Objections to the Apostle's Authorship Answered

The first to question the Apostle John as the author of Revelation and suggest it was written by another John was Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria from AD 248 until his death on November 17, 265. Eusebius says that Dionysius questioned the Apostle John's authorship of Revelation for several reasons.[4] One reason was because the author's writing style differs from the style of John in the gospel. Although it must be admitted that there are significant differences in style, there are also some significant similarities in imagery and diction ("Word" and "Lamb" used for Jesus, reference to Jesus being "pierced," "water of life," "him that thirsts," "true," and "overcome/conquer").[5]

A second reason Dionysius questioned that the Apostle wrote Revelation was because John did not include his name in his other writings while Revelation mentions the name of John several times both at the beginning and at the end (Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8). This reasoning, however, overlooks that none of the authors of the four gospels identify themselves in the text of their gospels. Furthermore, 1st John is not really an epistle, which generally names the author, but more like a doctrinal address. Preachers don't often identify themselves within their speeches. On the other hand, 2nd and 3rd John are quite intimate letters in which the writer is identified by details within the letter.[6] Hence, it should not be surprising to see John include his name in Revelation which mimics the opening and closing of epistles such as those of Paul.

Despite the objections of Dionysius and some modern scholars, the witness of the early church that the Apostle John wrote Revelation is accepted, and any differences are accounted for by differing genre, occasion, and purpose.[7]

[4] Eusebius, Church History, Bk. VII, xxvii.
[5] Alan F. Johnson, "Revelation", The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 12: Hebrews Through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 405. Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), 14. G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 35.
[6] Ray Summers, Worthy Is the Lamb: An Interpretation of Revelation (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1951), 73-79.
[7] G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 34-35.