CHAPTER XXI.

1‐14. *Appearance of Jesus to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee; the miraculous draught of fish, after which St. John first recognises Jesus, and St. Peter leaps from the boat into the water to come to Him. The breakfast miraculously prepared for the disciples by Jesus.*

15‐17. *Peter’s triple confession of his love for his master; he is constituted by Jesus visible head of the whole Church.*

18‐19. *Jesus predicts the manner of Peter’s death, as St. John explains.*

20‐23. *He reproves Peter’s curiosity regarding the end in store for St. John.*

24‐25. *The conclusion.*

The authenticity of this last chapter of our Gospel has been questioned (see Introd. v.), and it has been contended that the chapter was not written by St. John, but by some disciple or disciples of his after his death. Even among those who admit its authenticity, some have held that it was not written at the same time as the rest of the Gospel, but at a later period, and added on as an appendix.(138) Both those who deny the authenticity of the chapter, and those who hold it to be an authentic _appendix, written at a later date_, argue from the last two verses of