One very common interpretation of the Gospel of John is that the [Beloved Disciple](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John) was the author of the book. (Presumably, he was interested in obscuring his identity for some reason.) But other commentators have suggested a more [complicated authorship](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorship_of_the_Johannine_works) that involve a Johannine community.

The internal evidence strongly suggests that the [disciple](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/1039/68) was the author of the Gospel:

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> **[John 21:20-24](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2021:20-24&version=ESV)** (ESV)  
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> 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
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> 24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
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How do modern scholars who reject John Zebedee as the author of the Fourth Gospel reconcile this passage with their hypothesis?