Q: I have been reading Barclay’s Daily Bible Study Series references to the New Testament; specifically, the book of John. There is mention of two Johns, John the Apostle and John the Elder, one having remembered what Jesus said because this John was there, but one other John The Elder, a person 100 years old, who actually wrote the book of Revelation. Anything to that?  —Geraldine

A: Most conservative Bible scholars accept that John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21, 10:2), wrote the Gospel of John, the 3 epistles (1, 2 and 3 John) and Revelation. But in the 2nd and 3rd of the letters that John wrote, he identified himself as “the elder” (2 John 1:1 and 3 John 1:1). This has led some Bible teachers to conclude that there were 2 different Johns—John the Apostle who wrote the Gospel of John, and John the Elder who wrote the 3 letters and Revelation. But this is not necessarily the case.

By the time that 2 & 3 John were penned (around AD 90), the term “elder” was already commonly used to refer to the spiritual and pastoral leaders of the church (eg. Acts 11:30, 14:23, 20:17, 1 Timothy 5:17, 19, Titus 1:5, James 5:14). In identifying himself as “the elder” (2 John 1:1, 3 John 1:1), John was simply affirming his authority and role as spiritual and pastoral leader, perhaps of the Ephesian church where he resided for many years.  The Apostle Peter also did that in his letter when addressing the elders of the local congregations, he identified himself as a fellow-elder, and not as an apostle (1 Peter 5:1).

When he wrote the 3 epistles and Revelation, the Apostle John was already a very old man, so the term “elder” could also refer to his seniority of age. The Apostle Paul, in writing his pastoral appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, called himself “an old man” (Philemon1:9), that same root word rendered as “elder” in John’s letters.

So the use of “elder” by John to refer to himself could refer both to his church office and his advanced age.  This has led many evangelical Bible scholars to conclude that John the Apostle and John the Elder are one and the same person who wrote the Gospel of John, the 3 epistles (1, 2 and 3 John) and Revelation.  —K.T. Sim

Feel free to submit a “you choose Q” to ODJ by using the contact us form on the home page!