John the Apostle

{{Short description|Apostle of Jesus, saint (c. 6 – c. 100)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox Saint
| honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
| name            = John the Apostle
| image           = Rubens_apostel_johannes_grt.jpg
| caption         = ''St John'' by [[Peter Paul Rubens]] (c. 1611)
| birth_date      = {{circa|6 AD}}<ref name=Theophylact/>
| birth_place     = [[Bethsaida]], [[Galilee]], [[Roman Empire]]
| death_date      = {{circa|100 AD}} (aged 93)
| death_place     = place unknown,<ref>{{cite book|first=Garry|last=Wills|title=The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A8XzAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT49|date=10 March 2015|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-698-15765-1|page=49|quote=(Candida Moss marshals the historical evidence to prove that "we simply don't know how any of the apostles died, much less whether they were martyred.")<sup>6</sup>}} Citing {{cite book|first=Candida|last=Moss|title=The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smddSvSxFScC|date=5 March 2013|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-210454-0|page=136}}</ref><ref>{{blockquote|Nor do we have reliable accounts from later times. What we have are legends, about some of the apostles – chiefly Peter, Paul, Thomas, Andrew, and John. But the apocryphal Acts that tell their stories are indeed highly apocryphal.|Bart D. Ehrman|"Were the Disciples Martyred for Believing the Resurrection? A Blast From the Past", ehrmanblog.org}} {{blockquote|title=The big problem with this argument [of who would die for a lie] is that it assumes precisely what we don't know. We don't know how most of the disciples died. The next time someone tells you they were all martyred, ask them how they know. Or better yet, ask them which ancient source they are referring to that says so. The reality is [that] we simply do not have reliable information about what happened to Jesus' disciples after he died. In fact, we scarcely have any information about them while they were still living, nor do we have reliable accounts from later times. What we have are legends.|Bart Ehrman|Emerson Green, "Who Would Die for a Lie?"}}</ref> probably [[Ephesus]], [[Roman Empire]]<ref>{{cite book|quote=Though not in complete agreement, most scholars believe that John died of natural causes in Ephesus|page=391|title=The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, Volume 2|first1=George Thomas|last1=Kurian|first2=James D.|last2=Smith, III|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810872837|year=2010}}</ref><br />
| titles          = [[Twelve apostles|Apostle]] and [[John the Evangelist|Evangelist]]
| feast_day       = 27 December ([[Roman Catholic]], [[Anglican]])<br />26 September ([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]])
| beatified_date  = 
| venerated_in    =  All [[Christian denomination]]s which venerate saints<br>[[Islam]] (named as one of the disciples of [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]])<ref>''Historical Dictionary of Prophets In Islam And Judaism'', Brandon M. Wheeler, ''Disciples of Christ'': "Islam identifies the disciples of Jesus as Peter, Philip, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, John, James, Bartholomew, and Simon"</ref><br>[[Druze faith]]<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109">{{cite book|title=The A to Z of the Druzes |first=Samy|last=S. Swayd|year=2009 |isbn=9780810868366|page=109|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield}}</ref> 
| beatified_place = 
| beatified_by    = 
| canonized_date  = [[Pre-congregation#Pre-Congregation|Pre-congregation]]
| canonized_place = 
| canonized_by    = 
| attributes      = Eagle, [[gospel]], serpent in a chalice, cauldron
| patronage       = Love, loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn-victims, poison-victims, art-dealers, editors, publishers, scribes, examinations, scholars, theologians, [[Asia Minor]], Turkey and [[Turkish people|Turks]],<ref>{{cite book|title=A Gift of Angels: The Art of Mission San Xavier Del Bac|first=Edward|last= McCain|year=2010| isbn=9780816528400| page =138|publisher=University of Arizona Press|quote=Saint John the Evangelist is patron of miners (in Carinthia), Turkey (Asia Minor), sculptors, art dealers, bookbinders ...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Drinking with Your Patron Saints: The Sinner's Guide to Honoring Namesakes and Protectors|first=Michael |last=P. Foley|year=2020| isbn=9781684510474| page =150|publisher=Simon and Schuster|quote=John is a patron saint of Asia Minor and Turkey and Turks because of his missionary work there.}}</ref><ref name="M. Limberis 2011 164">{{cite book|title=Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs|first=Vasiliki |last=M. Limberis|year=2011| isbn=9780190208684| page =164|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> against [[jealousy]] and [[envy]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://stmichael.catholic.sg/faith-formation/on-envy/#:~:text=A%20way%20out%20and%20a,against%20Jealousy%2C%20pray%20for%20us!|title= On Envy|author=Brian Bartholomew Tan|publisher=Church of Saint Michael|access-date=2023-09-13}}</ref>
| major_shrine    = 
| suppressed_date = 
| issues          = 
| prayer          = 
| prayer_attrib   = 
| influences      = [[Jesus]]
| influenced      = [[Ignatius of Antioch]], [[Polycarp]], [[Papias of Hierapolis]], ''[[Odes of Solomon]]'' <ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27900527.pdf  |journal=The Monist|jstor=27900527 |title=The Disciples of John and the Odes of Solomon |last1=Smith |first1=Preserved |year=1915 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=161–199 |doi=10.5840/monist191525235 }}</ref>
}}
'''John the Apostle'''<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle| date = 2021 | author1= Henry Chadwick |title=Saint John the Apostle| encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> ({{lang-grc|Ἰωάννης}}; {{lang-la|Ioannes}}<ref>Also {{citation needed span|{{lang-arc|ܝܘܚܢܢ ܫܠܝܚܐ}}, {{transliteration|arc|Yohanān Shliḥā}}; {{lang-he|יוחנן בן זבדי}}, {{transliteration|he|Yohanan ben Zavdi}}; {{lang-cop|ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ}} or {{lang|cop|ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ}}; {{lang|hy|Հովհաննես}}|date=June 2021}}</ref> {{nowrap|{{circa|6 AD}} – {{circa|100 AD}}}}; [[Geʽez|Ge'ez]]: ዮሐንስ;), also known as '''Saint John the Beloved''' and, in [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity]], '''Saint John the Theologian''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ivanoff |first=Jonathan |title=Life of St. John the Theologian |url=https://www.stjt.org/stjohnlife.html |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=www.stjt.org}}</ref> 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 (disciple)|Salome]]. His brother [[James the Great|James]] was another of the Twelve Apostles. The [[Church Fathers]] identify him as [[John the Evangelist]], [[John of Patmos]], [[John the Presbyter|John the Elder]], and the [[Disciple whom Jesus loved|Beloved Disciple]], and testify that he outlived the remaining apostles and was the only one to die of natural causes, although modern scholars are divided on the veracity of these claims. 
[[File:John the Apostle. Detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale. Ravena, Italy.jpg|thumb|John the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the [[Basilica of San Vitale]], [[Ravenna]], 6th century]]

John the Apostle is traditionally held to be the author of the [[Gospel of John]], and many Christian denominations believe that he authored several other books of the New Testament (the three [[Johannine epistles]] and the [[Book of Revelation]], together with the Gospel of John, are called the [[Johannine works]]), depending on whether he is distinguished from, or identified with, John the Evangelist, John the Elder, and John of Patmos.

Although the [[authorship of the Johannine works]] has traditionally been attributed to John the Apostle,<ref name="harris"/> only a minority of contemporary scholars believe he wrote the gospel,{{sfn|Lindars|Edwards|Court|2000|p=41}} and most conclude that he wrote none of them.<ref name="harris">{{cite book|last1=Harris|first1=Stephen L.|author-link=Stephen L. Harris|title=Understanding the Bible: a Reader's Introduction|date=1985|publisher=Mayfield|location=Palo Alto|isbn=978-0-87484-696-6|page=355|edition=2nd|quote=Although ancient traditions attributed to the Apostle John the Fourth Gospel, the Book of Revelation, and the three Epistles of John, modern scholars believe that he wrote none of them.}}</ref><ref name="Kelly2012">{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=Joseph F.|title=History and Heresy: How Historical Forces Can Create Doctrinal Conflicts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=923-w0Knq-AC&pg=PA115|date=1 October 2012|publisher=Liturgical Press|isbn=978-0-8146-5999-1|page=115}}</ref><ref name="Harris 1980 p.">{{cite book | last=Harris | first=Stephen L. | title=Understanding the Bible: A Reader's Guide and Reference | publisher=Mayfield Publishing Company | year=1980 | isbn=978-0-87484-472-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TGJKeHOmGhwC | access-date=26 January 2022 | page=296}}</ref> Regardless of whether or not John the Apostle wrote any of the Johannine works, most scholars agree that all three epistles were written by the same author and that the epistles did not have the same author as the Book of Revelation, although there is widespread disagreement among scholars as to whether the author of the epistles was different from that of the gospel.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|last1=Kruger|first1=Michael J.|title=Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books|date=30 April 2012|page=272|publisher=Crossway |isbn=9781433530814|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0blebRF0AZ0C&pg=PA272}}</ref><ref name="The Gospel and Epistles of John: A">{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Raymond E.|title=The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary|year=1988|page=105|publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=9780814612835|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIM0Q0bjgYkC&pg=PA105}}</ref><ref name="The Epistles of John">{{cite book|last1=Marshall|first1=I. Howard|title=The Epistles of John|date=14 July 1978|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |isbn=9781467422321|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OWJyCgAAQBAJ&q=john+epistles+most+scholars&pg=PT38}}</ref>

==References to John in the New Testament==
[[File:Toros Roslin Manrankar.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Armenian illuminated manuscripts|Armenian]] icon of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, 13th century by the Armenian manuscript illuminator [[Toros Roslin]]]]
John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of [[James the Great]]. According to church tradition, their mother was [[Salome (disciple)|Salome]].<ref>by comparing {{Bibleref2|Matthew|27:56|NKJV}} to {{Bibleverse|Mark|15:40|NKJV}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Also according to some traditions, Salome was the sister of [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary, Jesus' mother]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Topical Bible: Salome|url=https://biblehub.com/topical/s/salome.htm|access-date=7 August 2020|website=biblehub.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=John 19 Commentary – William Barclay's Daily Study Bible|url=https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/john-19.html|access-date=7 August 2020|website=StudyLight.org}}</ref> making Salome Jesus' aunt, and her sons John the Apostle and James were Jesus' cousins.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Disciples of Our Saviour.|url=https://biblehub.com/library/pamphilius/church_history/chapter_xii_the_disciples_of_our.htm|access-date=7 August 2020|website=biblehub.com}}</ref>

John the Apostle is traditionally believed to be one of two disciples (the other being [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]]) recounted in {{bibleref2|John|1:35–39|NKJV}}, who upon hearing the Baptist point out Jesus as the "Lamb of God", followed Jesus and spent the day with him, thus becoming the first two disciples called by Jesus. On this basis some traditions believe that John was first a disciple of [[John the Baptist]], even though he is not named in this episode.<ref>{{Cite web|title=John, The Apostle – International Standard Bible Encyclopedia|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/john-the-apostle.html|access-date=23 July 2020|website=Bible Study Tools}}</ref>

According to the [[Synoptic Gospels]] (Matt 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11), Zebedee and his sons fished in the [[Sea of Galilee]]. Jesus then called [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] and the 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").<ref name="foley">{{Cite web|url=https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-john-the-apostle/|title=Saint John the Apostle|first=Franciscan|last=Media|date=27 December 2015|access-date=12 April 2019|archive-date=17 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117140834/https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-john-the-apostle/|url-status=dead}}</ref> A Gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on an unhospitable [[Samaritan]] town, but Jesus rebuked them.<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|9:51-56}}</ref> John was also the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had 'forbidden' a non-disciple from [[Exorcism|casting out demons]] in Jesus' name, prompting Jesus to state that 'he who is not against us is on our side'.<ref>{{bibleref2|Luke|9:49–50|NKJV}} NKJV</ref>

John is traditionally believed to have lived on for more than fifty years after the martyrdom of his brother James, who became the first Apostle to die a [[Christian martyr|martyr's death]] in AD 44.

===Position among the apostles===
[[File:Albrecht Dürer - The Four Holy Men (John the Evangelist and Peter) - WGA7025.jpg|thumb|130px|left|''John the Evangelist and Peter'' by [[Albrecht Dürer]] (1526)]]

John is always mentioned in the [[Apostles in the New Testament#Lists of the Twelve Apostles in the New Testament|group of the first four apostles]] in the [[Gospel]]s and in the [[Book of Acts]], listed either second,<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|1:13}}</ref> third<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|3:13-19}}</ref> or fourth.<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|10:2-4}}</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|6:14-16}}</ref>

John, along with his brother James and [[Saint Peter|Peter]], formed an informal [[triumvirate]] among the [[Twelve Apostles]] in the Gospels. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry, the [[Raising of Jairus' daughter]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|5:37}}</ref> [[Transfiguration of Jesus]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|17:1}}</ref> and [[Agony in the Garden|Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|26:37}}</ref>

Jesus sent only Peter and John into the city to make the preparation for the final [[Passover]] meal (the [[Last Supper]]).<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|22:8}}</ref><ref>While Luke states that this is the Passover ({{bibleverse|Lk|22:7–9}}) the Gospel of John specifically states that the Passover meal occurs on the following day ({{bibleverse|Jn|18:28}})</ref>

Many traditions identify the "[[disciple whom Jesus loved]]" in the Gospel of John as the Apostle John, but this identification is debated. At the meal itself, the "disciple whom Jesus loved" sat next to Jesus. It was customary to recline on couches at meals, and this disciple leaned on Jesus.<ref name="butler">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/JOHNEVAN.HTM|title=St John The Evangelist|website=www.ewtn.com}}</ref> Tradition identifies this disciple as John.<ref name="bibleverse|Jn|13:23–25">{{bibleverse|Jn|13:23–25}}</ref>

After the arrest of Jesus in the [[Gethsemane|Garden of Gethsemane]], only Peter and the "other disciple" (according to tradition, John) followed him into the palace of the [[Caiaphas|high-priest]].<ref name=butler/> The "beloved disciple" alone, among the Apostles, remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross on [[Calvary]] alongside [[myrrhbearers]] and numerous other women. Following the instruction of Jesus from the Cross, the beloved disciple took [[Mary, the mother of Jesus]], into his care as the last legacy of Jesus.<ref>{{bibleverse|Jn|19:25–27}}</ref> Peter and John were also the only two apostles who ran to the empty tomb after [[Mary Magdalene]] bore witness to the [[resurrection of Jesus]].<ref name="bibleverse|Jn|20:1–10">{{bibleverse|Jn|20:1–10}}</ref>

After Jesus' [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]] and the descent of the [[Holy Spirit]] at [[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<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|3:1||Acts 3:1 ''et seq.''}}</ref> and he was also thrown into prison with Peter.<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|4:3}}</ref> Later, only Peter and John went to visit the newly converted believers in [[Samaria]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|8:14}}</ref>

While he remained in Judea and the surrounding area, the other disciples returned to Jerusalem for the [[Apostolic Council]] ({{circa|48–50 AD}}). Paul, in opposing his enemies in Galatia, explicitly recalled that John, along with Peter and [[James the Just]], were collectively recognized as the three ''[[Early Christianity#Jerusalem church|Pillars of the Church]].'' He also referred to the recognition that his Apostolic preaching of a [[Abrogation of Old Covenant laws|gospel free from Jewish Law]] was received from these three, the most prominent men of the messianic community at [[Early centers of Christianity#Jerusalem|Jerusalem]].<ref name="cathenc1">{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08492a.htm |title=Fonck, Leopold. "St. John the Evangelist." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 6 Feb. 2013 |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1 October 1910 |access-date=3 May 2013}}</ref>

===The disciple whom Jesus loved===
{{main|Disciple whom Jesus loved}}
[[File:Johannesminne BNM.jpg|thumb|upright|Jesus and the Beloved Disciple]]

The phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved as a brother" ({{lang|el|ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς}}, {{transliteration|el|ho mathētēs hon ēgapā ho Iēsous}}), or in [[John 20:2]]; "whom Jesus loved as a friend" ({{lang|el|ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς}}, {{transliteration|el|hon ephilei ho Iēsous}}), is used six times in the [[Gospel of John]],<ref>{{bibleref2|John|13:23}}, {{bibleref2-nb|John|19:26}}, [[John 20:2|20:2]], {{bibleref2-nb|John|21:7}}, {{bibleref2-nb|John|21:20}}, {{bibleref2-nb|John|21:24}}</ref> but in no other New Testament accounts of Jesus. {{bibleref2|John|21:24}} claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of this disciple.

The disciple whom Jesus loved is specifically referred to six times in the Gospel of John:

* It is this disciple who, while reclining beside Jesus at the [[Last Supper]], asks Jesus, after being requested by [[Saint Peter|Peter]] to do so, who it is that will betray him.<ref name="bibleverse|Jn|13:23–25"/>
* Later at the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]], Jesus tells his [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|mother]], "Woman, here is your son", and to the Beloved Disciple he says, "Here is your mother."<ref>{{bibleverse|Jn|19:26–27}}</ref>
* 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.<ref name="bibleverse|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 the [[miraculous catch of fish|miraculous catch of 153 fish]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Jn|21:1–25}}</ref><ref>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}}.</ref>
* 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!"<ref>{{bibleverse|John|21:20–23}}</ref>
* 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.<ref>{{bibleverse|John|21:24}}</ref>

None of the other Gospels includes anyone in the parallel scenes that could be directly understood as the Beloved Disciple. For example, in {{Bibleverse|Luke|24:12|KJV}}, 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 {{Bibleref2|John|1:35–40|NKJV}} and {{Bibleref2|John|18:15–16|NKJV}}, which may be to the same person based on the wording in [[John 20:2]].<ref name="brown">Brown, Raymond E. 1970. "The Gospel According to John (xiii–xxi)". New York: Doubleday & Co. Pages 922, 955</ref>

==New Testament author==
{{John}}
[[File:Pietro Perugino 040.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|St. John at the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]] in a ''[[Stabat Mater (art)|Stabat Mater]]'' by [[Pietro Perugino]], c. 1482]]
[[File:Lamentation of the Virgin Rohan.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Lamentation of the Virgin. John the Apostle trying to console [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]], 1435]]

Church tradition has held that John is the author of the [[Gospel of John]] and 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]]" ({{lang|grc|ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς}}, ''o mathētēs on ēgapa o Iēsous'') in {{bibleref2|John|20:2}}. {{bibleref2|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.<ref>[[Eusebius|Eusebius of Caesarea]], ''Ecclesiastical History'' Book vi. Chapter xxv.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01594b.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Apocalypse}}</ref>

In his 4th century ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|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.<ref>The History of the Church by Eusibius. Book three, point 24.</ref> The Gospel according to John differs considerably from the [[Synoptic Gospels]], which were likely written decades earlier. The [[Early centers of Christianity#Anatolia|bishops of Asia Minor]] supposedly requested him to write his gospel to deal with the heresy of the [[Ebionites]], who asserted that Christ did not exist before Mary. John probably knew of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but these gospels spoke of Jesus primarily in the year following the imprisonment and death of [[John the Baptist]].<ref>Thomas Patrick Halton, ''On illustrious men'', Volume 100 of The Fathers of the Church, CUA Press, 1999. P. 19.</ref> 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,"<ref name="Theophylact">{{Citation|author=Saint [[Sophronius of Jerusalem]]|orig-year=c. 600|year=2007|title=The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to John|chapter=The Life of the Evangelist John|publisher=Chrysostom Press|location=[[House Springs, Missouri]], United States|isbn=978-1-889814-09-4|pages=2–3}}</ref> 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 been attributed to the Apostle John. However, most modern critical scholars have their doubts.<ref name="John">[[Stephen L. Harris|Harris, Stephen L.]], ''Understanding the Bible'' (Palo Alto: Mayfield, 1985) p. 355</ref> Some scholars place the Gospel of John somewhere between AD 65 and 85;<ref>Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible.'' McGraw-Hill, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-07-296548-3}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=March 2012}} [[John Robinson (bishop of Woolwich)|John Robinson]] proposes an initial edition by 50–55 and then a final edition by 65 due to narrative similarities with Paul.<ref name="Robinson">{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=John A.T.|title=Redating the New Testament|publisher=SCM Press|year=1977|isbn=978-0-334-02300-5}}</ref>{{Rp|pp.284,307|date=May 2009}} Other scholars are of the opinion that the Gospel of John was composed in two or three stages.<ref>Mark Allan Powell. ''Jesus as a figure in history.'' Westminster John Knox Press, 1998. {{ISBN|0-664-25703-8}} / 978-0664257033</ref>{{rp|p.43}} Most contemporary scholars consider that the Gospel was not written until the latter third of the first century AD, and with the earliest possible date of AD 75–80: "...a date of AD 75–80 as the earliest possible date of composition for this Gospel."<ref>[[Gail R. O'Day]],  introduction to the Gospel of John in ''New Revised Standard Translation of the Bible'', Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2003, p.1906</ref> 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.<ref>Reading John, Francis J. Moloney, SDB, Dove Press, 1995</ref>

Nonetheless, 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."<ref name="Kruse">Kruse, Colin G.''The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary'', Eerdmans, 2004, {{ISBN|0-8028-2771-3}}, p. 28.</ref>

Modern, mainstream Bible scholars generally assert that the Gospel of John has been  written by an anonymous author.<ref name="sanders">E P Sanders, ''The Historical Figure of Jesus'', (Penguin, 1995) page 63 – 64.</ref><ref name="ehrman">Bart D. Ehrman (2000:43) ''The New Testament: a historical introduction to early Christian writings.'' Oxford University Press.</ref><ref name=lost/>

Regarding whether the author of the Gospel of John was an eyewitness, according to Paul N. Anderson, the gospel "contains more direct claims to eyewitness origins than any of the other Gospel traditions."<ref>Paul N. Anderson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=keBlpFgg4fAC&pg=PA48 The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel], p. 48.</ref> [[F. F. Bruce]] argues that 19:35 contains an "emphatic and explicit claim to eyewitness authority."<ref>F. F. Bruce, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0MzO2GD62JUC&pg=PA3 The Gospel of John], p. 3.</ref> The gospel nowhere claims to have been written by direct witnesses to the reported events.<ref name="lost">Bart D. Ehrman (2005:235) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=URdACxKubDIC&pg=PA235 Lost Christianities: the battles for scripture and the faiths we never knew]'' Oxford University Press, New York.</ref><ref>Bart D. Ehrman (2004:110) ''[https://archive.org/details/truthfictionin00ehrm/page/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.</ref><ref name="iuda">Bart D. Ehrman(2006:143) ''[https://archive.org/details/lostgospelofjuda00ehrm/page/143 The lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: a new look at betrayer and betrayed.]'' Oxford University Press.</ref>

Mainstream Bible scholars assert that all four gospels from the New Testament are fundamentally anonymous and most of mainstream scholars agree that these gospels have not been written by eyewitnesses.<ref name="Millard 2006">{{Cite book|last=Millard|first=Alan|chapter=Authors, Books, and Readers in the Ancient World|editor1-last=Rogerson|editor1-first=J.W.|editor2-last=Lieu|editor2-first=Judith M.|title=The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies|publisher=Oxford University Press|year= 2006|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eKZYMifS1fAC&dq=%22written+virtually+entirely+in+a+form+of+ancient+Greek%22&pg=PA558|isbn=978-0199254255|page=558|quote=The historical narratives, the Gospels and Acts, are anonymous, the attributions to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John being first reported in the mid-second century by Irenaeus}}</ref>{{sfn|Reddish|2011|pp=13, 42}}{{sfn|Perkins|Coogan|2010|p=1380}}{{sfn|Coogan|Brettler|Newsom|Perkins|2018|p=1380}} As ''The New Oxford Annotated Bible'' (2018) has put it, "Scholars generally agree that the Gospels were written forty to sixty years after the death of Jesus."{{sfn|Coogan|Brettler|Newsom|Perkins|2018|p=1380}}

===Book of Revelation===
According to the [[Book of Revelation]], its author was on the [[Patmos|island of Patmos]] "for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus", when he was honoured with the [[vision (religion)|vision]] contained in Revelation.<ref>{{bibleverse|Rev.|1:9}}</ref>

The author of the [[Book of Revelation]] identifies himself as "Ἰωάννης" ("John" in standard English translation).<ref name="ODCC Revelation, Book of">"Revelation, Book of." Cross, F. L., ed. ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005</ref> The early 2nd-century writer [[Justin Martyr]] was the first to equate the author of Revelation with ''John the Apostle''.<ref name="Justin">Justin Martyr, ''Dialogue with Trypho'', 81.4</ref> However, most biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals since the text was written around 100 AD, after the death of John the Apostle,<ref name="John"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart D.|author-link=Bart D. Ehrman|title=The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings |year=2004 |publisher=Oxford |location=New York |isbn=0-19-515462-2 |page=468 }}</ref><ref name=CHistoryIII39 /> although many historians have defended the identification of the Author of the Gospel of John with that of the Book of Revelation based on the similarity of the two texts.<ref>{{cite book|quote=other contemporary scholars have vigorously defended the traditional view of apostolic authorship.|page=26|title=The Book of Revelation For Dummies|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2011|isbn=9781118050866|first1=Richard|last1=Wagner|first2= Larry R.|last2=Helyer}}</ref>

[[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)<ref name="CHistoryIII39">{{cite web|url= https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm |title=Church History, Book III, Chapter 39 |work=The Fathers of the Church |publisher=NewAdvent.org |access-date=22 June 2020}}</ref> and [[Saint Jerome|Jerome]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=saint|first1=Jerome|title=De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) Chapter 9 & 18|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm|publisher=newadvent.org|access-date=2 June 2015}}</ref>

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:
{{blockquote|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 [[Sporades]] were places where political offenders were banished. (Pliny ''Natural History'' 4.69–70; Tacitus ''Annals'' 4.30)<ref>Adela Collins. "Patmos". ''Harper's Bible Dictionary''. Paul J. Achtemeier, gen. ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985. p755.</ref>}}

Some modern critical scholars have raised the possibility that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John of Patmos were three separate individuals.<ref>[[C. Wilfred Griggs|Griggs, C. Wilfred]]. "John the Beloved" in [[Daniel H. Ludlow|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.</ref> These scholars assert that John of Patmos wrote Revelation but neither the Gospel of John nor the Epistles of John. 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."<ref>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.</ref>

==Extrabiblical traditions==
[[File:Heilige Johannes.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Print of John the Apostle made at ca. the end of the 16th c. – the beginning of the 17th c.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heilige Johannes|url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:6BCB9538-A6A8-11E6-B1A4-293ED43445F2#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-2028,-185,6614,3693|access-date=28 September 2020|website=lib.ugent.be}}</ref>]]
[[File:Byzantinischer Maler um 1100 001.jpg|thumb|upright|Byzantine [[illuminated manuscript|illumination]] depicting John dictating to his disciple, [[Prochorus]] (''c.'' 1100)]]
[[File:Tomb of Saint John the Apostle.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Saint John the Apostle, [[Basilica of St. John|Saint John's Basilica]], [[Ephesus]], Turkey]]
{{see also|Apocryphon of John}}

There is no information in the Bible concerning the duration of John's activity in [[Iudaea Province|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]] (r. 41–44 AD) led to the scattering of the Apostles through the [[Roman Empire]]'s [[Roman provinces|provinces]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|12:1–17||cf. Ac 12:1–17}}</ref>

A messianic community existed at [[Ephesus]] before [[Paul the Apostle|Paul's]] first labors there (cf. "the brethren"),<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|18:27}}</ref> in addition to [[Priscilla and Aquila]]. The original community was under the leadership of [[Apollos]] (1 Corinthians 1:12). They were disciples of John the Baptist and were converted by Aquila and Priscilla.<ref name="vailhe">{{cite encyclopedia | last = Vailhé | first = Siméon |url= http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05490a.htm |title= Ephesus | encyclopedia = [[The Catholic Encyclopedia]] | volume = 5 | orig-year = New York: Robert Appleton Co., 1 May 1909 | date = 6 February 2013 |publisher= New advent |access-date= 3 May 2013}}</ref> According to tradition, after the [[Assumption of Mary]], John went to Ephesus. [[Irenaeus]] writes of "the church of Ephesus, founded by Paul, with John continuing with them until the times of [[Trajan]]."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Irenaeus of Lyons|last=Grant|first=Robert M.|publisher=Routledge|year=1997|location=London|pages=2}}</ref> From Ephesus he wrote the three epistles attributed to him. John was banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island of [[Patmos]], where, according to tradition, he wrote the [[Book of Revelation]]. According to [[Tertullian]] (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. Similarly, [[Ignatius of Antioch]] was a student of John. In ''[[On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis|Against Heresies]]'', Irenaeus relates how Polycarp told a story of 
{{blockquote |John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving [[Cerinthus]] within, rushed out of the [[Thermae|bath-house]] without bathing, exclaiming, "Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because [[Cerinthus]], the enemy of the truth, is within."<ref>Irenaeus, ''[[On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis|Against Heresies]]'', III.3.4.</ref>}}

It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived all of them. He is said to have lived to old age, dying of natural causes at Ephesus sometime after AD 98, during the reign of [[Trajan]], thus becoming the only apostle who did not die as a [[Christian martyr|martyr]].<ref name="zahn">{{Cite web |url= http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc06/htm/iii.lvii.lviii.htm |title=John the Apostle|website= CCEL}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Cheyne|first = Thomas Kelly | title= John, Son of Zebedee | encyclopedia = [[Encyclopaedia Biblica]] | volume = 2|publisher= Adam & Charles Black|year=1901 |url= https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediabib02cheyuoft/page/n711/mode/1up |pages=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."</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Rasimus |first =Tuomas|title = The Legacy of John: Second-Century Reception of the Fourth Gospel|publisher=Brill|year = 2010|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pN07vMoBsokC&pg=PA5|page=5 |isbn=978-9-00417633-1}}  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."</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|last= Culpepper|first=R. Alan|title= John, the Son of Zebedee: The Life of A Legend|publisher= Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y-HE2VXzCd4C&pg=PA172|page=172|isbn=9780567087423}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Swete|first=Henry Barclay|title=The Apocalypse of St. John|publisher=Macmillan|edition=3|year=1911|url=https://archive.org/stream/2apocalypseofstj00swetuoft#page/n192/mode/1up|pages=179–180}}</ref> Zahn argues that this reference is actually to [[John the Baptist]].<ref name=zahn/> John's tomb is thought to be located in the former [[Basilica of St. John]] at [[Selçuk]], a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus.<ref>[[Procopius of Caesarea]], ''On Buildings'' General Index, trans. H. B. Dewing and Glanville Downey, vol. 7, [[Loeb Classical Library]] 343 (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1940), 319</ref>

John is also associated with the [[pseudepigrapha]]l [[New Testament apocrypha|apocrypha]]l text of the [[Acts of John]], which is traditionally viewed as written by John himself or his disciple, [[Leucius Charinus]]. It was widely circulated by the second century CE but deemed heretical at the [[Second Council of Nicaea]] (787 CE). Varying fragments survived in Greek and Latin within monastic libraries. It contains strong [[Docetism|docetic]] themes, but is not considered in modern scholarship to be [[Gnosticism|Gnostic.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gnosis.org/library/actjohn.htm|title=The Acts of John|website=gnosis.org|access-date=11 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/lostscripturesbo00ehrm|title=Lost scriptures : books that did not make it into the New Testament|date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|others=Ehrman, Bart D.|isbn=0195141822|location=New York|oclc=51886442|url-access=registration}}</ref>

==Liturgical commemoration==
The [[feast day]] of Saint John in the [[Roman Catholic Church]], which calls him "Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist", and in the [[Anglican Communion]] and Lutheran Calendars, which call him "Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist", is on 27 December.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/calendar/|title=The Calendar|date=16 October 2013|access-date=27 December 2015|archive-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022221459/http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/calendar/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the [[Tridentine calendar]] he was commemorated also on each of the following days up to and including 3 January, the [[Octave (liturgy)|Octave]] of the 27 December feast. This Octave was abolished by [[Pope Pius XII]] in 1955.<ref>General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII</ref> The [[liturgical color]] is White. John, [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostle]] and [[Four Evangelists|Evangelist]] is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] in the [[Church of England]] with a [[Festival (Anglicanism)|Festival]] on 27 December.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The Church of England}}</ref> In Roman Catholic tradition he considered patron of Turkey, [[Asia Minor]] and [[Turkish people]].<ref name="M. Limberis 2011 164">{{cite book|title=Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs|first=Vasiliki |last=M. Limberis|year=2011| isbn=9780190208684| page =164|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

Until 1960, another feast day which appeared in the General Roman Calendar is that of "Saint John Before the Latin Gate" on 6 May, 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 [[Porta Latina|Latin gate]] of Rome, the traditional site of this event.<ref>''Saint Andrew Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts'' by Dom. Gaspar LeFebvre, O.S.B., Saint Paul, Minnesota: The E.M. Lohmann Co., 1952, pp.1325–1326</ref>

The [[Eastern 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 26 September.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/09/26/102731-repose-of-the-holy-apostle-and-evangelist-john-the-theologian |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303060237/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/09/26/102731-repose-of-the-holy-apostle-and-evangelist-john-the-theologian |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref> On 8 May they celebrate the "[[Feast day|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/05/08/101327-apostle-and-evangelist-john-the-theologian |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608200128/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/05/08/101327-apostle-and-evangelist-john-the-theologian |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref> John is also commemorated on 30 June as a member of the twelve apostles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/06/30/101711-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised-twelve-apostles |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418222037/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/06/30/101711-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised-twelve-apostles |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref> There is also a commemoration of the [[synaxis]] of the Apostle John at Diaconissa on 15 February.<ref>{{Cite web |title=February 15, 2020. + Orthodox Calendar |url=https://orthochristian.com/calendar/20200215.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118173734/https://orthochristian.com/calendar/20200215.html |archive-date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=orthochristian.com}}</ref>

==Other views==
===Islamic view===
The [[Quran]] also speaks of Jesus's disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as "supporters for [the cause of] Allah".<ref>Qur'an 3:52</ref> The Sunnah did not mention their names either. However, some Muslim scholars mentioned their names,<ref>Prophet's Sirah by Ibn Hisham, Chapter: Sending messengers of Allah's Messenger to kings, p.870</ref> likely relying on the resources of Christians, who are considered "[[People of the Book]]" in Islamic tradition. Muslim [[exegesis]] more or less agrees with the [[New Testament]] list and says that the disciples included [[Peter in Islam|Peter]], [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]], [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]], [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]], [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]], [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]], [[James, son of Zebedee|James]], [[Jude the Apostle|Jude]], John and [[Simon the Zealot]].<ref>{{cite book |author1-last= Noegel|author1-first= Scott B.|author2-last= Wheeler|author2-first= Brandon M.|date= 2003|title= Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6aTXAAAAMAAJ|location= Lanham, Maryland|publisher= Scarecrow Press (Rowman & Littlefield)|page= 86|isbn= 978-0810843059|quote=Muslim exegesis identifies the disciples of Jesus as Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, Philip, John, James, Bartholomew, and Simon}}</ref> Notably, narrations of People of the Book (Christians and Jews) are not to be believed or disbelieved by Muslims as long as there is nothing that supports or denies them in Quran or Sunnah.<ref>Musnad el Imam Ahmad Volume 4, Publisher: Dar al Fikr, p.72, Hadith#17225</ref>

===Latter-day Saint view===
{{see also|Account of John}}
[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) teaches that, "John is mentioned frequently in latter-day revelation (1 Ne. 14:18–27; 3 Ne. 28:6; Ether 4:16; D&C 7; 27:12; 61:14; 77; 88:141). For Latter-day Saints these passages confirm the biblical record of John and also provide insight into his greatness and the importance of the work the Lord has given him to do on the earth in New Testament times and in the last days. The latter-day scriptures clarify that John did not die but was allowed to remain on the earth as a ministering servant until the time of the Lord's Second Coming (John 21:20–23; 3 Ne. 28:6–7; D&C 7)".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptures/gs/john-son-of-zebedee?lang=eng|title=John, Son of Zebedee|website=wwwchurchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref> It also teaches that in 1829, along with the resurrected Peter and the resurrected James, John visited [[Joseph Smith]] and [[Oliver Cowdery]] and restored the [[Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|priesthood]] authority with [[Apostolic succession]] to earth,<ref>[[Doctrine and Covenants]] {{lds||dc|27|12}}</ref> though a few ex-Latter-Day Saints claim<ref>[https://read.cesletter.org/priesthood/#before-1832 Priesthood restoration. CES Letter.]</ref> controversially<ref>[https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/priesthood-restoration-concerns-questions A CES Letter Reply: Faithful Answers For Those Who Doubt]</ref> that previous editions of Latter-day scripture contradict this claim of Priesthood authority and Apostolic succession. John, along with the [[Three Nephites]], will live to see the [[Second Coming of Christ]] as [[Translation (Mormonism)|translated beings]].<ref name="ldsbd">{{citation |contribution-url= http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/scriptures/bd/john |contribution= John |title= KJV (LDS): Bible Dictionary |publisher= [[LDS Church]] |year= 1979 }}</ref>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches that John the Apostle is the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple.<ref name = ldsbd/>

==In art==
[[File:Helsinki Cathedral John the Evangelist.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Statue of John the Evangelist by August Wredow on [[Helsinki Cathedral]]]]
[[File:St John the Apostle by Jacques Bellange.jpg|thumb|upright|St. John the Apostle by [[Jacques Bellange]], c. 1600]]

As he was traditionally identified with the beloved apostle, the evangelist, and the author of the Revelation and several Epistles, John played an extremely prominent role in art from the early Christian period onward.<ref name="Hall1979">James Hall, "John the Evangelist", ''Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art'', rev. ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1979)</ref> He is traditionally depicted in one of two distinct ways: either as an aged man with a white or gray beard, or alternatively as a beardless youth.<ref name="HallJerousek">Sources:
*James Hall, ''Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art'', (New York: Harper & Row, 1979), 129, 174–75.
*Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism", ''Cleveland Studies in the History of Art'', Vol. 6 (2001), 16.
</ref><ref name="BritannicaOnline">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |title=Saint John the Apostle |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle |access-date=4 August 2017 |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |location=Chicago, Illinois}}</ref> The first way of depicting him was more common in [[Byzantine art]], where it was possibly influenced by antique depictions of [[Socrates]];<ref>
Jadranka Prolović, "Socrates and St. John the Apostle: the interchangеable similarity of their portraits" ''Zograf'', vol. 35 (2011), 9: "It is difficult to locate when and where this iconography of John originated and what the prototype was, yet it is clearly visible that this iconography of John contains all of the main characteristics of well-known antique images of Socrates. This fact leads to the conclusion that Byzantine artists used depictions of Socrates as a model for the portrait of John."</ref> the second was more common in the art of [[Medieval art|Medieval Western Europe]], and can be dated back as far as 4th century Rome.<ref name="BritannicaOnline" />

Legends from the [[Acts of John]], an apocryphal text attributed to John, contributed much to Medieval iconography; it is the source of the idea that John became an apostle at a young age.<ref name="BritannicaOnline" /> One of John's familiar attributes is the chalice, often with a serpent emerging from it.<ref name="Hall1979" /> This symbol is interpreted as a reference to a legend from the Acts of John,<ref>J.K. Elliot (ed.), ''A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation Based on M.R. James'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993/2005), 343–345.</ref> in which John was challenged to drink a cup of poison to demonstrate the power of his faith (the poison being symbolized by the serpent).<ref name="Hall1979" /> Other common attributes include a book or scroll, in reference to the writings traditionally attributed to him, and an eagle,<ref name="BritannicaOnline" /> which is argued to symbolize the high-soaring, inspirational quality of these writings.<ref name="Hall1979" />

In Medieval and through to Renaissance works of painting, sculpture and literature, Saint John is often presented in an androgynous or feminized manner.<ref>*James Hall, ''Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art'', (New York: Harper & Row, 1979), 129, 174–75.
*[[Jeffrey F. Hamburger]], ''St. John the Divine: The Deified Evangelist in Medieval Art and Theology.'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002), xxi–xxii; ibidem, 159–160.
*Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism", ''Cleveland Studies in the History of Art'', Vol. 6 (2001), 16.
*Annette Volfing, ''John the Evangelist and Medieval Writing: Imitating the Inimitable.'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 139.
</ref> Historians have related such portrayals to the circumstances of the believers for whom they were intended.<ref>*[[Jeffrey F. Hamburger]], ''St. John the Divine: The Deified Evangelist in Medieval Art and Theology.'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002), xxi–xxii.
*Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism" ''Cleveland Studies in the History of Art'', Vol. 6 (2001), 20.
*Sarah McNamer, ''Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion'', (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 142–148.
*Annette Volfing, ''John the Evangelist and Medieval Writing: Imitating the Inimitable.'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 139.
</ref> For instance, John's feminine features are argued to have helped to make him more relatable to women.<ref>*Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism" ''Cleveland Studies in the History of Art'', Vol. 6 (2001), 20.
*Annette Volfing, ''John the Evangelist and Medieval Writing: Imitating the Inimitable.'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 139.
</ref> Likewise, Sarah McNamer argues that because of his status as an androgynous saint, John could function as an "image of a [[Third gender|third or mixed gender]]"<ref>
Sarah McNamer, ''Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion'', (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 142.
</ref> and "a crucial figure with whom to identify"<ref>
Sarah McNamer, ''Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion'', (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 145.
</ref> for male believers who sought to cultivate an attitude of [[affective piety]], a highly emotional style of devotion that, in late-medieval culture, was thought to be poorly compatible with masculinity.<ref>
Sarah McNamer, ''Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion'', (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 142–148.</ref> After the Middle Ages, feminizing portrayals of Saint John continued to be made; a case in point is an etching by [[Jacques Bellange]], shown to the right, described by art critic [[Richard Dorment]] as depicting "a softly androgynous creature with a corona of frizzy hair, small breasts like a teenage girl, and the round belly of a mature woman."<ref name="dorment">{{cite web| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4707511/The-sacred-and-the-sensual.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226074022/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4707511/The-sacred-and-the-sensual.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=26 February 2016| title=The Sacred and the Sensual| author=Richard Dorment| author-link=Richard Dorment| date=15 February 1997| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref>

In the realm of popular media, this latter phenomenon was brought to notice in [[Dan Brown]]'s novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' (2003), where one of the book's characters suggests that the feminine-looking person to Jesus' right in [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'' is actually [[Mary Magdalene]] rather than St. John.

==Gallery of art==
<gallery class="center" widths="175px" heights="200px" caption="John the Apostle">
File:KellsFol291vPortJohn.jpg|A portrait from the [[Book of Kells]], c. 800
File:John the Apostle from The-Last-Supper-Restored-Da-Vinci 32x16.jpg|From the restored ''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'' by [[Leonardo da Vinci]],<br>c. 1400s
File:San Juan Evangelista y San Francisco El Greco.jpg |''John the Apostle and [[Francis of Assisi|St Francis]]'' by [[El Greco]], c. 1600–1614
File:Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist by Master of the Winkler Epitaph.jpg|''Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist'' by Master of the Winkler Epitaph
</gallery><gallery class="center" widths="175px" heights="200px">
File:Valentin de boulogne, John and Jesus.jpg|[[Valentin de Boulogne]], ''John and Jesus''
File:Simone Cantarini - São João Batista em Meditação.jpg|''St. John the Evangelist in meditation'' by [[Simone Cantarini]] (1612–1648), Bologna
File:El Greco - St. John - Google Art Project.jpg|''Saint John and the Poisoned Cup'' by El Greco, c. 1610–1614
File:Anônimo - A Última Ceia.jpg|''The Last Supper'', anonymous painter
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Basilica of St. John]]
* [[Four Evangelists]]
* [[List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources]]
* [[Names of John]]
* [[St. John the Evangelist on Patmos]]
* ''[[Vision of St. John on Patmos]]'', 1520–1522 frescos by [[Antonio da Correggio]]
* [[Acts of John]], a [[pseudepigrapha]]l account of John's miracle work
* [[Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/December 27|Saint John the Apostle, patron saint archive]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book|first1=Michael|last1=Coogan|first2=Marc|last2=Brettler|first3=Carol|last3=Newsom|first4=Pheme|last4=Perkins|title=The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T05WDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1380|date=1 March 2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-027605-8|page=1380}}
* {{Cite book
 | title = The Johannine Literature
 | last1 = Lindars | first1 = Barnabas
 | last2 = Edwards | first2 = Ruth
 | last3 = Court | first3 = John M.
 | year = 2000
 | publisher = A&C Black
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qVOD0PhayhsC
 | isbn = 978-1-84127-081-4
}}
* {{Cite book
|last        = Perkins
|first       = Pheme
|authorlink  = Pheme Perkins
|editor1-last                    = Barton
|editor1-first                   = John
|title      = The Cambridge companion to biblical interpretation
|chapter    = The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles: Telling the Christian Story
|year       = 1998
|publisher  = Westminster John Knox Press
|chapter-url        = https://books.google.com/books?id=PSHCRgS_SAUC
|isbn       = 978-0-521-48593-7
}}
* {{Cite book|first1=Pheme|last1=Perkins|first2=Michael D.|last2=Coogan|editor-first1=Marc Z.|editor-last1=Brettler|editor-first2=Carol|editor-last2=Newsom|title=The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|page=1380}}
* {{Cite book
|last          = Reddish
|first         = Mitchell
|title         = An Introduction to The Gospels
|year          = 2011
|publisher     = Abingdon Press
|url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=hliGUOv18cQC
|isbn          = 978-1426750083
}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|John the Evangelist}}
{{Commons category|John the Apostle}}
{{EB1911 poster|John, the Apostle}}
* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101327/ Eastern Orthodox icon and Synaxarion of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist (May 8)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060422214640/http://home.arcor.de/berzelmayr/st-john.html John the Apostle in Art]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170804215819/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/vaticano/M-Tapestry.html John in Art]
* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=102731 Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian] Orthodox [[icon]] and [[synaxarion]] for 26 September
* {{Gutenberg author | id=25577}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=John the Apostle}}
* {{Internet Archive author |name=Saint John}}

{{Clear}}
{{Apostles}}
{{Gospel of John}}
{{New Testament people}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Coptic saints}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Saints |portal2= Biography |portal3= Christianity |portal4= Bible}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:John the Apostle| ]]
[[Category:AD 6 births]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the New Testament]]
[[Category:1st-century Christian theologians]]
[[Category:1st-century Christian mystics]]
[[Category:2nd-century Christian theologians]]
[[Category:2nd-century Christian mystics]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]
[[Category:Angelic visionaries]]
[[Category:Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:Burials in Turkey]]
[[Category:Jewish Christian mystics]]
[[Category:Ancient letter writers]]
[[Category:Family of Jesus]]
[[Category:Twelve Apostles]]
[[Category:Saints from the Holy Land]]
[[Category:Ancient Jewish fishers]]
[[Category:People from Bethsaida]]
[[Category:Judean people]]
[[Category:Miracle workers]]
[[Category:Colosseum]]

[[eo:Sankta Johano la Evangeliisto]]