Bart Ehrman posted an interview with his colleague Hugo Méndez at UNC Chapel Hill yesterday and it was really interesting: HERE. They discuss whether the Gospel of John is a forgery. The author of the Gospel of John is aware that he is presenting a Jesus who is not present in other gospels, so he makes up the idea that he is Jesus’ closest disciple which is how he knows these things – and that the author is aware these are things Jesus didn’t really teach. Rather, John is providing a lens through which the other gospels are to be read, and so even though Jesus is not God in Mark, if you read John first Mark can then be later understood in that way and through that Johannine lense. The author of John hence lied about his identity and the things Jesus taught. For my essay on the gospel of John which includes discussion of Dr. Méndez, see here.