What Is the Background of the Gospel of John?

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948 proved that most of John’s concepts derive from Judaism, not Hellenism. Characteristics of John include stark contrasts (e.g., light/darkness, life/death), symbolism, and irony (see commentary throughout).

The term “the Jews” is recurrent in John and refers to (1) the Jewish people in general (e.g., 18:33); (2) the hostile Jewish people in Jerusalem (e.g., 11:54); or (3) the hostile Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (most references). The negative references have sometimes resulted in a charge of anti-Semitism. However, some passages use the term in a positive (8:31; 11:45; 12:11) or neutral way (3:1). Even when John presented the Jews negatively, the viewpoint is no more severe than similar denunciations of Israel by the OT prophets, who like John, were themselves Jewish.

After the prologue (chap. 1), chaps. 2–12 feature seven major signs that prove Jesus’ messianic identity (see comment on 2:11). After describing Christ’s farewell instructions to His disciples (chaps. 13–17) and His crucifixion (chaps. 18–19), John presented the climactic eighth sign (a number + 1; see above)—Christ’s resurrection (20:1-29; cf. 2:18-22). This account is immediately followed by John’s purpose statement (20:3031). A final epilogue balances the prologue and completes the book (21:1-25).