[Gutenberg 46337] • The Gospel of St. John

Excerpt from The Gospel of St. John: Critical and Explanatory

For the present Edition I have re - written and considerably enlarged the Introduction. Within recent years a great number of English and foreign works have appeared On the fourth Gospel, and I have freely made use of them to bring the treat ment of the various questions up to date. To the question of the Johannine authorship of the Gospel I have devoted special attention, both because of the assaults that have been made upon it, and on account of its own intrinsic importance. That importance cannot easily be exaggerated. If a man of the fourth Evangelist' s acknowledged mental calibre really belonged to the chosen Twelve, and thus had an opportunity during a lengthened period of hearing Christ's discourses and witnessing His works, then no amount of destructive criticism can shake the force of his explicit and repeated testimony to Christ's Divinity. Hence it is that, while anxious to be brief, I have devoted considerable space, more, perhaps, than some -might think necessary, to proving by external and internal evidence that the author Of the Gospel is no other than John the Apostle. In section vi. I have tried to establish the Gospel's historical character, and though the treatment of the question does not pretend to be exhaustive, I believe I have shown that, while the arguments for the traditional View are strong and convinc ing, the chief difficulties against it admit of at least a probable explanation.

In the Commentary itself, the changes in the present Edition are few, and in no case of any serious importance. In some instances views have been slightly modified, and misprints, wherever noticed, have been corrected. It only remains for me to hope that the friendly reception accorded to its predecessors may be extended also to the present Edition.

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