# The New International Encyclopædia/John (apostle)

Edition of 1905. See also John the Apostle on Wikipedia; and the disclaimer.
​JOHN (OF. Jan, Jean, Jehan, Johan, from Lat. Johannes, from Gk. Ὶωάννης, from Heb. Yōhānān, Yahweh hath been gracious). One of the disciples of Jesus, frequently mentioned in the first three Gospels and the Book of Acts, and generally supposed to be the author of the Gospel and Epistles and the Book of Revelation which bear his name. His parents were Zebedee and Salome (Mark i. 20; xv. 40; cf. Matt. xxvii. 56). The mother was possibly sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus (cf. John xix. 25 with Mark xv. 40). Zebedee was a fisherman of Bethsaida, on the Sea of Galilee, of some means, as he possessed boats and nets and had hired servants (Mark i. 19, 20). Salome was one who contributed to Jesus’ support during His ministry (Mark xv. 41). The two brothers, James and John, were thus not of the poorest class, yet probably received no more than the ordinary education of Jewish children. Engaged in the fishing trade, they probably knew something of Greek, as well as their native Aramaic and the Old Testament Hebrew. When John the Baptist made his appearance John and his brother went down from Galilee to hear him, and attached themselves to him as disciples (John i. 35 sqq.). When Jesus returned from His temptation in the desert, John, ​with Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, at the suggestion of the Baptist, left him and made the acquaintance of Jesus. They immediately sought out their brothers and became companions of Jesus, remaining with Him during His early ministry in Judea (John i.-iv. passim). They returned to their home and usual occupation, from which Jesus formally summoned them when He opened His ministry in Galilee (Mark i. 19, 20). Obeying the summons, they became disciples in the full sense of the word, remaining with Jesus to the end. John, James, and Peter were the three disciples with whom Jesus was most intimate. With Andrew they make up the group of four which heads each of the three lists of the Twelve Apostles (Mark iii. 14–19; Matt. x. 2–4; Luke vi. 13–16). These three alone witnessed the raising of Jairus’s daughter, the Transfiguration, and the agony in Gethsemane (Mark v. 37; ix. 2; xiv. 33, and parallels). It was John whose devotion to Jesus was so zealous that he rebuked one who, though not of the company of Jesus’ disciples, was found casting out demons in His name (Mark ix. 38 sqq.; Luke ix. 49, 50). The trait of character thus revealed gives us a hint, possibly, of the reason for Jesus’ designation of James and John as Boanerges (Sons of Thunder). The same fiery zeal showed itself in the desire (Luke ix. 54) to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans who did not welcome Jesus. Near the close of Jesus’ ministry James and John, prompted by their mother, asked to be given the seats of honor in the coming Messianic kingdom. Jesus’ reply promised them only the cup of sacrificial service as their future portion (Matt. xx. 20 sqq.; Mark x. 35 sqq.). At the Last Supper John had the seat nearest the Master, and to him Jesus indicated privately which one was the traitor (John xiii. 23). He followed Jesus to the scene of the trial (John xviii. 15), and as he stood near the cross Jesus committed His mother to his care (John xix. 25 sqq.). He lingered long enough to see the piercing of Jesus’ side (John xix. 35), and then returned to the city, where he appears to have had acquaintances or relatives (John xviii. 15; xix. 27). At the news of the resurrection he visited the tomb with Peter, and entering in and observing how the grave clothes were arranged, ‘he believed’ (John xx. 1–10). A few days later he returned to Galilee, where on a certain morning he and other disciples had a vision of the risen Jesus and were given anew the commission to carry on His work (John xxi.; cf. Matt. xxviii. 16–20). In the record of the early Church (in Acts), John appears mainly in company with Peter, who, however, seems to have been the chief speaker. Though no words of his during these years are recorded, he was evidently prominent and influential (cf. Acts iii. 1–4, 11; iv. 13, 19; viii. 14). Paul speaks of him (Gal. ii. 9) as one of the ‘pillars’ of the Church in Jerusalem, who at the time of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts xv.; Gal. ii. 1–10), with James (the Just) and Peter, gave Paul the right hand of fellowship and recognized the value of his work among the Gentiles. This was about A.D. 49–50, about twenty years after the crucifixion. Henceforth the New Testament record is silent as to John’s career. Whether he was present in Jerusalem at Paul’s last visit (Acts xxi. 17) is unknown. The Apocalypse (see Revelation), supposed to have been written by him (cf. i. 1, 4, 9; xxii. 8), gives us no certain clew as to its date or his circumstances at the time. With the Gospel (q.v.) it presupposes a circle of hearers among whom the Apostle was influential, and locates them in Asia Minor. The Apocalypse itself was written from Patmos, where the writer was “on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus”. Ancient tradition has interpreted this as an experience of suffering due to persecution, but this is not certain. To fill in the gap between the statements in Acts and Galatians, and the conditions presupposed in the Gospel, Epistles, and Apocalypse, we must suppose that at some time between A.D. 50 and 70 John left Jerusalem to labor elsewhere, and finally, probably after Paul’s death, came to the Province of Asia, where he spent the remainder of his life, residing chiefly at Ephesus. During his residence in Asia he wrote his Gospel, Epistles, and the Apocalypse, all addressed to readers belonging to the same general circle of churches. John is said by Eusebius (Hist. Eccles., III., xviii., xx., xxiii., partly based on Irenæus) to have been banished to Patmos by Domitian (A.D. 81–96), then to have removed to Ephesus by permission of Nerva (96–98), and to have lived on until some time in Trajan’s reign (98–117). At Ephesus he was widely known and loved. Among his disciples was Polycarp, afterwards Bishop of Smyrna, who greatly influenced Irenæus in his youth (Iren. ad Florinum, in Euseb., Hist. Eccles., V., xx.). Here he also had to oppose the heretical teachings of Cerinthus (Iren., Contra Hæres., III., iii. 4). The presence of dangerous heresy led him to write the Gospel. According to the old legend in the Muratorian Canon, he did this in conjunction with fellow-disciples, all contributing of their reminiscences, but John alone doing the writing. In extreme old age his oft-repeated exhortation was, “Little children, love one another” (so Jerome, Com. in Gal., vi. 10). Another story is told by Clement of Alexandria of his reclaiming the chief of a robber band from his evil life. According to Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus (c.190), he died and was buried at Ephesus. Later legend affirmed that he was not really dead, but that the earth above his body rose and fell with his breathing. For literature, see article John, Gospel of.