How Could John, a Poor, Uneducated Fisherman, Write the Gospel of John?
is teaching a church group about the reliability of the New Testament. A
question was raised about the Apostle John: “How could John, an
uneducated fisherman, have written such a literate and theologically
rich gospel account?” After all, John was just a fisherman; was he
educated enough to accomplish something this sophisticated? Irenaeus,
certainly thought so. This historic Bishop of Lugdunum, was the student
of Polycarp and Ignatius (two men who were taught directly by the
Apostle John). Irenaeus identified the Apostle John as the author of the
fourth Gospel, reflecting the historic understanding of the earliest
Christians. In spite of this, many skeptics are eager to dismiss the
authorship of John (often in an attempt to further discredit the
supernatural New Testament claims related to Jesus) by doubting John’s
level of education and degree of literacy. There are, however several
good reasons to resist the notion that John, the son of Zebedee, was too
illiterate to have written the fourth Gospel:
John May Have Been Educated After All
Don’t be too quick to dismiss John as uneducated. Hebrew children were
required to memorize the first five books of Torah before they were
twelve years old. Young students were also required to discuss these
texts and write them. There is good reason to believe John and James
were not exempt from this requirement. In fact, the internal evidence
from the Gospel suggests John and James were more than familiar with the
rabbis and Jewish teachers of their day. Take, for example, this
description of Jesus’ arrest and arrival at the residence of Annas (the
father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest):
John 18:15-16
Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that
disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the
court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So
the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and
spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
This
“other disciple” is none other than John, the son of Zebedee, and he is
described as someone who was well known to the high priest. In fact, he
was known adequately enough to gain admission for himself and
Peter. Interestingly, while Peter was here in Anna’s courtyard, he was
identified by his simple Galilean accent (see Luke 22:59). No one ever
identified John in this way, however. John may have been a fisherman,
but this doesn’t mean he was necessarily uneducated or unsophisticated.
Paul was also quick to identify himself as a tentmaker, but obviously
had access to a good education.
John May Have Employed a Scribe
But even if John was under-educated, this does not preclude the
reasonable use of a scribe. An assistant of this nature (known as an
“amanuensis”) was commonplace at this point in history. Paul repeatedly
used a scribe to help him as he dictated his letters to the Church.
Tertius helped Paul write the letter to the Romans (Romans 16:22), and
Paul admitted using a scribe to help him with 1 Corinthians (1
Corinthians 16:21). If John wrote his Gospel and letters in a similar
manner, it is reasonable to infer his use of a scribe. If this was the
case, the degree of Greek sophistication would be attributed to the
scribe rather than to John. When skeptics point to differences in the
form of Greek seen in some of John’s writings (when compared with one
another), they most certainly are ignoring the use of an “amanuensis.”
John May Have Grown into a Wise Author
Finally, we must also resist the temptation to deny John the
theological sophistication necessary to write (or dictate) the Gospel.
John spent three years with Jesus, and would reasonably have grown in
his understanding of God’s nature and his ability to articulate this to
others. John’s Gospel is the last of four accounts of Jesus’ life; it
clearly demonstrates the benefit of time and reflection. John may have
been a fisherman, but this doesn’t mean he could not have grown, over
many years, into a multi-lingual, thoughtful, articulate spokesperson
for the early Christian movement. As I reflect on my own life and growth
as a Christian (and especially as I re-read many of my earliest
writings on Christianity), I am often embarrassed by my early naiveté
related to many Christian concepts. I’ve come a long way in a short
period of time. John must certainly have grown similarly. He didn’t pen
his texts immediately, but wrote them instead as a wise, reflective
elder statesman.
Attacks on the educational level of John are
aimed at discrediting him as the author of his Gospel. But the earliest
students of the Apostles accepted John’s authorship and the historic
attribution continued through the Church Fathers. In addition to this,
there is good internal evidence to suggest the author of John’s Gospel
was very familiar with the culture, geography, and political conditions
surrounding the life of Jesus. The author was clearly part of Jesus’
inner circle and is likely the disciple who, at the Last Supper, laid
his head on Jesus’ breast. There is more than enough historical and circumstantial evidence to infer the Apostle John as the author of the fourth Gospel, in spite of the fact he may have begun his career as a simple fisherman.
