Most scholars estimate the final form of the text to be around AD 90–110. 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.

202 AD), identified this disciple with John the Apostle, but most scholars have abandoned this hypothesis or hold it only tenuously – there are multiple reasons for this conclusion, including, for example, the fact that the gospel is written in good Greek and displays sophisticated theology, and is therefore unlikely to have been the work of a simple fisherman. John 21:22 references a disciple whom Jesus loved and John 21:24–25 says: 'This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.' Early Christian tradition, first found in Irenaeus ( c. The Gospel of John, like all the gospels, is anonymous. Main article: Authorship of the Johannine works § Gospel of John Composition 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. Like the three other gospels, it is anonymous, although it identifies an unnamed ' disciple whom Jesus loved' as the source of its traditions. John reached its final form around AD 90–110, although it contains signs of origins dating back to AD 70 and possibly even earlier.

The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, 'that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.' It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven 'signs' culminating in the raising of Lazarus (foreshadowing the resurrection of Jesus) and seven 'I am' discourses (concerned with issues of the church–synagogue debate at the time of composition) culminating in Thomas' proclamation of the risen Jesus as 'my Lord and my God'. The Gospel of John ( Ancient Greek: Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, romanized: Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels.

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