Adela Yarbro Collins
John was an otherwise unknown prophet within the Christian communities in Asia. He was not John son of Zebedee, who may have died before 70 CE. The book was written in the mid 90s CE, near the end of Domitian’s rule.
Alan Garrow
The book was written around 80 CE. The seven kings in chapter 17 were Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus (in power at the time of writing), followed by a yet-unknown seventh emperor. The eruption of Vesuvius at the beginning of Titus’ reign is alluded to by the sixth seal in chapter 6.
Ben Witherington III
John was an otherwise unknown Judean man. He was not John son of Zebedee. The book was most likely written during the time of Domitian.
Brian K. Blount
‘John’ may be a pseudonym, but was likely the author’s real name. He was an otherwise unknown prophet. He did not natively know Greek. He wrote at least two decades after 70 CE.
Craig R. Koester
‘John’ was probably an otherwise unknown follower of Jesus. He may have been fluent in a local dialect of Greek, evident in his book’s close verbal parallels with Greek versions of Hebrew scriptures. The writing style is consistent throughout. Choppy transitions could indicate an untrained author. The book was written between 80 and 100 CE, probably during the time of Domitian.
Craig S. Keener
The author was John son of Zebedee, as Christians throughout history have believed. The book was written during Domitian’s time. The book’s atypical Greek is because the author was following the style of the Hebrew Bible.
David Aune
The name ‘John’ may be authentic or a pseudonym. He was not any of the other Johns known to us. The author was probably Judean. He was not fluent in Greek. The book was composed in three stages. First, the author wrote twelve prophetic tracts, roughly equivalent to 7.1–17; 10.1–11; 11.1–13; 12.1–18; 13.1–18; 14.1–20; 17.1–18; 18.1–24; 19.11–16; 20.1–10; 20.11–15; 21.9–22.5. These were mostly independent of each other, and were written over the range of the early 60s to the early 90s CE, give or take a few years in either direction. Second, the author adapted material from his twelve tracts and expanded them into a single book, becoming roughly 1.7–12a; 4.1–22.5. Third, the author added the epistolary framework, roughly 1.1–6; 1.12b–3.22; 22.6–21, along with several other additions throughout. The book reached its current form in the late 80s or early 90s CE. During the course of composing this book, the author transitioned to becoming a Jesus-follower, but some of the surviving text of the book predates this transition.
David Frankfurter
‘John’ was an otherwise unknown prophet. The similarities to the Gospel of John and the letters are superficial. The book may have been written over a range of time before and after 70 CE.
Elaine Pagels
John was a Judean man. He wrote his book between 90 and 95 CE, but was inspired by events he witnessed during the Judean-Roman War beginning in 66 CE.
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
The name ‘John’ given to this book, as well as the gospel and the three letters, may intend the son of Zebedee in the sense of a theological ‘school’ which grew under his authority, but John himself likely did not write the book. The author received both traditional Pauline and Johannine material, which influenced his book, accounting for similarities with the Gospel of John and the letters, which he did not write. The author thought in Hebrew while writing in Greek, which accounts for the book’s idiosyncratic style.
George R. Beasley-Murray
The author was probably named John, and was possibly John son of Zebedee. He was not fluent in Greek. The book was written around 95 CE, but may have drawn from anonymous prophecies delivered before 70 CE.
Gordon D. Fee
The author was John son of Zebedee, as Christians throughout history have believed. He also wrote the Gospel of John and the three letters. The style and quality of Greek in this book is essentially the same as that in the other four books. The book was written in the late first or early second century CE.
George E. Ladd
The author was John son of Zebedee. The book was written during the time of Domitian.
Grant R. Osborne
The author was John son of Zebedee. The book may have been written in the time of Nero, but its origin in the mid 90s during the time of Domitian is more likely.
Gregory K. Beale
The name ‘John’ is not likely a pseudonym. The author may have been John son of Zebedee, but this cannot be verified. The book was most likely written in the 90s CE, though there is a chance it may predate 70 CE.
Ian Paul
The author may have been John son of Zebedee. The book was most likely written in the time of Domitian.
Jean-Pierre Ruiz
‘John’ was not a pseudonym, but he was very likely not John son of Zebedee. The book was finalized after 70 CE, but may have begun being written before 70, or used pre-70 material.
Jonathan Bernier
The author was most likely John son of Zebedee or John the Elder, though John Mark or an otherwise unknown John are possible. The book was written between 68 and 70 CE.
Josephine M. Ford
‘John’ is John the baptizer, in whose name the book was written. Chapters 4–11 came from John or an early student of his, based on his teachings before, and contemporary to, the time of Jesus. Chapters 12–22 were written by a student of John’s sometime after 70 CE, but still predating most of the New Testament, including the gospels. Chapters 1–3, and small parts throughout the book, especially in chapter 22, came from another, later student of John’s.
Leon Morris
The author was most likely John son of Zebedee. He deliberately ignored the rules of Greek grammar, which accounts for his idiosyncratic style. The book was written between 90 and 95 CE.
Leonard L. Thompson
‘John’ was otherwise unknown to history. The hints within the book are inconsistent and imprecise as to when it was written, other than it must have been after 70 CE due to the allusions to the Nero Redux legend and Rome’s role in destroying Jerusalem. This leaves just the external evidence, the most compelling of which is the early claim the book was written near the end of the time of Domitian, circa 92–96 CE.
Peter S. Williamson
The name ‘John’ is authentic. He was not the author of the Gospel of John or the letters, but he did read them. He wrote with a very Hebrew-influenced Greek. The book was written in the 90s CE, during the time of Domitian.
Pierre Prigent
The author cannot be the same as the Gospel of John, but the two books came from the same milieu. The book was written in crude Greek. The book was written during the time of Domitian. (The list of kings in chapter 17 begins with Caligula, and skips Galba, Otho, and Vitellius.)
Richard Bauckham
John was an otherwise unknown prophet within the Christian communities in Asia. The book was written during the time of Domitian.
Robert H. Charles
John was a Judean follower of Jesus. He wrote his book with an incomplete knowledge of Greek. He did not write the Gospel of John nor the three letters, though he may have belonged to the same theological school. He wrote around 95 CE, but he used sources of varying origins from the previous decades, which he organized into the shape of a letter. John was unable to make a final revision of his book, such that some of its contents were left out of chronological sequence, especially in the final chapters. This version consisted of 1.4–20; 2.1–7.8; 8.1, 3–5, 2, 6, 13; 9.1–21; 11.14–13.18; 15.1–20.3; 21.9–22.2; 22.14–15, 17; 20.4–15; 21.5a, 4d, 5b, 1–4c. Later, a student who was ignorant of Hebrew and John’s thought process attempted to correct the book’s grammar and order, and made a few additions throughout, but ultimately left the book in worse condition.
Robert H. Mounce
‘John’ was not a pseudonym. He was likely John son of Zebedee (though he did not write the Gospel of John). The internal evidence against this identity is light, and the external early evidence is nearly unanimous. While some evidence is favorable to the book being written before 70 CE, both internal and external evidence favors sometime during the rule of Domitian.
Robert L. Thomas
The author was John son of Zebedee. The book was written around 95 CE. The historical tradition of who wrote the book and when takes priority over all internal and external evidence which seems contrary.