The words “the disciple whom Jesus loved” in John's Gospel, referring to John himself, trouble me. Isn't this the epitome of conceit?
— Ms. Caryl A. Reid, Leesburg, Fla.

Congratulations on raising a question that has sparked many lively discussions through the years. The traditional view is that the author of John's Gospel is John, son of Zebedee. Another hypothesis is that the author is an anonymous follower of Jesus.

It is widely held that no one would presume to call himself “the beloved disciple.” Some scholars agree that John's Gospel was probably dictated to a scribe and the use of “beloved” can be attributed to the scribe.