"There was no dispute among the apostolic fathers (that is, those living a generation or two after the apostles themselves) as to the authorship of the Revelation. The author identifies himself four times simply as 'John' (1:1, 4; 21:2; 22:8), expecting that, without further self-description, he would be known to his audience. The earliest fathers - e.g., Justin Martyr (d. 165), Irenaeus (c. 180), Clement of Alexandria (d. 215), Tertullian (d. 220) - unanimously identified this author with John, the son of Zebedee, one of the twelve apostles, and the 'beloved disciple' of Christ, to whom the writing of the fourth Gospel and three epistles is also attributed. If this is so, then the book of Revelation certainly belongs in our New Testament...[t]he overturning of the strong, early tradition of apostolic authorship should require convincing evidences."1
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnote:
1. Steve Gregg, Revelation: Four Views, Revised & Updated - A Parallel Commentary, p. 24-25.
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