Revelation

Book Written:   Both HC and Baker link the time of writing to periods of religious persecution.  One such period is during Nero's reign  (54-68 A.D.) 68 A.D. and a later possibility is during Domitian's reign  (81-96 A.D.) in 96 A.D.

Time Period/Setting:   The author writes to seven Christian communities in Asia Minor:   Pergamum, Thyatira, Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia, Ephesus and Laodicea.  Yet, these communities would not likely have been being actively persecuted at the time Revelation was written.  HC notes that the persecution under Nero affected mostly Christians in Rome.  HC says the evidence is scant that Domitian promoted any kind of official persecution of Christians in Asia Minor. Both HC and Baker remind that the book may be a warning of things to come.

HC refers to the author of Revelation as a member of the Johannine community, but certainly not the apostle John.  Here, Baker agrees that authorship is uncertain, perhaps attributable to a disciple of John, if not the apostle himself.  The author does identify himself as having been on Patmos, Ch. 1, 9.

Title:  From the Greek apokalypsis meaning 'revelation,' 'the revealing or disclosure of something hidden' as in Ch 1, 1 "the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

I've written a bit here about apocalyptic literature but here are a few helpful reminders concerning such literature since we're on this page.  Apocalyptic literature: depicts a conflict between Satan and God or between a present evil time vs. a better time to come; is told in the first person; is abundant in symbolism; may present an "interpreting angel."   Regarding symbolism, Baker reminds us that "almost every material thing mentioned stands for something else."  Definitely.  Babylon is Rome.  The 'great whore' is Rome.   The beast is the Roman empire.  The 'little scroll' is revelation. A lampstand is this, a dragon is that.  The number 7 is mentioned 57 times.   Baker also admonishes that we not presume the book of Revelation refers to or predicts present-day struggles.  The message of the book is specific to its historical time period.  

Letter of John, 1, 2 and 3

Book Written:  For all three letters, HC places the date at 100 A.D., Baker at 90 A.D.

Time Period/Setting:  HC believes these three letters to have been written in Ephesus.  For the audience, the "little children," see below.  The "elect lady" of  2 John is a particular church, though which one is not known. 3 John is addressed to Gaius whom Baker identifies simply as an important person in the church to which the letter is addressed.

Title:  Once again and no surprise, HC calls into question John the apostle and author of the fourth gospel as the writer of these chapters.  He identifies the author as perhaps the "elder" in letter 2 or a member of the same early Christian community of the fourth gospel.  Baker has no such qualms and identifies the apostle as author of all three letters.   Both Baker and HC agree that 1 John is not an actual letter but 2, 3 John are. 

Concerning 1 John, HC explains that this speech or sermon may have been written to counter those in the Christian community who were claiming that Jesus was pure spirit and not a physical human being.  Baker says the theme in 2 John is remaining faithful to the early teachings of the apostles.  The theme of 3 John, a very short letter,  discusses administrative matters.  All three letters echo the language of the fourth gospel.

John

Book Written:  Somewhere between 70 A.D. and 90 A.D.

Time Period/Setting:  Written in either Ephesus or Antioch about and/or for a Christian group separating from the larger Jewish community to which it had previously belonged. HC says that this gospel deals with the tension between these two groups, particularly over the Christian claim that Jesus is the Son of God. 

Title: Refers to John the Apostle, brother of James.  John is the author of the book.

The gospel of John is of course the different gospel, the one set apart from the synoptic gospels.  It's also the gospel of 'onlys'--the only mention of the miracle at Cana, the only mention of Nicodemus, the only mention of the Samaritan woman at the well, the only mention of  Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, the only mention of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, the only mention of the "new" commandment to love one another as Jesus has loved them (Ch. 13,34-35), the only mention of the piercing of Jesus' side, the only mention of Roman soldiers at Jesus' arrest, the only mention of Jesus appearing to Thomas.