How many authors named John in the New Testament?

Answer 1

There is only one John who wrote the books of the New Testament bearing the name of John, and that was John the Apostle. He was the author of the Gospel of John, of 1, 2 and 3 John, and also of Revelation.

Answer 2

The only author in the New Testament actually known to be called John was the author of the Book of Revelation, since only he signed the book that he wrote. This author is now commonly referred to as John of Patmos by those who recognise that he could not have been the author of the other books attributed to the apostle John.

The gospel now known as the Gospel According to John, or John's Gospel, was originally written anonymously early in the second century and only later in the second century attributed to the apostle John. For a number of reasons, the author could not really have been the apostle John and we have no reason to believe that his name was John at all.

The epistles 1 John, 2 John and 3 John appear to have been written in the same community as John's Gospel, but not necessarily by the same author. Again, we have no reason to believe that the author(s) was called John.

Although the Gospel was written anonymously, the second-century Church Fathers noticed the references to the "disciple whom Jesus loved" and noted that he was never referred to at the same time as the apostle John. They concluded that the disciple and John were one and the same. Because of a suggestion that the author did not mention the disciple's name out of modesty, the Church Fathers also concluded that the author himself was this disciple. Thus began a tradition that the Gospel was written by John. The three epistles were soon also attributed to John. Revelation, which was considered by some to be heretical or spurious, was attributed to the apostle John purely because of the coincidence of names, and subsequently saved from obscurity by being placed in the New Testament on the grounds of being the work of an apostle.

Only one book in the New Testament is known to have been written by an author called John - John of Patmos. Scholars say the style and theology are so different to the style and theology of John's Gospel that the authors could not be the same person.