When most Christians study the life of Jesus, they turn to the pages of the New Testament and the four canonical gospels – the three synoptic (chronological) gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, plus the book of John, which is a considerably different work.
John’s distinctive nature has led many modern scholars to conclude that it was the last gospel compiled, dating to the 2nd century CE, and is therefore irrelevant for historical studies of Jesus.
But archeological discoveries in Jerusalem as recently as the last decade may in fact challenge the skeptical scholars, and prove edifying for believers in Christ.
Modern scholars argue that John is of later authorship because it is dependent upon the synoptic gospels, and that it was written specifically to offer a much more theologically advanced and sophisticated literary work which served to complement the earlier gospel accounts....