Hi Folks
Here is an article by Ben Witherington that proposes that the disciple whom Jesus loved (which has been traditionally assumed by to be John the son of Zebedee) may actually have been Lazarus.
It's a bit technical at times, but is worth the read.
http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007...ciple.html
Yeah I currently agree with that. If you just read the book without outside the influences I think the obvious conclusion you could come to would be that it was Lazarus since he is specifically said to be the one Jesus loved and others recognized and remarked about this intense love that existed between them.
So are you saying that Lazurus wrote the Fourth Gospel?
Warm Christian Love
Bangalore
So are you saying that Lazurus wrote the Fourth Gospel?
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  Warm Christian Love
    Bangalore
That's my understanding.
We have to keep in mind that when these books first circulated they didn't have the "Gospel of Matthew", "Gospel of John", etc. attached to them.  So in order to deduce the authorship we have to either rely on internal evidence or Christian tradition.
I think that Dr. Witherington builds a strong-case from internal evidence that the author is Lazarus as opposed to the traditional understanding of John the Apostle.
Greetings dear brothers and sisters, may you have abundant blessings from Jehovah this day and always:
My dear brother Interpretum, I went to the link on Lazerus being the beloved disciple and like many here, not only find it compelling, but agreeable to a large extent. I am one who needs to read things over and over before it sinks in, and I have not done so at this point with this essay of the DR. Before I go over it again, I would like to get your thoughts on the following scriptures. Probably easily answered, but as mentioned above it would save me much time at least for this one aspect.
In John 21: there are several versus that raise some questions. I will post this chapter and highlight these versus, and then pose the questions. I know it may be elementary for most but please bear with me my brother.
Chapter 21
1 After that, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how he did it: 2 There were Simon Peter, Thomas (the Twin), Nathaniel ([BarTholomew]) from Cana of Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
Was one of these disciples Lazarus? If so then that would make it possible for verse 7 to be
Construed as Lazarus speaking to Peter, see below.
3 Simon Peter said to them, ‘I’m going fishing.’ And they told him, ‘We want to come along.’ So, they went out and got into the boat, but they didn’t catch anything all night long.
4 However, just as it was starting to get light, Jesus was standing on the beach. However, the disciples didn’t recognize that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus shouted, ‘Young children, you don’t have anything to eat, do you?’
And they answered ‘No!’
6 So, he said, ‘Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’
Then they threw the net out, but they weren’t able to bring it back in because there were so many fish. 7 At that, the disciple who Jesus used to love told Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’
Is this really Lazarus speaking to Peter?
And when Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he slipped on his robe (because he was naked) and dove into the sea. 8 However, the rest of the disciples came along in the boat dragging their net of fish, because they weren’t very far from land, only about three hundred feet.
9 When they reached the shore, they noticed a charcoal fire with fish and bread lying on it. 10 Then Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you just caught.’
11 At that, Simon Peter pulled the net to land. It was filled with a hundred and fifty-three large fish, and although there were so many, the net didn’t rip.
12 So, Jesus said, ‘Come and get your breakfast.’
However, none of the disciples had enough courage to ask him who he was, because they knew it was the Lord. 13 So, Jesus went and handed them some bread and fish. 14 This was the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 Following breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jona, do you love me more than these [fish]?’
And he replied, ‘Yes Lord, you know how much I care for you.’
Then [Jesus] said, ‘Feed my lambs.’
16 A second time [Jesus] asked, ‘Simon, son of Jona, do you love me?’
And he said, ‘Yes Lord, you know how much I care for you.’
And he said, ‘Shepherd my little sheep.’
17 Then he asked a third time, ‘Simon, son of Jona, do you care for me?’
Well, Peter was hurt when he asked the third time, ‘Do you care for me?’ So, he said, ‘Lord, you know everything and you know how much I care for you.’
Then Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my little sheep.
18 ‘I tell you the truth, when you were young you used to wrap your clothes around you and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will wrap you up and take you where you don’t want to go.’
19 He said this to show [Peter] the type of death he would [die, to] glorify God. After that he said, ‘But, keep following me.’
20 Well, when he turned around, Peter saw the disciple who Jesus used to love [i]following them[i] (the one who, at the evening meal, leaned back on [Jesus’] chest and asked, ‘Lord, who will betray you?’). 21 On seeing him, Peter asked Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’
If Lazarus was with them and speaking to Peter above, then who would this person be who was following them who is also spoken of as the disciple who Jesus loved?
22 And Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, why should you care? You keep following me!’
A side point here is, it seems that this scripture could support this person following Jesus as really being Lazarus by virtue of this thought. Â
Could Peter here asking Jesus “Lord what about him?†have some reference to the idea that they thought Lazarus would go with Jesus?      And when Jesus If I want him to remain until I come why should you care,†some how support the fact that in fact it was Lazarus who had been resurrected from the dead and with that they thought that Lazarus was supposed to go with Jesus?
23 However, because of that, word was spread among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But Jesus didn’t say he wouldn’t die, he just said, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, why should you care?’
24 This is the disciple who testified about and wrote about these things, and we know that the witness he provides is true.
25 It’s a fact that Jesus did so many other things that if the details were ever written, I suppose the world wouldn’t have enough room to hold the scrolls.
I hope I did not confuse you with this or complicate it more, but I am really interested in your thoughts my brother. Please help me tie this all in, I would greatly appreciate it.
Christ’s’ love and peace to you and all my dear ones out there, brother Fred