Gospel of St JOHN, a canonical book of the New Testament, containing a recital of the life, actions, doctrine, and death, of our Saviour Jesus Christ, written by St John the apostle and evangelist. At the desire of the Christians of Asia, St John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus, after his return from the isle of Patmos. St Jerome says he would not undertake it, except upon condition that they should appoint a public fast to implore the assistance of God; and that, the fast being ended, St John, filled with the Holy Ghost, broke out into the words, "In the beginning was the Word," &c. The ancients assign two reasons for this undertaking. The first is, because, in the other three Gospels, there was wanting the history of the beginning of Jesus Christ's preaching till the imprisonment of John the Baptist, which therefore he applied himself particularly to relate. The second is, that it was written in order to remove the errors of the Cerinthians, Ebionites, and other sects. But Mr Lampe and Dr Lardner have urged several reasons to show that St John in his Gospel did not write against Cerinthus, or any other heretic.