Gospel of JohnThis essay will show the contrasting views on the Gospel of John regarding authorship, dates and the relationship between the Gospel of John and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. A comparison of thought, concerning the composition and the living environment, will also be presented. The majority of information available to us today describing the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ is contained in the four Gospels. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. The Gospel of John differs in many key areas from the Synoptics, and I will touch on a few different lines of thought. The two main texts that I will use for comparison purposes will be taken from: 1. "An Introduction to the New Testament" pages 362-379 titled "The Gospel According to John" by Raymond .E. Brown.2. "John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament" pages 1-18 entitled "Introduction to the Gospel of John" by Andreas. J. Kostenberger.Authorship.Raymond E.Brown argues that John may not have been responsible for all or parts of John's Gospel that are available to us today. He begins by stating that over the past two centuries, the "majority of scholars have moved toward the position that John was not written by an eyewitness." "He also wrote "Accordingly, the present Gospel is believed to involve the work of two hands, an evangelist who composed the body of the Gospel and an editor who then made additions. Brown goes on to make a number of statements, some his own thoughts and others quoting other researchers, which give more indication of his personal opinion and approach to the question of authorship. For example, "...a guy... ...in the middle of the document...we must not exaggerate. almost two millennia. I find some comfort in Kostenberger's attitude"....without excessive dogmatism on the part of all sides." Likewise, with Brown, I am inclined to agree, in the absence of compelling evidence, that it is wise to adopt a middle position. Bibliography: Brown, RE Introduction to New Testament (Doubleday.NY 1996) Hill, JR Bible Study Commentary, John. (Ark Publishing, London 1981) Kostenberger, AJ John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker Bookhouse Co. 2004) Knoch, AE Concurring Commentary on. the New Testament. (Concordant Publishing Concern.1968)Tasker, RVG The Gospel According to Saint John.(Tyndale Press. 1966)