QUESTION: What is the history of John, the disciple of Jesus?
ANSWER:
To learn the history of John, the disciple of Jesus, we begin with his life before he met Jesus. John, his brother James, Peter, and Andrew were all partners in the fishing business before becoming disciples of Jesus. John was the son of Zebedee, who was also a fisherman in Galilee. John's mother's name was Salome, and some say that Salome was the sister of Jesus' mother, Mary. John owned a home in Jerusalem. Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, John moved to Ephesus.
John pastored a church in Ephesus. He communicated with other churches in the area, as stated in the book of Revelation. He advised and counseled many people who would later become believers in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
By order of the Roman Emperor, Domitian, John was exiled to the island of Patmos. Domitian ordered his exile because he saw John as a threat to his rule. However, his popularity and influence in the Christian community continued through correspondence with churches. John wrote the book of Revelation during his exile. When he was released from exile, he returned to Ephesus. John founded and built churches throughout Asia until he was old and died peacefully in Ephesus in the sixty-eighth year after our Lord's passion.
During his life, John wrote the Gospel of John and the first, second, and third books of John and the book of Revelation. Near the end of his life, it is said that he constantly repeated the phrase, "Little children, love one another!" He did that because he believed it was the Lord's most important commandment.
Learn More about the Book of John!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead, according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.
Peter and the sons of Zebedee become Jesus' closest friends. While Matthew 10:2 and Luke 6:14 list Peter's brother Andrew next, Mark goes straight to James and John. Along with Peter and Andrew, Jesus had already chosen them to be disciples early on (Mark 1:19–20).
The James referred to here is not the same person who wrote the book of James. That letter was written by Jesus' half-brother and the church leader in Jerusalem. This James, John's brother, is the first martyr, and his execution by Herod is the only Apostle's death mentioned in the Bible, except for that of Judas Iscariot (Acts 12:1–2).
John becomes one of the most influential of Jesus' apostles. He is not to be confused with John the Baptist or John-Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark and the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). This John is the author of the Gospel of John; the letters 1, 2, and 3 John; and the book of Revelation. His Gospel is unique in that it focuses on the theology of Christ more than the miracles. John is also known as the disciple whom Jesus loves (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). Although all the disciples love and admire Jesus, no one else is shown to be so assured of Jesus' love except maybe Mary of Bethany.
Despite John's simple devotion, he and his brother can be impulsive. Boanerges is Aramaic for "sons of rage" or "sons of thunder." Jesus' nickname for the brothers reflects that they have the destructive zeal of a thunderstorm. They live up to their name when they ask Jesus for places of honor in His kingdom (Mark 10:35–40). James, John, and Peter are the only people mentioned to whom Jesus gives nicknames.
Mark 3:13–21 is the third story about people's reactions to Jesus' ministry. Here, we establish which men Jesus chooses to be in His inner circle. Jesus separates ''the twelve'' for special training so they can be equipped to heal (Matthew 10:1), cast out demons, and spread the Gospel. Other than Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:30–31), there is no record that Jesus performed miracles of healing for them. However, they have witnessed Jesus' power and authority and are willing to dedicate themselves to His teaching. This is a stark contrast to Jesus' own family. This account is also recorded in Matthew
In Mark 3, Jesus calls twelve men to be His apostles. Among them are "James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder)" (Mark 3:17). This is the only place in Scripture that mentions the designation of the sons of Zebedee as the Sons of Thunder, and there is no stated explanation as to why Jesus named them this.
However, Jesus has a purpose for everything He does, so He must have had a good reason for calling James and John "Sons of Thunder." "Jesus . . . knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man" (John 2:24-25). In other words, Jesus knew the brothers' nature when He first met them, and He chose "Boanerges" as a fitting nickname.
In one vivid incident, James and John possessed some truly thunder-like qualities. Jesus and His disciples traveled through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem when they ran into trouble. Jesus attempted to find accommodations for the night in one place but was met with opposition from the villagers simply because His destination was Jerusalem—a result of Jew-Samaritan prejudice. "When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, 'Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?'" (Luke 9:54). Jesus rebuked the brothers, and they all went to another village. James and John's response to the Samaritans reveals a fervency, impetuosity, and anger that could properly be called "thunderous"—and we can be sure that there were other times when James and John lived up to their nickname.
James and John were two of Jesus' closest friends, being two of the "inner three" disciples (see Matthew 17:1). As the church age began, James was the first Apostle to be killed (Acts 12:2), while John was the last to die, although of old age. John's epistles, written late in his life, hint that he still possessed a fervency of spirit, especially in his denunciations of apostates and deceivers (1 John 2:22; 2 John 7; 3 John 10). However, it is a fervency tempered by love. In fact, in 1 John, the word "love" and its relatives occur over 40 times. When he first met Jesus, John was one of the "Boanerges." However, after walking with Jesus for a lifetime, the "Son of Thunder" earned a new nickname: the "Apostle of Love."
Meet the Apostle John: 'The Disciple Jesus Loved'
Who Was the Beloved Disciple?
Anonymous figures have a way of piquing our curiosity and compelling us to learn more. Think of Watergate's Deep Throat or the notorious Unabomber. Now that Deep Throat was FBI agent Mark Felt and the Unabomber was a schizophrenic mathematician named Ted Kaczynski; those figures cease to be as enjoyable as they once were.
The same goes for anonymous figures in the Bible. Perhaps the most well-known in the New Testament is the so-called beloved disciple. Apart from Jesus, this character—whose identity is never revealed—should be regarded as one of the most intriguing figures in the Gospel of John. However, since many assume they already know this figure's identity, he often fails to inspire the sense of mystery that the story intends to evoke.
The most common identification of this character is drawn from an early tradition, which holds that the beloved disciple was an actual individual known as John, the son of Zebedee, a disciple of Jesus. This theory also identifies the son of Zebedee as the author of the Gospel of John. This idea remains an essential view among contemporary Christians, though there is little evidence to support it. Other scholars have variously identified the beloved disciple as Lazarus (John 11:38-44), Thomas (John 20:24-28), or even Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18). However, these theories ultimately miss the point.
The shadowy figure is known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" and appears in five scenes in the Gospel of John (John 13:21-30, John 18:15-18, John 19:26-27, John 21:7 with John 21:20), though some also regard the unnamed disciple in John 1:35-39 as the beloved disciple. In these scenes, the beloved disciple stands in contrast to Simon Peter, characterized less positively. In each instance, the beloved disciple responds to Jesus in a way that the narrator considers praiseworthy. At the same time, Peter expresses confusion, doubt, and misunderstanding before denying that he knows Jesus. In a sense, the beloved disciple gets everything right: twice he is found in a location that indicates his loyalty to Jesus (John 18:15-18, John 19:26-27); he responds appropriately by believing in the empty tomb, even when he does not understand (John 20:3-8); he also recognizes the risen Jesus from afar while the other disciples do not (John 21:7). In what is probably the most critical comment about the beloved disciple, the narrator depicts him as "leaning back on the chest of Jesus" (author's translation, John 13:25)—an English rendering of the exact Greek phrase used to describe the relationship between Jesus and God the Father ("close to the Father's heart," John 1:18). These depictions reinforce the idea that the beloved disciple should be seen as an ideal follower of Jesus—one with whom any faithful reader can and should identify.
John's Gospel makes that any reader who wishes to follow Jesus can become a beloved disciple by following his lead. From the pages of the story, the beloved disciple beckons the reader: "Follow Jesus as I have followed him, and you too can become a disciple whom Jesus loves." Perhaps a historical individual stood behind the figure of the beloved disciple. Nevertheless, the beloved disciple is anonymous in the text and must remain to fulfill his role in the story.
What Apostle Was Jesus' Friend and Pillar of the Early Church?
The Apostle John had the distinction of being a beloved friend of Jesus Christ, writer of five books of the New Testament, and a pillar in the early Christian church.
John and his brother James, another disciple of Jesus, were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called them to follow him. They later became part of Christ's inner circle and the Apostle Peter. These three (Peter, James, and John) were privileged to be with Jesus at the raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead, at the Transfiguration, and during Jesus' agony in Gethsemane.
On one occasion, when a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, James and John asked if they should call down fire from heaven to destroy the place. That earned them the nickname Boanerges, or "sons of thunder."
A previous relationship with Joseph Caiaphas allowed John to be present in the high priest's house during Jesus' trial. On the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of his mother, Mary, to an unnamed disciple, probably John, who took her into his home (John 19:27). Some scholars speculate that John may have been a cousin of Jesus.
John served the church in Jerusalem for many years, then moved to work in the church at Ephesus. An unsubstantiated legend holds that John was taken to Rome during persecution and thrown into boiling oil but emerged unhurt.
The Bible tells us that John was later exiled to the island of Patmos. He supposedly outlived all of the disciples, dying of old age at Ephesus, perhaps about A.D. 98.
John's Gospel is strikingly different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the three Synoptic Gospels, which means "seen with the same eye" or from the same viewpoint.
John continually emphasizes that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, sent by the father to take away the world's sins. He uses many symbolic titles for Jesus, such as the Lamb of God, Resurrection, and the vine. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the phrase "I am," unmistakably identifying himself with Jehovah, the Great "I AM" or eternal God.
Although John does not mention himself by name in his own Gospel, he refers to himself four times as "the disciple Jesus loved."
Accomplishments of the Apostle John
John was one of the first disciples chosen. He was an elder in the early church and helped spread the gospel message. He is credited with writing the Gospel of John, the letters 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, and the book of Revelation.
John was a member of the inner circle of three who accompanied Jesus even when the others were absent. Paul called John one of the pillars of the Jerusalem church:
When James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. (Galatians, 2:6-10, ESV)
John's Strengths
John was incredibly loyal to Jesus. He was the only one of the 12 apostles present at the cross. After Pentecost, John teamed up with Peter to fearlessly preach the Gospel in Jerusalem and suffered beatings and imprisonment for it.
John underwent a remarkable transformation as a disciple, from the quick-tempered Son of Thunder to the compassionate Apostle of love. Because John experienced the unconditional love of Jesus firsthand, he preached that love in his Gospel and letters.
John's Weaknesses
At times, John did not understand Jesus' message of forgiveness when he asked to call fire down upon unbelievers. He also asked for a favored position in Jesus' kingdom.
Life Lessons From the Apostle John
Christ is the Savior who offers every person eternal life. If we follow Jesus, we are assured of forgiveness and salvation. As Christ loves us, we are to love others. God is love, and we, are to be channels of God's love to our neighbors.
Hometown
Capernaum
References to John the Apostle in the Bible
John is mentioned in the four Gospels, the book of Acts, and as the narrator of Revelation.
Occupation
Fisherman, a disciple of Jesus, evangelist, Scripture author.
Family Tree
Father - Zebedee
Mother - Salome
Brother - James
Key Verses
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (NIV)
1 John 4:16-17
Thus, we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (NIV)
Revelation 22:12-13
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to every one according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (NIV)
St. John, Apostle, and Evangelist
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist's feast day is celebrated on December 27 and he is the Patron Saint of Turkey.
St. John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Salome, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. John was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry. He is considered the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple. John's older brother was St. James the Great, another of Jesus' Twelve Apostles. Jesus referred to the brothers as "Boanerges," meaning "sons of thunder." (on account of their fervid and impetuous temper (Luke 9:54), John is believed to be the longest living apostle and the only not to die a martyr's death.
John, along with Peter and James, were the only witnesses of the raising of the Daughter of Jairus and the closest witnesses to the Agony in Gethsemane. John was the one who reported to Jesus that they had "'forbidden' a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus' name." This prompted Jesus to state, "he who is not against us is on our side."
John and Peter were the only two apostles sent by Jesus to prepare for the Last Supper's final Passover meal. St. John sat next to Jesus during the meal, leaning on him rather than lying along with the couches.
John was the only one of the Twelve Apostles who did not forsake the Saviour in the hour of His Passion. He stood faithfully at the cross when the Saviour made him His Mother's guardian.
After the Assumption of Mary, John went to Ephesus, according to Chutradition. He later became banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek Island of Patmos; this is where he allegedly wrote the Book of Revelation. It is said John was banished in the late 1st century, during the reign of Emperor Domitian, after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering no injuries. It is also said that all those who witnessed the miracle in the Colosseum were converted to Christianity. Emperor Domitian was known for his persecution of Christians.
John is known as the author of the Gospel of John and four other books in the New Testament - the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation. The authorship of the Gospel is credited to the "disciple whom Jesus loved," and John 21:24 claims the Gospel of John is based on the "Beloved Disciple's" testimony. However, the actual authorship has been debated since 200. In his Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius states that the First Epistle of John and the Gospel of John are agreed upon as John's. Eusebius states that John's second and third epistles are not John, the Apostles.
In the Gospel of John, the phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" or "the Beloved Disciple" is used five times but not in any other New Testament accounts of Jesus.
St. John is called the Apostle of Charity, a virtue he had learned from his Divine Master and which he constantly inculcated by word and example. The "beloved disciple" died in Ephesus after A.D. 98, when a stately church was erected over his tomb. It was afterward converted into a Mohammedan mosque.
St. John is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, and authors. He is often depicted in art as the author of the Gospel with an eagle, symbolizing "the height he rose to in his gospel." He is shown looking up into heaven and dictating his Gospel to his disciple in other icons.
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 account indicates the absoluteness of their response. 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 unique 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. However, 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 people.
John's own Gospel refers to him as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2), the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, and the one to whom Jesus gave the exquisite honor of caring for his mother, as John stood beneath the cross. "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. However, 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 they would share his cup, but sitting at his right hand was not his to give. It was for those to whom the father had reserved it. The other apostles were indignant at the mistaken ambition of the brothers. Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature of authority: "…Whoever 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. The latter would not welcome Jesus because he was going to Jerusalem. However, 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 do not know where they put him" (John 20:2). Perhaps with a smile, John recalls that he and Peter ran side by side, but "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, who had arrived at the tomb first, 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 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. John's is the Gospel of Jesus' glory.
It is a long way from being eager to sit on a throne of power or to call down fire from heaven to become 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).
Not Volunteers
The first thing we have to remember about the disciples is that they did not volunteer. They did not ask to be Apostles, nor were they simply in the right place at the right time. Mark 3:13 says: "And he went up on the mountain and called to him those he desired, and they came to him."
Luke 6:12-13 speaks about the same story but gives an important detail. It says:
"In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. Moreover, when the day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles."
Hundreds of disciples were following Jesus at this time, but Jesus chose only 12 to be the apostles. After a night of prayer, Jesus came to the group and chose 12 men that He would build into leaders of the church and took them away for special training. These would be the people He would spend the most time with, give the most training to, and who would be His messengers – "apostles" means "messengers" – throughout the land, carry His message, and lead his church after He left.
Jesus does the same thing today. It is not we who first choose Jesus. Even though we sometimes speak that way, we must realize that Jesus chooses us before we choose Him. This is called the Doctrine of Election. We are chosen. 1 Corinthians just said, "God chose what is foolish…". In the Old Testament, God chose a nation for Himself, Israel (Deut 7:6). In the New Testament, we are called "chosen."
The quintessential verses on this come from Ephesians 1:3-5, which says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…."
Like the apostles, for every Christian, Jesus makes the first call to salvation and then allows us to obey that call. We have talked about this before. Jesus opens up our hearts to see His light and then gives us a choice to accept or reject Him. We call that grace. We would never choose to submit to Jesus if it was not for Him showing us the depth of our sin problem and inviting us to be a part of His kingdom.
JOHN, THE APOSTLE. The second most prominent member of the Twelve, John, the son of Zebedee, was one of the best remembered as witnessed in lit., tradition, art, and archeology. The literary sources on which the researcher depends is essential to studying the man.
I. Sources
II. Life history
The amount of lit. Relating to John and his writings is very large in N.T. studies. More has been written about him and attributed to him than any of the other twelve apostles.
I. Sources
Outline
Most of the information about John the son of Zebedee comes from the N.T. itself; there is no mention of him in Josephus, for example.
A. Sources that refer to John the Apostle
1. Canonical books. a. The synoptic gospels. The record of the first three gospels states that John had a brother whose name was James and a father whose name was Zebedee, a fisherman residing near Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee (Matt 4:21, 22; Mark 1:19, 20; Luke 5:10). The mother of John is believed to be Salome. This is inferred from a comparison of Mark 16:1 and Matthew 27:56. The third woman accompanying the two women to the tomb is called Salome by Mark and by Matthew, "the mother of the sons of Zebedee." In John 19:25, the third woman at the cross is said to be the sister of Jesus' mother; hence Jesus and John would be first cousins. This would help explain the command given by Jesus at the cross, "Son, behold thy mother" (John 19:27). The name of John appears on each of the lists of the names of the apostles in the synoptic gospels (Matt 10:2; Mark 3:17; Luke 6:14). John and his brother James were termed "sons of thunder" by the Master (Mark 3:17). In at least three instances, John was among the three of the inner circle who were with Jesus at the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), at the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matt 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28), and with Jesus in a portion of the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). He was among the four who asked Jesus about the coming events (Mark 13:3, 4). The synoptic records present Peter as the leader of the apostles and John, along with James, the next two influential ones. Only once is John mentioned alone in these sources when he asked whether they should forbid one who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49).
b. The Acts and epistles. In Acts, James is in the background, and John is ranked along with Peter as one of the two leaders in the apostolic circle. Peter was a spokesman for the group (Acts 1; 2). John was with Peter at the healing of the lame man (Acts 3:1ff.) and was arrested and placed on trial with Peter (4:3-21); together, they investigated the reception by the Samaritans of the Word of God (8:14-25).
The only reference to John in the epistles is in Galatians 2:9, where John, together with Peter and James, the Lord's brother, is referred to as "pillars" in the Early Church. The fact that John was alive at this time after the death of his brother James (Acts 12:1, 2) refutes a late tradition that he was martyred at the same time as his brother James.
2. Noncanonical sources. The earliest patristic records make little mention of John, but he is very prominent in the records from the latter part of the second cent. Through the 4th. One of the earliest extracanonical sources was a Gnostic document titled the Acts of John, dated "not later than the middle of the second century" (M. R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament [1924], p. 228). This work reports miracles and discourses attributed to the Apostle John near Ephesus. It tells of his return from Patmos, a shipwreck, the healing of Cleopatra and the raising of her husband to life, the destruction of the temple of Artemis, and many other tales. In it, "John" tells of his early association with Jesus. It closes with an account of John's death, at which time he was thankful for his celibate life. The book is strongly Docetic, quite at variance with the emphasis of the First Epistle of John. No confidence can be placed in this document as a historical source for the Apostle John.
The earliest known exegesis of John's Gospel is that of Ptolemaeus, of the school of Valentinus. Dated at approximately a.d. 150, it speaks of the fourth Gospel as having been written by John, the Lord's disciple (Iren. Her. I. 8. 5.). Another early commentator was a Gnostic named Heracleon, who flourished in the latter half of the second cent. In his commentary on John 1:18, he implies that the author of this v. was a disciple of the Lord, namely, the Apostle John. There is an indirect reference to John the Apostle as the author of the fourth Gospel in Tatian's Diatessaron (c. a.d. 160). Another writing entitled "The Secret Book of John" is found in the Berlin Gnostic papyrus and the recently discovered Gnostic library at Nag-Hammadi in Egypt. It contains this interesting passage: "one day when John, the brother of James (these are the sons of Zebedee), went up to the temple, there a Pharisee...said to him 'This Nazarene deceived you'" (R. M. Grant, Gnosticism [1961], p. 69). Other Gnostic works, such as the Gospel of Philip, quote extensively from the fourth Gospel but do not mention the author, the implication being that they believed John the Apostle to be the author.
The most impressive of these witnesses to John the Apostle comes from Irenaeus, who flourished in the last quarter of the 2nd century. He testifies to a personal acquaintance with Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who had learned the Gospel directly from John and others who had seen the Lord. Irenaeus adds that after the three synoptic gospels had been written, "John, the disciple of the Lord who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself write a gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia" (Iren. Her., III. i. 1). He also states that Polycarp taught that John, a disciple of the Lord, saw Cerinthus in the public bath and fled, saying, "Let us flee, for Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within." He states that the church at Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them until the time of Trajan (a.d. 98-117), is a faithful witness of the church's tradition (Iren. Her., III. iii. 4). Another witness is Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus (a.d. 189-198), who stated that "John, who also leaned on the Lord's breast, who was a priest wearing a miter and smarter, witness and teacher, he sleeps at Ephesus" (cited in Euseb. Hist. III. xxxi. 3). Eusebius (c. a.d. 325) accepted and quoted this evidence as indicating John as the author of the "undoubted writings of this apostle." He presents him as having lived to an old age contemporary with the emperors Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan, and bishops Clement, Ignatius, and Simeon. This John, he concludes, wrote the fourth Gospel, "read in all the churches under heaven," as undoubted writing of the Apostle. He adds that whereas the fourth Gospel and the first epistle are undoubtedly the works of the Apostle, the second and third epistles and the Apocalypse perhaps maybe the works of others by the name of John (Euseb. Hist. III. xxxiv. 13).
B. Canonical books attributed to John the Apostle
1. The Gospel. The date to be gleaned from the fourth Gospel is dependent upon the extent to which references to the "beloved disciple" designate the Apostle, John. The identity of the "beloved disciple" has been widely questioned, esp. in recent times. Some say the "beloved disciple" was Nicodemus; others that it was Lazarus; while some believe it to be the Matthias, chosen by lot (Acts 1). Because the writer was familiar with the inner councils of the apostolic twelve, the process of elimination reduces the possible candidates to only one, namely, John, the son of Zebedee. Therefore, if he is admitted to be the author of the Gospel that bears his name, one can find additional data concerning John, the son of Zebedee. This John is not mentioned by name in the fourth Gospel, a phenomenon many interpret as another evidence that he is the author. He is named one of the first two recruited by Jesus in the Jordan Valley, where John was baptized (John 1:40). He is singled out at the Last Supper as the one reclining close to Jesus (13:23). The "beloved disciple" is mentioned at the Last Supper (13:23-26), at the cross where he was commanded to take Jesus' mother to his own home (19:26, 27), at the empty tomb (20:2-10), and at the Sea of Tiberias where he was the first to recognize the risen Jesus (21:7). Again, the term appears in connection with anxiety about the statement concerning his future (21:20-23). He is expressly stated to be the author of this Gospel in the postscript (21:24).
If the Apostle wrote the fourth Gospel, it seems inevitable that he also wrote the first epistle. The author of the first epistle likewise appears to have been an eyewitness (1 John 1:1-3). This is the easiest way to account for the similarity in language and ideas between the two documents. Common to both is the vocabulary of simple words, including knowledge, world, witness, life, and truth.
2. The epistles. The author of the second and third epistles is the Elder. The evidence that the author writes this of the Gospel and the first epistle is somewhat less weighty than that for joint authorship and the first epistle. Based on Papias, quoted by Eusebius, the author of these two short letters and the Apocalypse could well have been another John, named the Elder (Euseb. Hist. III. xxix. 13).
3. The Apocalypse. The author of the Apocalypse describes himself simply as a fellow servant named John. He does not address them from the viewpoint of an apostle or even that of an elder; instead, that of a brother, a companion in tribulation. The style, likewise, is different from that of the epistle or Gospel, as many, from the time of Clement of Alexandria on down, have noticed. Those who reject the apostolic authorship of the Gospel are more ready to admit it about the Apocalypse, for the author of the Apocalypse seems to fit better the synoptic description of John as the "son of thunder" and as one who would like to command fire to come down to consume the noncommitted. Many think the same person could not have written books as diverse as the fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse. However, one cannot be sure that the difference in circumstances would be a sufficient reason for the change of style and imagery encountered in the Apocalypse. There are many other historical instances when widely diverse literary styles come from the same source but under different circumstances. This may be seen, for example, in the works of Shakespeare, Milton, Luther, and Kipling.
II. Life history
After sifting the sources and evaluating them, the life of John, the son of Zebedee, may be summarized in the following sequence. He was a convert of John the Baptist and spent some time with the proclaimer of the new covenant in the Jordan Valley. Here, he met Jesus and transferred his allegiance from John to Jesus (John 1:19-42). Sometime after this, when John and his brother James had resumed fishing, they again encountered Jesus by the Sea of Galilee and at once decided to follow Him (Matt 4:21; Mark 1:19, 20; Luke 5:10). The four partners, all fishermen, joined Jesus at the same time. Through His Galilean ministry, they continued with Jesus, witnessing the events reported chiefly in the synoptic gospels. He was chosen along with eleven others as one of the Twelve (Matt 10:2; Mark 3:17; Luke 6:14). As indicated earlier, he was an eyewitness to the raising of Jairus' daughter along with James and Peter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51). He was one of the three with Jesus on the mountain when the Transfiguration occurred (Matt 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28). When en route to Jerusalem, John became incensed at the hostility of a Samaritan village (Luke 9:54). His mistaken zeal is indicated by his rebuke of the man casting out demons without Jesus' authorization (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49). The two "sons of thunder" threatened their relationship with the other ten by seeking a favored position in the future kingdom (Matt 20:20; Mark 10:35; cf. Luke 22:24). Before the Passover, John and Peter were commissioned by Jesus to prepare a place to partake in the Passover (Luke 22:8). According to the Johannine account, at the Last Supper, it was the son of Zebedee who, reclining close to Jesus, first learned the betrayer's identity. However, he seems not to have passed this information on to Peter, who had requested the information (John 13:21-26). Later in Gethsemane, John, with Peter and James, went a little further during Jesus' agony (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). It is widely believed that the unnamed disciple who entered with Peter was John the Apostle (John 18:15-18) because this disciple was known to the high priest. Again, the "beloved disciple" is seen as the only disciple who witnessed the crucifixion. In response to Jesus' request, this disciple took Jesus' mother into his own home (19:25-27). This disciple is mentioned as the first to recognize the significance of the empty tomb (20:1-8). At the Sea of Tiberias, this disciple first identified Jesus on the shore and reported to Peter, "It is the Lord" (21:4-7). The two are linked again in the episode following Jesus's statement: "If it is my will that he remains until I come..." which evoked much speculation about its meaning (21:20-23). He is linked with Peter in several vital episodes reported in Acts. He was a prominent member of the Jerusalem church when Paul visited it later. Nothing further is known about him until, according to church tradition (related chiefly through Irenaeus but with many corroborating witnesses), he was bishop at Ephesus. This literary evidence is supported by the remains of churches bearing his name at Ephesus. There he was remembered as a vigorous champion of orthodoxy, which fits the description of the first epistle. He is reported to have brought back to Christ an errant convert at the risk of his own life. His exile in Patmos during the last decade of the first cent. coincides with the persecution of Domitian. A conflict between church and state reflected in the Book of Revelation also seems consistent with this picture of John's latter days.
The character and temperament of the Apostle John, as seen in these sources, is one who maintained high Christology in stressing Jesus as the Son of God. He was thoroughly familiar with the O.T. and Jewish culture, as seen in the synoptic gospels and Acts. His spiritual insight and maturity led to his inclusion in the inner circle on several occasions. This is consistent with the picture in the fourth Gospel as one for whom Jesus had a special affection. On the negative side, John had an apparent ambition for preferential treatment. His reaction to the inhospitality of the Samaritans indicates a particular volatile nature, which could easily pass from righteous indignation to vindictiveness. As reflected in the fourth Gospel, he is seen as one who quickly acquired an acute understanding of the Hel. His vocabulary demonstrates an ability to communicate with the sophisticated and the simple. He tended to see things in simple terms of black and white, good and evil; there were few median shades of gray in his perspective. To him, everyone was either for or against the Lord, either a child of God or the devil, either a child of light or darkness. Christian maturity brought a measure of gentility to his natural sanguine temperament so that he became the "apostle of love preeminently," as his first epistle bears witness.
These two elements in his nature continued apparently to the end. In the first epistle, perhaps the last thing he wrote, there is the emphasis on love and life and a corresponding warning against heresy and sin. As reflected in the Apocalypse, he is the "son of thunder" living between two worlds, the world of the righteous who were overcome by their testimony and the wicked who persist in unbelief even under affliction. There is the same insistence on walking in the light and living according to the law of love. Thus he is seen to be a person with many facets, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, who was able to communicate his ideas in the medium of Hel. idiom to the intellectually elite of his day, yet who could speak to the simplest in basic terms, e.g., light, life, darkness, water, and bread.
Who was John the Apostle, according to the Gospels?
The Synoptic Gospels report that among his earliest disciples, Jesus called two Galilean fishermen, the sons of Zebedee, James, and John (Matt 4:21, Mark 1:19, Luke 5:10), who, with Peter, formed an inner circle of close followers. According to Mark, James and John accompanied Jesus to the house of Peter and his brother Andrew after Jesus preached in the synagogue of Capernaum (Mark 1:29). The three chief disciples followed Jesus into the house of an official of the synagogue, named Jairus in Mark (Mark 5:37, Luke 8:51), whose daughter Jesus raised from the dead. They also were present at Jesus' Transfiguration (Matt 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28) and slept through his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). Mark also records that the three disciples and Andrew sought clarification of Jesus' prophecy of the temple's destruction (Mark 13:3). Luke reports that Jesus entrusted Peter and John with preparations for his last supper (Luke 22:8).
James and John regularly appear among the "Twelve" (Matt 10:2, Mark 3:17, Luke 6:14, Acts 1:13). Mark's roster also notes that Jesus named them "Boanerges," which is 'Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17), hinting at their passionate commitment. Their zeal is highlighted in several stories portraying the brothers as foils for Jesus. John's attempt to preserve the status of Jesus' disciples by silencing a rival exorcist elicits a rebuke (Mark 9:38-41, Luke 9:49-50). According to Mark, James and John request that Jesus grant them thrones beside him when he comes in his glory (Mark 10:37), irking their fellow disciples (Mark 10:41). Jesus responds with a promise, not of glory but suffering (Mark 10:38-40). In Luke, James and John propose calling down fire on Samaritans who rejected Jesus' band (Luke 9:54), prompting Jesus to rebuke them (Luke 9:55).
What was John's distinctive role among Jesus' followers?
Paul, describing his interactions with the Jerusalem community in the mid-30s, names John, James, and Cephas (Peter) as its "pillars" (Gal 2:9). The Acts of the Apostles hints at John's role among Jesus' followers after his Resurrection. Peter and John, paired as agents before Jesus' death (Luke 22:8), emerge as leaders who perform miracles (Acts 3:1-4, Acts 3:11), go to jail (Acts 4:1-3), defend the faithful before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:7-12, Acts 4:19), and serve as emissaries to confirm the Samaritans' reception of the gospel proclaimed by the deacon Philip (Acts 8:14).
During the second century, when writings by early Christians were more likely to be deemed authoritative (or even canonical) if they could be connected with one of the apostles, traditions linking John to certain writings developed. Most influential was his association with the Fourth Gospel and its "beloved disciple" (John 13:23, John 19:26, John 20:2, John 21:7, John 21:20-23). That anonymous character, perhaps based on an eyewitness of Jesus' death (John 19:35) whose written testimony undergirds the Gospel (John 21:25), is an ideal disciple, present with Jesus in his last hours, adopted as his brother at the foot of the cross, and witnessing his Resurrection.
While most patristic authors identified the Apostle with the author of the Fourth Gospel, the Johannine epistles, and Revelation, some made distinctions. Papias, a collector of early traditions, mentioned an "elder" John, different from the Apostle. Quoting Papias, the fourth-century historian Eusebius (Church History 3.39) suggested that the Elder wrote Revelation. Some modern scholars have similarly attributed some Johannine literature to the Elder. Nevertheless, many modern scholars doubt that the Apostle should be identified with the Beloved Disciple, and very few believe that the Apostle wrote the Fourth Gospel in its current form.
Irenaeus (Against Heresies 2.22.5, 3.1.1, 3.3.4) reported that John lived in Ephesus until Trajan and interacted with the heretic Cerinthus. Clement of Alexandria (What Rich Man Can be Saved 13) recounts John's efforts to save a youthful robber. Tertullian (On the Prescription of Heresies 36) tells of the Roman attempt to boil John alive in oil. From the late second century, the Acts of John describe miracles in Ephesus and testifies to the "spiritual" character of Jesus' passion.
However much his legend developed, the Apostle John played an important role in the early Jesus movement.
The Gospels tell of John as a zealous early disciple of Jesus; later traditions attribute to him major parts of the New Testament and tell of his continuing witness into the second century.
Did you know…?
· John was among the first of Jesus' disciples.
· Jesus rebuked the Apostle John on several occasions.
· John played a leading role with Peter in the life of the earliest community of believers.
· According to tradition, John was the only Apostle not to die a martyr's death.
John the Apostle
Description
John the Apostle or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest Apostle, he was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles.
Born: Bethsaida
Died: c. 100 AD (aged 93–94); place unknown, probably Ephesus, Roman Empire
Place of burial: Basilica Of Saint John, Turkey
Feast: December 27 (Roman Catholic, Anglican); September 26 (Eastern Orthodox)
Books: The Revelation of St. John the Divine
Parents: Zebedee, Salome
Siblings: James the Great
James the Great - Google Search
There is some good evidence in Scripture, besides the one Scripture, I quoted in the other post, that James and John bar Zebedee came from wealthy families. It has been pointed out that some excellent Scriptures point to Zebedee's family having some money and influence. Let us take a look at some of those Scriptures.
Mark 1:19-20 — When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.
Luke 5:9-12 — For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on, you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Matthew 27:55-56 — And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
Mark 15:40-41 — Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome. In Galilee, these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Mark 16:1 — Now, when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
Now let us put the picture above together. Remember the Scripture that I quoted a couple of days ago from the Gospel of John that mentioned that the Apostle John was able to walk into the high priest's palace. Now, look at the Scriptures above.
Daddy Zebedee had enough money to have "hired servants."
John and James were partners with Andrew and Simon and owned more than one boat between them. This may well be in addition to whatever boat(s) Daddy Zebedee owned. It indeed says that they "forsook all," but my point is that they grew up in a well-off family.
Salome was the mother of James and John. She was also one of the well-off women who "followed him and cared for his needs." The Zebedee family had enough money to allow Salome to give part of it away in order to support Jesus' ministry.
Salome was one of the Myhre-bearing women, but it is often not well noted that those women also bought the spices they had planned to use on Jesus. Again, there is an indication of money being readily available.
I suspect other allusions in the Scriptures, but these have convinced me that the Apostles James and John came from a well-off, well-connected family.
