John

        The Gospel According to John is highly polished both in theological reflection on the person and ministry of Jesus Christ and in literary style. Although tradition attributes the Fourth Gospel to the apostle John, modern scholarship suggests several layers of authorship and editing by disciples of John. The Gospel reached its final written form near the close of the first century. It was customary in the ancient world for a disciple to assign his/her mentor or community leader's name to the disciple's writings, as long as the mentor/leader's mind was accurately represented.

        If one were to propose brief, identifying confessional statements for each of the Hebraic religions, Judaism's might be "Hear, O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord Is One;" Islam's - "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his Apostle;" and Christianity's - "And the Word became flesh and lived among us.." (from The Gospel According to John 1:14a)

        Contemporary scholarly studies in John abound. Persistent and unresolved issues include whether this Gospel had an Aramaic predecessor and the extent to which Hellenization influenced the authors and editors. If one assumes Hellenization, logos (the Word) is understood in a Greek philosophical mode. If one assumes an unhellenized Semitic context, "word" as well as the verb "to be" are interpreted quite differently. (Please see the subsite "The Christs of Faith" and eventually an essay on this topic.)