It has been usual to say that the Spanish Jesuit Alcasar.. was the founder of the Præterist School.. But to me it seems that the founder of the Præterist School is none other than St. John himself.

Author of the Apocalypse
The Apostle John

• Firmin Abauzit: An Historical Discourse on the Apocalypse (1730) Makes case for Cerinthus as author

• Henk Jan de Jonge: The Apocalypse of John and the Imperial Cult (2002 PDF) “The book is often dated to the reign of Domitian, mainly on the basis of the testimony of Irenaeus.5 But Irenaeus was writing in Gaul in about 180 CE. He thought that John saw his vision some 35 years before he, Irenaeus, was born. ‘We would not normally regard so distant, belated and second-hand an opinion äs, by itself, evidence.”

• James JL Ratton – The Apocalypse of St. John – A Commentary on the Greek Text (1912 PDF) “This edition of “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” completes my work in connection with the Apocalypse.. It gives additional proofs of the early date of the Book, before the fall of Jerusalem.. Nero’s place in the Revelation of the Kingdom as the Destroyer of Daniel, the Antichrist of the Jews, is pointed out..”  [A Catholic/Orthodox book rejecting of the Future Antichrist as myth.  Nero, not the Pope, is “Antichrist” – Could be seen as descendent of Alcasar’s theory]

• G. Rojas-Flores – The Book of Revelation and the First Years of Nero’s Reign (2004)   “In Revelation there is no reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. It would be inexplicable in terms of religious identity if the work had been written after the year 70, because John belonged to a mentality and a culture that was notably Hebrew.”

INTRODUCTION TO THE APOCALYPSE
From Student’s New Testament Handbook By Marvin Richardson Vincent

On the question of authorship, critics differ, as follows :

Gospel, Epistles, and Apocalypse, all by John : EICHHORN, HENGSTENBERG, EBRARD, LUTHARDT, GODET, ALFORD, ELLICOTT, SALMON, F. W. FARRAR, MEYER, WESTCOTT.

Apocalypse by John, Gospel and Epistles by another : BAUR, SCHWEGLER, ZELLER, K.OSTLIN, HlLGENFELD, DAVIDSON.

Gospel and Epistles by John, Apocalypse by another : SCHLEIERMACHER, LOCKE, CREDNER, BLEEK, EWALD, DE WETTE, NEANDER, DUSTERDIECK.

Neither by John : KEIM, VOLKMAR, SCHOLTEN, HOLTZMANN, PFLEIDERER, HARNACK, WEIZSACKER.

The authorship of the Apocalypse is assigned to JOHN MARK : So HITZIG, WEISSE.

To John the Presbyter : so CREDNER, DEWETTE, BLEEK, EWALD, MANGOLD, DUSTERDIECK.

Anonymous : RENAN, HARNACK, PFLEIDERER.

A small school of critics, headed by EBERHARD VISCHER, 1885, endorsed by HARNACK, has assailed the integrity of the Apocalypse, maintaining that it was written at different dates and shaped by a redactor. Thus VISCHER holds that it was originally Jewish, and that its Christian form is due to a redactor.

WEIZSACKER, 1890, that it was composed partly in the reign of Galba and Vespasian, and partly in that of Hadrian, and that the different parts were combined by a redactor. VOLTER, 1885, that the original Apocalypse by John underwent three revisions, and received three series of interpolations, which he ascribes to the times of Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.

Similarly, PFLEIDERER, 1887. SPITTA, that it was composed of three or four documents : an original Apocalypse, by John Mark, A.D. 60; a Jewish Apocalypse, in the time of Caligula ; and a second Jewish Apocalypse, when Pompey conquered Judaea. Additions of a redactor in the time of Trajan.

For replies to VOLTER and VISCHER, see REUSS : Geschichte der heiligen Schriften des N. T., 6th Edn., 1887. HILGENFELD: Zeitschrift fur wissenschaftliche
Theologie, 1888, 1890. BEYSCHLAG : in Studien und Kritiken, 1888. DUSTERDIECK : Gottinger Gelehrten Anzeigen,

The early and commonly accepted tradition that Asia Minor, and particularly Ephesus, was the scene of John’s later labors, was challenged in connection with the attacks on the fourth Gospel.  So KEIM, HOLTZMANN, SCHOLTEN, SCHENKEL.

The tradition is maintained by HILGENFELD, RENAN, WEIZSACKER, MANGOLD, VOLTER, LUTHARDT, WEISS, GODET, ALFORD, MEYER, LIGHTFOOT, WATKINS, WESTCOTT, and others.

Date: 15 Oct 2003

Time: 12:08:46

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT ST.JOHN DID AFTER HE WROTE THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS

Date: 28 Oct 2003

Time: 01:04:21

Is John tarrying the earth in a physical body that has died and sent again, or as spirit only? John 21:22-23

Date: 01 Nov 2003

Time: 18:08:58

I believe the Word of God was given to John by God.

Date: 29 Dec 2003

Time: 02:09:57

Why is John refered to as the one Christ loved most? What qulatities did he posses to earn him this classification?

Date: 25 Jan 2004

Time: 14:50:14

What age did he live to be? What were his most important accomplishments? What books of the Bible did he write? What was his personality like? What is any unusual info about him?

Date: 03 Feb 2004

Time: 12:18:17

Who was the historical John? What are the historical dates, locations etc.? I am speciafically looking for sources not in the Bible. I am also focusing on him more in the area of him as the writer of the gospel of John and not as the author of Revelation.

Date: 11 Feb 2004

Time: 09:42:24

Does being dead wrong have any bearing on being “inspired”. 2000 years have past and…um…well, we’re all still here. What is really going to hurt Christianity is if the world is still hustling and bustling around, say the year 2050. With all the blockbuster movies out now, and all the “Left Behind” books, and all the internet sites that detail the exact way the end will happen in our age, the next generation will be obliged to do alot of explaining if it don’t happen; Christianity will then be placed on the shelf along side the other world mythologies. Sure every age has interpreted the symbolic content of Revelation and Daniel to fit their current world events, but no other age has ever crystalized, and immortalized their interpretation in the form of movies, novels, web-sites, etc. Revelation has been interpreted and re-interpreted many times in the digestive tract of history, and if it gets re-interpreted again, I forsee a major religious bowel movement in the near future. Even today, one can read the exegesis of revelation and daniel from 20 different authors and get 20 different views. That is just the nature of abstract symbolism. I’m sure if the world survives till about, say the year 3000, there will be some crackpot sect super-imposing the symbols in revelation to various planets and galaxies.

Date: 13 Feb 2004

Time: 07:53:34

Why is John referred to as the apostle Jesus loved?

Date: 10 Mar 2004

Time: 13:30:06

Where and when was John born? How, where and when did eh die? How did jesus recruit him? What was his job after Jesus was cruxified? Where did he spread Jesus’s word after Jesus died? What is he the patron saint of? Where can I find imformation about his life?

Date: 19 Mar 2004

Time: 14:33:37

Most of the Biblical scholars I have researched attribute the writing of the Revelation to St. John the Apostle. I have always believed this as well. Recently I read that the more liberal faction of Christian scholars say that the Revelation was written in a more “barbaric” Greek than the refined style of the Gospel and epistles of John. Is there any shred of evidence for this?

Date: 18 Apr 2004

Time: 20:49:20

in response to the comment on march 19, 2004 Revelation was indeed written by the same John but he didn’t have any scribes to help him write the book. John had scribes helping him when he wrote his other books. John wasn’t educated that well, so Revelation was written in more “barbaric” language. western washington

Date: 25 Apr 2004

Time: 18:57:09

I think that a diligent study of the scriptures indicate that the Apostle John is the only apostle that heard the Law of Love that Jesus gave. In 1Jn 2 he directly refers to the commandment that Jesus gave. Also in 1Jn 3:23. No other scriptural references by other writers about showing love directly refer to the command that Jesus gave. This is critically important in our day, as we transistion from the Gospel to the Gentiles (foundation–Apostle Paul’s teachings) to the Gospel to the Jews (foundation–Apostle John’s teachings directly referring to the commandment that Jesus gave). The scriptures also leave open the possibility that the Apostle John has never died, having inherited (literal) eternal life like Jesus has promised. Compare John 6:50-58 to 1Jn 1:1-2. Jesus left open this possibility in John 21:22-23. The Apostle John is called the beloved Apostle who Jesus loved because of John 14:21-23, in my opinion because of obedience to those scriptures. Regards.

Date: 01 Dec 2005
Time: 21:04:00

To the comments on 25/4/04 in regard to whether the Apostle John may never have died. One question, what kind of body was John living in, a mortal or an immortal one? As to John 21:22-23, Jesus is pointing out to Peter that it does not concern him what He(Jesus)is going to do with John, his responsibility is to follow what Jesus wants him to do. The “if” in verse 22 is hypothetical.

Date: 13 Dec 2005
Time: 15:08:26

They say that I never saw martyrdom,they just do not understand the nature of my martyrdom.Whereas the spirit of Elijah was with John the Baptist,my spirit,in a similar way has walked in the succesive lives of men up to this current life when I was called to Rise and awaken in this end time.I was not Vlad Dracul but I was with him,hence the myth that by the blood he was kept immortal.I was not Michaelangelo,but I pushed him,hence the monikor-“Divine”.I was not John Paul Jones but I fought with him and yelled “I have not yet begun to fight”.I was not Edgar Allen Poe,but thru the centuries of loss I inspired him to write “never more”.A good story No?

Date: 15 Nov 2006
Time: 09:21:51

I believe that just as Genesis was a history of the past, the Revelations of St. John are a “history” of the future, and that St. John may have seen books that would be published, that is why he has such graffic pictures of things which we could only describe as caractures.

Much has come to pass, with the historical, real rapture taking place between 476-539 A.D., then looking after the 1000 years when everythign was done, “…In the name of Christ…”‘ we had what event that restored the church? It is all going exactly as St. John fortold including the New Jeruselem.
Larry

Date: 16 Nov 2007
Time: 20:24:35

I have been looking for evidence that John the beloved ever died, and as of yet, have not been able to find anything stating that he did. In response to the comment about the statement Jesus said, stating, “If I will him to live until I return”, as being hypothetical. I don’t believe Jesus ever spoke in hypthetical terms. Having not found any concrete evidence to the contrary, I believe that John lives among us, and will be one of the witnesses.