Do you believe Robinson's theory (1985) that John's Gospel was written first?

Question

The more detailed the answer you give with evidence will be chosen as the best.

Answer 1

There is nothing in the new testament that can be considered as having been written first.

Answer 2

As I understand it, Mark's Gospel was written first. But that wasn't a widely held belief until the 19th century. You can tell that there is a similarity between Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I have a book, " A Harmony of the Four Gospels" by Orville E, Daniel that is printed with a timeline and displays the four Gospels in parallel columns. John is so different, that I doubt that John had been influenced, at least very much by, the other three.

So I do not know which came first. Ihave been taught that Mark was the first, and Matthew's and Luke's were using Mark's to reference.

So I can tell you whichever was first, I believe them all.

Answer 3

The finding of a fragment of John's Gospel in Egypt, now known as the Rylands Papyrus 457 (P52),
containing John 18:31-33, 37, 38, and preserved at the John Rylands Library, Manchester, England.
Concerning it Sir Frederick Kenyon of London says in his book, The Bible and Modern Scholarship, published in 1948:
“It suffices to prove that a manuscript of this gospel was circulating, presumably in provincial Egypt where it was found, about the period A.D. 130-150. Allowing for even a minimum time for the circulation of the work from its place of origin, this would throw back the date of composition so near to the traditional date in the last decade of the first century that there is no longer any reason to question the validity of the tradition.”

I emphasize:
"so near the traditional date that there is no longer any need to question....."
The traditional date is 98 A.D.
Matthew wrote in 41
Mark wrote around 65
Luke wrote around 58