gospel of John: Does it have historical validity?

The fourth gospel was probably written toward the end of the first century AD, after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke had been composed. It is quite different from the first three gospels in that it records many exchanges and confrontations between Jesus and either an individual or a group. Some of these face-to-face encounters were warm and friendly; others were not. John’s gospel supplements the others well and supplies additional insights into the times and ministry of Jesus.

In reading the four Gospels, attention should go to three important criteria. First, are they consistent with each other? Do they represent the same basic themes and also not contradict each other in details? Second, are they independent enough from each other so that we do not have some that are mere copies of another? Do they supplement one another so that, when they are taken together, the gospel story gains substance and meaning? Third, do the Gospels exhibit evidences of honest reporting? Do they record both the favorable and the unfavorable? For instance, are the disciples portrayed as perfect in their behavior and spiritual growth or less than that? These are the questions that will be addressed.

The manuscript evidence for the Gospels—indeed, of the whole New Testament—is quite superior to that of all other ancient documents. The earliest one consists of five verses from John, chapter 18, and dates back to around 125 AD. The Bodmer papyrii contain extensive passages from Luke and John, dating to the third century AD. The Chester Beatty papyrii include extensive parts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, also dating to the third century. From century four are Codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, which have all four Gospels in their entirety. From century five are Codices Alexandrinus (much of all four Gospels), Epraemi Rescriptus (parts of all four Gospels), Bezae (most of all four Gospels), and Codex Washingtoniensis (most of all four Gospels). These are the best manuscripts, but there are many more of value. These and other details are from the International Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 3 of 1986 (page 653, under Papyrus) and Volume 4 of 1988 (pages 814–816, under Text and MSS of the NT).

As you, the reader, proceed through each chapter’s discussion, make sure that your Bible is open to the particular chapter being considered. Look up the various references that are cited. Let each chapter speak to you and store your favorite passages in your heart.

Chapter 1

The gospel of John begins on a very high note, describing Jesus as the Word, the very expression of God. Perhaps there is also the implication that Jesus speaks to us. Two contrasts, both extreme, are presented. First, John the Baptist is described as a man sent from God but not the Light. Jesus is the true Light who illuminates us. The first contrast is between John (man) and Jesus (Light). Second, Jesus was in the world, and the world came into being through Him and the world did not recognize Him. Thus, the entrance of God to earth occasioned both great joy and sadness—the second contrast. As it was written, And the Light shines in the Darkness, and the Darkness did not grasp it. It is all too easy for the very creatures who sprang from God’s hand to shut their ears to the eternal Word.

In this chapter we can quickly observe two important points. First, the writer is candid, honestly reporting the good news that the Creator became flesh and dwelt among us together with the bad news that he was rejected by so many.