RevDG writes:
so main stream may view it as anti-gnostic but thats purely because later they viewed them as heretics so any links would be considered wrong
Main stream had their reasons. Some would say that the prevailing views of the church were political and based on power and human fallibility. Others, such as myself, tend to view the anti-gnostic stance as quite orthodox and proper.
Regardless of who actually wrote John, the issue as I see it is the spirit and meaning behind the words.
I have always seen it as two basic flows....
either God directly inspired the authors--whomever they may have been--with His Spirit....
Or.
Man thought himself inspired by God and wrote entirely from a human perspective.
Did the word exist before people could even form words? Thats what I believe, and most of the
mainstream would agree with me. Humanities later attempts to
raise up through human wisdom were the heretical efforts of a fallible society. IMHO, anyway!