Josephus and other contemporaries on Jesus

[JairCrawford]

1)  Mark’s Gospel dates from around AD 65. The authors of the other three Gospels used Mark as one of their primary sources, but embellished the details, thereby making their Gospels lengthier than Mark’s. Also, the other authors, writing later than Mark, had access to additional material.

2)  This being said, one should not under estimate John’s scholarly abilities. He had the unique ability to blend historical fact with theological purpose in dramatic narrative. He takes the historical facts of the other three Gospels and blends them with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, making this Gospel the unique blending of the practical and the mystical. Although written from a Jewish perspective, he uses the vocabulary of the contemporary Hellenistic mind.

This actually sums up my interpretation of John pretty neatly.