Short answer
– From a traditional evangelical standpoint, the most likely author of John 1:1–2, 14 (the Prologue of the Fourth Gospel) is John the Apostle — the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ inner-circle disciples and the “beloved disciple” mentioned in the Gospel.

Why evangelicals attribute the Gospel to John the Apostle
– Internal testimony: The Gospel itself repeatedly points to an eyewitness author — especially John 21:24 (“This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.”) and the frequent reference to “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” who appears at key events (the Last Supper, the cross, the empty tomb).
– Early church testimony: Fathers such as Irenaeus (late 2nd century), who was a disciple of Polycarp (a disciple of John), explicitly identify the apostle John as the Gospel’s author. Other early witnesses (Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen) also support Johannine authorship.
– Eyewitness character & theology: Evangelicals argue the Gospel’s vivid scene detail, its theological depth about Jesus’ person (preexistence, deity, incarnation) and its consistent perspective fit an eyewitness who also reflected theologically on what he saw.
– Unity with Johannine letters: Many evangelicals see strong linguistic, thematic and theological continuity between the Gospel and 1–3 John, supporting single authorship (the apostle John) for those writings.

Dating and location (evangelical consensus range)
– Most evangelicals date John to the late first century (commonly ca. AD 85–95), probably written in Ephesus or the surrounding province where John is traditionally thought to have lived late in life.

Key points about John 1:1–2, 14 (why evangelicals value these verses)
– 1:1–2 emphasizes the Logos’ preexistence and deity (“In the beginning was the Word… the Word was God”), affirming Jesus’ eternal nature — a foundation for evangelical Christology.
– 1:14 (“The Word became flesh…”) affirms the incarnation — that the eternal Word took on real human flesh — central to evangelical teaching about the true humanity and true deity of Christ.
– These verses, seen as testimony from an eyewitness-apostle, are treated as historically grounded proclamation, not merely abstract theology.

Other considerations and brief caveats
– Some critical scholars propose alternatives (e.g., a Johannine community or “John the Elder”) and debate the degree to which the Prologue reflects Hellenistic philosophical language (Logos) or Jewish background. Evangelicals typically acknowledge these scholarly conversations but maintain that the best explanation of the internal and external evidence is authorship by the Apostle John.
– Evangelicals emphasize both the theological depth and the historical reliability of John’s witness: it’s read as proclaiming who Jesus is and calling readers to personal faith (see John 20:30–31).

If you want, I can:
– Summarize the early patristic witnesses (Irenaeus, Clement, etc.) with quotes.
– Outline the main scholarly objections and evangelical responses in more detail.
– Provide a short devotional reflection or preaching points based on John 1:1–14.