I cannot imagine the Jerusalem high priest knowing, in a familial or professional sense, a Galilean fisherman and letting him into his HQ to hear a capital trial against a prophetic agitator and messianic claimant. If you are about to adjudicate a case against a possible enemy of the state, you don’t let in your fishmonger!
Bird has a more limited imagination than me. If, say, John was a young (upper teens, early 20s) nephew of the high priest, I don't find anything implausible about his uncle inviting him to sit in (quietly) on official gatherings. Those are the kinds of informal perks that often come with extended families. And it wasn't even an official trial.
In fact, it wouldn't have to be a direct invitation from the high priest. If John's a relative, he'd be known to the entourage of the high priest, and have ways to get himself invited to religious events by other age-mates who tag along with the retinue.
Both Wenham and J. A. T. Robinson argue that John may have had a priestly lineage (through a Salome/Elizabeth connection). If so, that raises the question of whether he was related to the high priest. Keener entertains the possibility that the disciple was a kinsman of the high priest, which gave him entrée.
Both Wenham and J. A. T. Robinson argue that John may have had a priestly lineage (through a Salome/Elizabeth connection). If so, that raises the question of whether he was related to the high priest. Keener entertains the possibility that the disciple was a kinsman of the high priest, which gave him entrée.
For an introductory defense of the Johannine authorship and historical reliability of John's Gospel see THIS THREAD.
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