Since the end of the first century, the beloved disciple has been commonly identified with John the Evangelist.Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History Book iii. Chapter xxiii. Scholars have debated the authorship of Johannine literature (the Gospel of John, Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation) since at least the third century, but especially since the Enlightenment. The authorship by John the Apostle is rejected by many modern scholars, but not entirely. There is a consensus among Johannine scholars that the beloved disciple was a real historical person, but there is no consensus on who the beloved disciple was.
