Ca 97 CE

The Roman Christian Gospel of John is published about now according to scholars although it could have been in the early 90’s since the First letter of Clement does make one similar comment to John 14:15.  It was likely published around the Antioch in Syria as a response to the Gospel of Thomas, specifically, and the Samaritan mystery school teachings in general.  In contesting the Samaritan knowledge and viewpoints it admits that John the Baptist evangelized among the Samaritans in Aenon and that Jesus had an early and large number of Samaritan disciples—which supposedly arose from the ‘Woman at the Well’ incident.  The ‘disciple that Jesus loved’ mystery is cleared up if it is realized that Queen Helen of Adiabene shows up in many different guises in this gospel which is pointed at Samaritans who knew the truth .  She is ‘the Woman at the Well’, ‘Mary’, ‘Mary Magdalene’, ‘Joseph of Arimathea’, and ‘Nicodemus’ (who was invented by Rabbinical tradition as a pseudonym for Queen Helen after the Synoptics began being published).  John plays up correspondences with Moses who Samaritans revered.  Thomas in contrast to the Synoptics shows up in John not believing in the physical resurrection but then is made to confess upon seeing Jesus.  Jesus then snubs Thomas “blessed are they that have not seen and yet believed.” The spiritual ascent—higher-self theology of Thomas is countered with the Logos Theology in John that is absent from the Synoptics and is so lofty as to say that disciples cannot follow Jesus.  Disciples need not seek after Wisdom.  All they need to do is believe and they are saved automatically.