Readings & Reflections: Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, December 27,2019

The Apostle and Evangelist John was a fisherman before he met Christ.  Tradition identifies John with the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” Privileged witness to the Lord’s Transfiguration and the agony in Gethsemane, John shared a familiarity with Jesus that is most aptly expressed at the Last Supper, where he reclined with his head upon Jesus’ breast. He was the only Apostle who remained at the foot of the Cross. To him Jesus entrusted his Mother. With Peter, John and one of the first witnesses to the Resurrection. John was accorded as one of the three “pillars of the Church.” After the persecution of Herod Agripa, in which his brother James was martyred, John traveled to Asia Minor, where he composed his Gospel and epistles in Ephesus. The Book of Revelation was written while John was in exile on the island of Patmos. John’s Gospel records Jesus’ majestic final discourses, meditations on the mysterious communion of the Father and the Son. John is the  author of the fourth Gospel, epistles, and the Book of Revelation, is often represented as an eagle, one the “four living creatures” from Revelation 4:6-8. John’s Gospel begins by placing Jesus Christ within the context of eternity, as the eternal logos (Word) of the Father. Often the first Greek texts read by students of Scripture, his epistles are simple, luminous lessons on God’s love. Saint Augustine says that John “soars like an eagle above the clouds of human infirmity, and gazes upon the light of the unchangeable truth with those keenest and steadiest eyes of the heart.”  He died in Ephesus around the year 100 A.D.

AMDG+
Opening Prayer

God our Father, you have revealed the mysteries of your Word
through St. John the apostle. By prayer and reflection may we come to understand the wisdom he taught. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading 1
1 Jn 1:1-4

Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12

R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Gospel
Jn 20:1a and 2-8

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Our lives are part of God’s mighty plan

“What we have seen and heard we proclaim in turn to you so that you may share life with us.” 1John 1:3

Our lives are part of God’s mighty plan for the rest of humanity. Quite often, we tend to believe that God just wants us to draw close to Him and nothing more. We take on the attitude that so long as we do not hurt other people and are faithful to our calling as Christians, then that would be perfect for our Lord. The truth of the matter is God expects a little more from us.

With His Spirit in our hearts, He has empowered us to bring our neighbor to a renewed life with Him through our own words and actions. Through our witnessing and the way we relate with one another, our Lord is hoping that we would play a major role in evangelizing not only within the Body of Christ but in the world as a whole.

Today, our Lord is opening our hearts to the role He wants all of us to take in the ongoing work of salvation. If only we will open our hearts to His call, God will reveal to us His noble plan for all of us. Every man is important to God and He wants to use each one of us to accomplish His plan. He is calling us to bring glad tidings to the poor and lowly, to heal the broken hearted and to announce God’s favor to the ends of the earth.

God does not only want us to draw close to Him and His church. He wants us to serve one another, the way Jesus served His children.  He wants us to be Christ to all and share Him with everyone. He wants us to proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that our lives, yours and mine, will be full. So that where ever we are, God will be foremost in our hearts, so that Jesus will continue to reign in our hearts.

The plan God has decreed in Christ, He wants to be carried out in the fullness of time. He wants all of us to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one headship of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this plan, we were chosen as God decreed according to His will and counseled that we are all predestined to praise His glory by being the first to hope in Christ.

In Him, we were chosen when we heard the glad tidings of salvation, the word of truth, and believed in it. He sealed us and empowered us with His Spirit so that we may be able to put all things under the feet of our Lord Jesus. God wants us to give ourselves to Him and His people. It is His hope that we freely share Him with everyone – His blessings, His grace and His Word.

Direction

Proclaim God’s Word and His justice so that all will see His glory.

Prayer

Jesus, my brother,
I feel shy about calling you ‘brother’ as John did,
but I know that you invite me to love you as a brother
and I know I cannot comprehend
your unlimited love for me.

May my life be as focused as John’s life.
Help me to be as loving and compassionate
to those who grieve
as John was to your mother.
Guide me in spreading the joy of the good news of your life
with courage and joy
and by the example of my own life.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of faith. Give me the grace to pursue my selfless work in disciplining your people. In the might Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – John saw the Word of God made flesh and believed

What was it like for those who encountered the only begotten Son of God in human form? John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote his Gospel account as an eye-witness of the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14), and who died and rose for our salvation. John was the first apostle to reach the tomb of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning. Like the other disciples, he was not ready to see an empty tomb and to hear the angel’s message, Why do you seek the living among the dead (Luke 24:5)?

The Lord Jesus came to set us free from sin and death and give us everlasting life
What did John see in the tomb that led him to believe in the resurrection of Jesus? It was certainly not a dead body. The dead body of Jesus would have dis-proven the resurrection and made his death a tragic conclusion to a glorious career as a great teacher and miracle worker. When John saw the empty tomb he must have recalled Jesus’ prophecy that he would rise again after three days. Through the gift of faith John realized that no tomb on earth could contain the Lord and giver of life.

Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father and the Savior who died and rose for us
John in his first epistle testifies: What we have seen, heard, and touched we proclaim as the word of life which existed “from the beginning” (1 John 1:1-4). John bears witness to what has existed from all eternity. This “Word of Life” is Jesus the Word Incarnate, but also Jesus as the word announced by the prophets and Jesus the word now preached throughout the Christian churches for all ages to come. One thing is certain, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to his disciples, we would never have heard of him. Nothing else could have changed sad and despairing men and women into people radiant with joy, hope, and courage.

The reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central fact of the Christian faith. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord gives us “eyes of faith” to know him and the power of his resurrection. The greatest joy we can have is to encounter the living Jesus Christ and to know him personally as our Savior and Lord.

“Lord Jesus Christ, you have triumphed over the grave and you have won new life for us. Give me the eyes of faith to see you in your glory. Help me to draw near to you and to grow in the knowledge of your great love and power that sets us free to love and serve you now and forever in your everlasting kingdom.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/dec27.htm

Reflection 3 – The Call to be an Evangelist

Mary Magdalene was an evangelist. She ran to tell the disciples of an empty tomb, the news that something strange had happened to the crucified Jesus. Though she did not have information about his whereabouts, she felt impelled to alert the disciples to this mysterious event.

Later, when the letter of St. John was written, we are given an evangelist’s report of what he heard, saw, and touched: the person of Jesus Christ. In this Son of God, eternal life is given to us. In Jesus, eternal life is made visible and available since we have been called into fellowship with him. John had to write of this lest his joy be complete.

One of the deepest longings of the human heart is to share the good things we know. Secrets and knowledge are just waiting to be revealed. We cannot keep good news to ourselves. Evangelists are individuals who have been so touched and moved by grace that they are compelled to go forth, often running, to communicate what they have seen and heard. Are we not all “evangelist” when we have seen a good movie or read a good book and urge others to get to the theater or the bookstore as quickly as possible? And when the message is about a person, the urgency increases tenfold.

Though the feast of Christmas is but two days past, already we are called to be attentive to the Lord’s full life in the mystery of the resurrection. It’s all about joy, the result of God’s love breaking forth as Jesus conquered sin and death. May we see and believe in these mysteries.

Meditation: In what sense are you an evangelist? What good news do you bring to others? Who are the people in your life who brought you the gospel?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you call us to be disciples and evangelists. Make us more and more aware of your life and love; make us more and more conscious of your abiding presence. In your birth and resurrection, we are given life. In these mysteries, we are given joy.

Reflection 4 – What have you ‘seen and heard’ from God?

Reflection 9 – St. John the Apostle

It is God who calls; human beings answer. The vocation of John and his brother James is stated very simply in the Gospels, along with that of Peter and his brother Andrew: Jesus called them; they followed. The absoluteness of their response is indicated by the account. James and John “were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4:21b-22).

For the three former fishermen—Peter, James and John—that faith was to be rewarded by a special friendship with Jesus. They alone were privileged to be present at the Transfiguration, the raising of the daughter of Jairus and the agony in Gethsemane. But John’s friendship was even more special. Tradition assigns to him the Fourth Gospel, although most modern Scripture scholars think it unlikely that the apostle and the evangelist are the same person.

John’s own Gospel refers to him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2), the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, and the one to whom he gave the exquisite honor, as he stood beneath the cross, of caring for his mother. “Woman, behold your son…. Behold, your mother” (John 19:26b, 27b).

Because of the depth of his Gospel, John is usually thought of as the eagle of theology, soaring in high regions that other writers did not enter. But the ever-frank Gospels reveal some very human traits. Jesus gave James and John the nickname, “sons of thunder.” While it is difficult to know exactly what this meant, a clue is given in two incidents.

In the first, as Matthew tells it, their mother asked that they might sit in the places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom—one on his right hand, one on his left. When Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup he would drink and be baptized with his baptism of pain, they blithely answered, “We can!” Jesus said that they would indeed share his cup, but that sitting at his right hand was not his to give. It was for those to whom it had been reserved by the Father. The other apostles were indignant at the mistaken ambition of the brothers, and Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature of authority: “…[W]hoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28).

On another occasion the “sons of thunder” asked Jesus if they should not call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans, who would not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. But Jesus “turned and rebuked them” (see Luke 9:51-55).

On the first Easter, Mary Magdalene “ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him’” (John 20:2). John recalls, perhaps with a smile, that he and Peter ran side by side, but then “the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first” (John 20:4b). He did not enter, but waited for Peter and let him go in first. “Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8).

John was with Peter when the first great miracle after the Resurrection took place—the cure of the man crippled from birth—which led to their spending the night in jail together. The mysterious experience of the Resurrection is perhaps best contained in the words of Acts: “Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they [the questioners] were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

The Apostle John is traditionally considered the author of the Fourth Gospel, three New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. His Gospel is a very personal account. He sees the glorious and divine Jesus already in the incidents of his mortal life. At the Last Supper, John’s Jesus speaks as if he were already in heaven. It is the Gospel of Jesus’ glory.

Comment:

It is a long way from being eager to sit on a throne of power or to call down fire from heaven to becoming the man who could write: “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16).

Quote:

A persistent story has it that John’s “parishioners” grew tired of his one sermon, which relentlessly emphasized: “Love one another.” Whether the story is true or not, it has basis in John’s writing. He wrote what may be called a summary of the Bible: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

Patron Saint of: Turkey

Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1242

SAINT OF THE DAY
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SAINT JOHN THE APOSTLE[1]
APOSTLE
BORN	c. 6 AD Bethsaida, Judaea, Roman Empire
DIED	Ephesus, Asia, Roman Empire
VENERATED IN	Christianity
CANONIZED	Pre-congregation
FEAST	27 December (Roman Catholic) 26 September (Orthodox)
ATTRIBUTES	Book, a serpent in a chalice, cauldron, eagle
PATRONAGE	Love, loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn-victims, poison-victims, art-dealers, editors, papermakers, publishers, scribes, scholars, theologians

John the Apostle (Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ ܫܠܝܚܐ‎ Yohanan Shliha; Hebrew: יוחנן בן זבדי‎ Yohanan Ben Zavdai; (Latin andKoine Greek: Ioannes) c. AD 6 – c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesusaccording to the New Testament. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles. Christian tradition holds that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one not to die a martyr’s death. TheChurch Fathers consider him the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple. The tradition of many Christian denominations holds that he is the author of several books of the New Testament.

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1New Testament author
  • 1.1Book of Revelation
• 2References to John in the New Testament
  • 2.1Sons of thunder
  • 2.2Other references to John
  • 2.3The Disciple whom Jesus loved
• 3Extrabiblical traditions
• 4Liturgical commemoration
• 5Other views
  • 5.1Latter-day Saint view
  • 5.2Islamic view
• 6Gallery of art
• 7See also
• 8References
• 9External links

New Testament author[edit]

St. John at the Crucifixion of Jesusin a Stabat Mater by Pietro PeruginoRome, c. 1482

Lamentation of the Virgin. John the Apostle trying to console Mary

Church tradition holds that John is the author of the Gospel of Johnand four other books of the New Testament — the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation. In the Gospel, authorship is internally credited to the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, o mathētēs on ēgapa o Iēsous) in John 20:2. John 21:24 claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of the “Beloved Disciple”. The authorship of some Johannine literature has been debated since about the year 200.^[2][3] Some^{[by whom?]} doubt that the “Gospel of John” was written by an individual named “John” (Ἰωάννης or יוחנן). Nevertheless, the notion of “John the Evangelist” exists, and is usually thought of as the same as the Apostle John.

In his Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius says that the First Epistle of John and the Gospel of John are widely agreed upon as his. However, Eusebius mentions that the consensus is that the second and third epistles of John are not his but were written by some other John. Eusebius also goes to some length to establish with the reader that there is no general consensus regarding the revelation of John. The revelation of John could only be what is now called the book of Revelation.^[4] The Gospel according to John differs considerably from the Synoptic Gospels, likely written decades earlier than John’s gospel. The bishops of Asia Minor supposedly requested him to write his gospel to deal with the heresy of theEbionites, who asserted that Christ did not exist before Mary. John probably knew and undoubtedly approved of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but these gospels spoke of Jesus primarily in the year following the imprisonment and death ofJohn the Baptist.^[5] Around 600, however, Sophronius of Jerusalem noted that “two epistles bearing his name … are considered by some to be the work of a certain John the Elder” and, while stating that Revelation was written by John of Patmos, it was “later translated by Justin Martyr and Irenaeus”,^[6] presumably in an attempt to reconcile tradition with the obvious differences in Greek style.

Until the 19th century, the authorship of the Gospel of John had universally been attributed to the Apostle John. However, most modern critical scholars have their doubts.^[7][8] Some scholars agree in placing the Gospel of John somewhere between AD 65 and 85,^{[9][page needed]} John Robinson proposes an initial edition by 50–55 and then a final edition by 65 due to narrative similarities with Paul.^{[10]:pp.284,307} Other scholars are of the opinion that the Gospel of John was composed in two or three stages.^[11]:p.43 Among contemporary scholars are those who consider that the Gospel was not written until the latter third of the first century AD, and in the opinion of some an earliest possible would be 75-80 CE.^[12] “…a date of 75-80 CE as the earliest possible date of composition for this Gospel”. Other scholars think that an even later date, perhaps even the last decade of the first century AD right up to the start of the 2nd century (i.e. 90 – 100), is applicable.^[13]

Today, many theological scholars continue to accept the traditional authorship. Colin G. Kruse states that since John the Evangelist has been named consistently in the writings of early church fathers, “it is hard to pass by this conclusion, despite widespread reluctance to accept it by many, but by no means all, modern scholars.”^[14]

The Gospel of John was written by an anonymous author.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]} According to Paul N. Anderson, the gospel “contains more direct claims to eyewitness origins than any of the other Gospel traditions”.^[24] F. F. Bruce argues that 19:35 contains an “emphatic and explicit claim to eyewitness authority”.^[25] Bart D. Ehrman, however, does not think the gospel claims to have been written by direct witnesses to the reported events.^[17][26][27]

However, the Gospel’s chapter 21 ends (at verse 24) with an explicit declaration unifying the witness and authorship, in the form of a literary device of postponement of the discovery of the identity of the mysterious “other disciple,” and “disciple he loved,” and “this man,” the first two used multiple times across the expanse of eye-witness accounts:

This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. (Source, AV)

Book of Revelation[edit]

The author of the Book of Revelation identifies himself as “John”^[28]The early 2nd century writer, Justin Martyr, was the first to equate the author of Revelation withJohn the Apostle.^[29] However, some biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals.^[7][30]

John the Presbyter, an obscure figure in the early church, has also been identified with the seer of the Book of Revelation by such authors as Eusebius in his Church History (Book III, 39) ^[31] and Jerome.^[32]

John is considered to have been exiled to Patmos, during the persecutions under Emperor Domitian. Revelation 1:9 says that the author wrote the book on Patmos: “I, John, both your brother and companion in tribulation… was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Adela Yarbro Collins, a biblical scholar at Yale Divinity School, writes:

Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology. Prophecy was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with political implications, like that expressed by John in the book of Revelation, would have been perceived as a threat to Roman political power and order. Three of the islands in the Sporadeswere places where political offenders were banished. (Pliny Natural History 4.69-70; Tacitus Annals 4.30)^[33]

Some modern higher critical scholars have raised the possibility that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John of Patmos were three separate individuals.^[34]These scholars assert that John of Patmos wrote Revelation but neither the Gospel of John nor the Epistles of John. For one, the author of Revelation identifies himself as “John” several times, but the author of the Gospel of John never identifies himself directly. Some Catholic scholars state that “vocabulary, grammar, and style make it doubtful that the book could have been put into its present form by the same person(s) responsible for the fourth gospel”.^[35]

References to John in the New Testament[edit]

Russian Orthodox icon of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, 18th century (Iconostasis from the Church of the Transfiguration,Kizhi Monastery.

Sons of thunder[edit]

John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James, son of Zebedee (Saint James the Greater). According to Church tradition, their mother was Salome.^[36] Zebedee and his sons fished in the Sea of Galilee. The brothers were firstly disciples of John the Baptist. Jesus then called Saint Peter, Saint Andrew and these two sons of Zebedee to follow him. James and John are listed among the Twelve Apostles. Jesus referred to the pair as “Boanerges” (translated “sons of thunder”);^[8] although their nature was calm and gentle, when their patience was pushed to its limits their anger became wild and thunderous causing them to speak out like an untamed storm. A gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on a Samaritantown, but Jesus rebuked them. ^{[Lk 9:51-6]} John lived more than half a century after the martyrdom of James, who was the first Apostle to die a martyr’s death.

Other references to John[edit]

John the Evangelist and Peter by Albrecht Dürer

Peter, James and John were the only witnesses of the raising of Daughter of Jairus.^[37] All three also witnessed the Transfiguration, and these same three witnessed the Agony in Gethsemane more closely than the other Apostles did.^[38] John was the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had ‘forbidden’ a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus’ name, prompting Jesus to state that ‘he who is not against us is on our side’.^[39]

Jesus sent only John and Peter into the city to make the preparation for the final Passover meal (the Last Supper).^{[Lk 22:8][40]} At the meal itself, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” sat next to Jesus. It was customary to lie along upon couches at meals, and this disciple leaned on Jesus.^[38] Tradition identifies this disciple as Saint John^{[Jn 13:23-25]}. After the arrest of Jesus, Peter and the “other disciple” (according to Sacred Tradition), John followed him into the palace of the high-priest.^[38]

John alone among the Apostles remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross on Calvary alongsidemyrrhbearers and numerous other women; following the instruction of Jesus from the Cross, John tookMary, the mother of Jesus, into his care as the last legacy of Jesus ^{[Jn 19:25-27]}. After Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spiritat Pentecost, John, together with Peter, took a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. He was with Peter at the healing of the lame man at Solomon’s Porch in the Temple ^{[Ac 3:1 et seq.]}and he was also thrown into prison with Peter.^{[Acts 4:3]} He went with Peter to visit the newly converted believers in Samaria.^{[Acts 8:14]}

While he remained in Judea and the surrounding area, the other disciples returned to Jerusalem for the Apostolic Council (about AD 51). Paul, in opposing his enemies in Galatia, recalls that John explicitly, along with Peter and James the Just, were referred to as “pillars of the church” and refers to the recognition that his Apostolic preaching of a gospel free from Jewish Law received from these three, the most prominent men of the messianic community at Jerusalem.^[37]

According to the Book of Revelation, its author was on the island of Patmos “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus”, when he was honoured with thevision contained in Revelation.^{[Rev. 1:9]}

The Disciple whom Jesus loved[edit]

Jesus and the Beloved Disciple

The phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved (Greek: ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ho mathētēs hon ēgapā ho Iēsous) or, in John 20:2, the Beloved Disciple (Greek: ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, hon ephilei ho Iēsous) is used five times in the Gospel of John,^[41] but in no other New Testament accounts of Jesus. John 21:24 claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of this disciple.

The disciple whom Jesus loved is referred to, specifically, six times in John’s gospel:

• It is this disciple who, while reclining beside Jesus at the Last Supper, asks Jesus, after being requested by Peter to do so, who it is that will betray him.^{[Jn 13:23-25]}

• Later at the crucifixion, Jesus tells his mother, “Woman, here is your son”, and to the Beloved Disciple he says, “Here is your mother.”^{[Jn 19:26-27]}

• When Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb, she runs to tell the Beloved Disciple and Peter. The two men rush to the empty tomb and the Beloved Disciple is the first to reach the empty tomb. However, Peter is the first to enter.^{[Jn 20:1-10]}

• In John 21, the last chapter of the Gospel of John, the Beloved Disciple is one of seven fishermen involved in themiraculous catch of 153 fish.^{[Jn 21:1-25] [42]}

• Also in the book’s final chapter, after Jesus hints to Peter how Peter will die, Peter sees the Beloved Disciple following them and asks, “What about him?” Jesus answers, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”^{[John 21:20-23]}

• Again in the gospel’s last chapter, it states that the very book itself is based on the written testimony of the disciple whom Jesus loved.^{[John 21:24]}

None of the other Gospels has anyone in the parallel scenes that could be directly understood as the Beloved Disciple. For example, in Luke 24:12, Peter alone runs to the tomb. Mark, Matthew and Luke do not mention any one of the twelve disciples having witnessed the crucifixion.

There are also two references to an unnamed “other disciple” in John 1:35-40 and John 18:15-16, which may be to the same person based on the wording inJohn 20:2.^[43]

Extrabiblical traditions[edit]

Byzantine illumination depicting John dictating to his disciple,Prochorus (c. 1100).

Apostle John and Marcion of Sinope, 11th century Italy.

There is no information in the Bible concerning the duration of John’s activity in Judea. According to tradition, John and the other Apostles remained some 12 years in this first field of labour. The persecution of Christians under Herod Agrippa I led to the scattering of the Apostles through the Roman Empire‘s provinces.^{[cf. Ac 12:1-17]}

A messianic community existed at Ephesus before Paul’s first labours there (cf. “the brethren”),^{[Acts 18:27]} in addition toPriscilla and Aquila. The original community was under the leadership of Apollo (1 Corinthians 1:12). They were disciples of John the Baptist and were converted by Aquila and Priscilla.^[44] According to Church tradition, after the Assumption of Mary, John went to Ephesus. From there he wrote the three epistles attributed to him. John was allegedly banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island of Patmos, where, according to tradition, he wrote the Book of Revelation. According toTertullian (in The Prescription of Heretics) John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. It is said that all in the audience of Colosseum were converted to Christianity upon witnessing this miracle. This event would have occurred in the late 1st century, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, who was known for his persecution of Christians.

When John was aged, he trained Polycarp who later became Bishop of Smyrna. This was important because Polycarp was able to carry John’s message to future generations. Polycarp taught Irenaeus, passing on to him stories about John. InAgainst Heresies, Irenaeus relates how Polycarp told a story of

John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of thebath-housewithout bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”^[45]

It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived them. He is said to have lived to an old age, dying at Ephesus sometime after AD 98.^[46]

An alternative account of John’s death, ascribed by later Christian writers to the early second-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis, claims that he was slain by the Jews.^[47][48] Most Johannine scholars doubt the reliability of its ascription to Papias, but a minority, including B.W. Bacon, Martin Hengel and Henry Barclay Swete, maintain that these references to Papias are credible.^[49][50] Zahn argues that this reference is actually to John the Baptist.^[46] John’s traditional tomb is thought to be located at Selçuk, a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus.^[51]

In art, John as the presumed author of the Gospel is often depicted with an eagle, which symbolizes the height he rose to in his gospel.^[8]In Orthodox icons, he is often depicted looking up into heaven and dictating his Gospel (or the Book of Revelation) to his disciple, traditionally named Prochorus.

Liturgical commemoration[edit]

The feast day of Saint John in the Roman Catholic Church, which calls him “Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist”, and in theAnglican Communion and Lutheran Calendars, which call him “John, Apostle and Evangelist”, is on 27 December. In theTridentine Calendar he was commemorated also on each of the following days up to and including 3 January, the Octave of the 27 December feast. This Octave was abolished by Pope Pius XII in 1955.^[52] The traditional liturgical color is white.

Until 1960, another feast day which appeared in the General Roman Calendar is that of “Saint John Before the Latin Gate” on May 6, celebrating a tradition recounted by Jerome that St John was brought to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, and was thrown in a vat of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously preserved unharmed. A church (San Giovanni a Porta Latina) dedicated to him was built near the Latin gate of Rome, the traditional site of this event.^[53]

The Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite commemorate the “Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian” on September 26. On May 8 they celebrate the “Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian”, on which date Christians used to draw forth from his grave fine ashes which were believed to be effective for healing the sick.

Other Christians highly revere him but do not canonize or venerate saints.

Other views[edit]

Latter-day Saint view[edit]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) teaches that John received the promise of immortality from Jesus Christ, as recorded in John 21:21–23 and the seventh chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants. It also teaches that in 1829, along with the resurrected Peter and the resurrected James, John visitedJoseph Smithand Oliver Cowdery and restored the priesthood authority with Apostolic succession to earth.^[54] John, along with the Three Nephites, will live to see the Second Coming of Christ as translated beings.^[55]

The LDS Church teaches that John the Apostle is the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple.^[55]

Islamic view[edit]

The Quran also speaks of Jesus’s disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as “helpers to the work of God”.^[56] Muslim exegesis and Quran commentary, however, names them and includes John among the disciples.^[57] An old tradition, which involves the legend of Habib the Carpenter, mentions that John was one of the three disciples sent to Antioch to preach to the people there.^[58]

Gallery of art[edit]

• John the Apostle
• 

  A portrait from the Book of Kells, c. 800

• 

  St John at Patmos by Pieter Paul Rubens

• 

  John the Apostle and St Francisby El Greco

• 

  Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist by Master of the Winkler Epitaph

• 

  Valentin de Boulogne, John and Jesus

• 

  St. John the Evangelist in meditation by Simone Cantarini(1612-1648), Bologna

• 

  Saint John and the Poisoned Cupby El Greco

• 

  The Last Supper, anonymous painter

Part of a series of articles
JOHN IN THE BIBLE
JOHANNINE LITERATURE
Gospel Epistles First Second Third Revelation
AUTHORSHIP
Apostle Evangelist Patmos Presbyter Disciple whom Jesus loved
COMMUNITIES
Twelve Apostles Early Church
RELATED LITERATURE
Apocryphon Acts Signs Gospel
SEE ALSO
Holy Spirit in Johannine literature Johannine Christianity John’s vision of the Son of Man Logos
v t e

See also[edit]

Book: Apostle (Christian)

See also: Acts of John

• Basilica of St. John
• Four evangelists
• Names of John
• St. John the Evangelist on Patmos
• Vision of St. John on Patmos, frescos by Antonio da Correggio

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ “Saint John the Apostle”. Encyclopedia Britannica.
2. Jump up^ Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History Book vi. Chapter xxv.
3. Jump up^ “CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Apocalypse”.
4. Jump up^ The History of the Church by Eusibius. Book three, point 24.
5. Jump up^ Thomas Patrick Halton, On illustrious men, Volume 100 of The Fathers of the Church, CUA Press, 1999. P. 19.
6. Jump up^ Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem (2007) [c. 600], “The Life of the Evangelist John”, The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to John, House Springs, Missouri,USA: Chrysostom Press, pp. 2–3, ISBN 1-889814-09-1
7. ^ Jump up to:^a b Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible (Palo Alto: Mayfield, 1985) p. 355
8. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Foley OFM, Leonard. “Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons and Feast”, (revised by Pat McCloskey, OFM),American Catholic.org
9. Jump up^ Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. McGraw-Hill, 2006. ISBN 978-0-07-296548-3
10. Jump up^ Robinson, John A.T. (1977). Redating the New Testament. SCM Press. ISBN 978-0-334-02300-5.
11. Jump up^ Mark Allan Powell. Jesus as a figure in history.Westminster John Knox Press, 1998. ISBN 0-664-25703-8 / 978-0664257033
12. Jump up^ Gail R O’Day, introduction to the Gospel of John in New Revised Standard Translation of the Bible, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2003, p.1906
13. Jump up^ Reading John, Francis J. Moloney, SDB, Dove Press, 1995
14. Jump up^ Kruse, Colin G.The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary, Eerdmans, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-2771-3, p. 28.
15. Jump up^ E P Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus, (Penguin, 1995) page 63 – 64.
16. Jump up^ Bart D. Ehrman (2000:43) The New Testament: a historical introduction to early Christian writings. Oxford University Press.
17. ^ Jump up to:^a b Bart D. Ehrman (2005:235) Lost Christianities: the battles for scripture and the faiths we never knewOxford University Press, New York.
18. Jump up^ Geoffrey W. Bromiley (1995:287) International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: K-P MATTHEW, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Quote: „Matthew, like the other three Gospels is an anonymous document.”
19. Jump up^ Donald Senior, Paul J. Achtemeier, Robert J. Karris (2002:328) Invitation to the Gospels Paulist Press.
20. Jump up^ Keith Fullerton Nickle (2001:43) The Synoptic Gospels: an introduction Westminster John Knox Press.
21. Jump up^ Ben Witherington (2004:44) The Gospel code: novel claims about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Da VinciInterVarsity Press.
22. Jump up^ F.F. Bruce (1994:1) The Gospel of John Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
23. Jump up^ Patrick J. Flannagan (1997:16) The Gospel of Mark Made Easy Paulist Press
24. Jump up^ Paul N. Anderson, The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel, p. 48.
25. Jump up^ F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John, p. 3.
26. Jump up^ Bart D. Ehrman (2004:110) Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine.Oxford University Press.
27. Jump up^ Bart D. Ehrman(2006:143) The lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: a new look at betrayer and betrayed. Oxford University Press.
28. Jump up^ “Revelation, Book of.” Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005
29. Jump up^ Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 81.4
30. Jump up^ Ehrman, Bart D. (2004). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford. p. 468. ISBN 0-19-515462-2.
31. Jump up^ “Church History, Book III, Chapter 39”. The Fathers of the Church. NewAdvent.org. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
32. Jump up^ saint, Jerome. “De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) Chapter 9 & 18”. newadvent.org. Retrieved 2 June2015.
33. Jump up^ Adela Collins. “Patmos.” Harper’s Bible Dictionary. Paul J. Achtemeier, gen. ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985. p755.
34. Jump up^ Griggs, C. Wilfred. “John the Beloved” in Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. Selections from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism: Scriptures of the Church (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1992) p. 379. Griggs favors the “one John” theory but mentions that some modern scholars have hypothesized that there are multiple Johns.
35. Jump up^ Introduction. Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources : including the Revised New Testament and the Revised Psalms. New York: Catholic Book Pub., 1992. 386. Print.
36. Jump up^ By comparing Matthew 27:56 to Mark 15:40
37. ^ Jump up to:^a b “Fonck, Leopold. “St. John the Evangelist.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 6 Feb. 2013″. Newadvent.org. 1910-10-01. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
38. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Butler, Alban. The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints, Vol.IV
39. Jump up^ Luke 9:49-50 NKJV
40. Jump up^ While Luke states that this is the Passover,^{[Lk 22:7-9]}the Gospel of John specifically states that the Passover meal is to be partaken of on Friday^{[Jn 18:28]}
41. Jump up^ John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20
42. Jump up^ James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson,Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003, p. 1210, ISBN 0-8028-3711-5.
43. Jump up^ Brown, Raymond E. 1970. “The Gospel According to John (xiii-xxi)”. New York: Doubleday & Co. Pages 922, 955.
44. Jump up^ “Vailhé, Siméon. “Ephesus.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 6 Feb. 2013″. Newadvent.org. 1909-05-01. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
45. Jump up^ Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III.3.4.
46. ^ Jump up to:^a b Zahn, T. “John the Apostle”, in Schaff, Philip. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. VI: Innocents – Liudger, p.203
47. Jump up^ Cheyne, Thomas Kelly (1901). Encyclopaedia Biblica, Volume 2. Adam and Charles Black. pp. 2509–11.Although Papias’ works are no longer extant, the fifth century ecclesiastical historian Philip of Side and the ninth-century monk George Hamartolos both stated that Papias had written that John was “slain by the Jews.”
48. Jump up^ Rasimus, Tuomas (2010). The Legacy of John: Second-Century Reception of the Fourth Gospel. BRILL. p. 5. ISBN 9789004176331. Rasimus finds corroborating evidence for this tradition in “two martyrologies from Edessa and Carthage” and writes that “Mark 10:35-40//Matt. 20:20-23 can be taken to portray Jesus predicting the martyrdom of both the sons of Zebedee.”
49. Jump up^ Culpepper, R. Alan (2000). John, the Son of Zebedee: The Life of A Legend. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 172. ISBN 9780567087423.
50. Jump up^ Swete, Henry Barclay (1911). The Apocalypse of St. John(3 ed.). Macmillan. pp. 179–180.
51. Jump up^ Procopius of Caesarea, On Buildings. General Index, trans. H. B. Dewing and Glanville Downey, vol. 7, Loeb Classical Library 343 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1940), 319
52. Jump up^ General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII
53. Jump up^ Saint Andrew Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts by Dom. Gaspar LeFebvre, O.S.B., Saint Paul, MN: The E.M. Lohmann Co., 1952, p.1325-1326