John

### Aliases

Saint John, Juan, John the Beloved, Apostle John, John of Patmos, Eagle of Patmos, John the Divine, John the Revelator, The Theologian, The Visionary, Man of Patmos

### Affiliation

Jesus Christ, Heaven, Apocalypse, The Twelve Apostles

## Relatives

### Parents

Zebedee and unnamed mother, Virgin Mary (adopted)

### Offspring

None

**John** was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ and the writer of the gospel of John and who received revelations about the Judeo-Christian apocalypse.

## Overview

John was the son of Zebedee, a prosperous Galilean fisherman. He was called by Jesus Christ to be his follower when he was 24 years old, being the youngest of the 12 apostles. Despite the youngest, he became known as "the one Jesus loved" and it was he whom Jesus trusted to take care of his mother after her death. He was also the one who received the written Gospel of John and the book of Revelation, where the events of the end of the world were recorded. He is also believed to have received information from Jesus after his resurrection showed him the "backstage of creation" and told him about an evil entity called the Yaldabaoth.

## Appearance

In Medieval and through to Renaissance works of painting, sculpture and literature, Saint John is often presented in an androgynous or feminized manner. Historians have related such portrayals to the circumstances of the believers for whom they were intended, a highly emotional style of devotion that, in late-medieval culture, was thought to be poorly compatible with masculinity. 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."

## Myths and Legends

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. The Church Fathers identify him as John the Evangelist, and the Beloved Disciple, and testify that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one to die of natural causes. The traditions of most Christian denominations have held that John the Apostle is the author of several books of the New Testament.

### References to John in the New Testament

John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James, son of Zebedee (James the Greater). According to Church tradition, their mother was Salome. Also according to some traditions, Salome was the sister of Mary, Jesus' mother, making Salome Jesus' aunt, and her sons John the Apostle and James were Jesus' cousins.

He was first a disciple of John the Baptist. John the Apostle is traditionally believed to be one of two disciples (the other being Andrew) recounted in John 1: 35-39, who upon hearing the Baptist point out Jesus as the "Lamb of God", followed Jesus and spent the day with him.

Zebedee and his sons fished in the Sea of Galilee. Jesus then called Peter, Andrew and these two sons of Zebedee to follow him. James and John are listed among the Twelve Apostles. Jesus referred to the pair as "Boanerges" (translated "sons of thunder"). A gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on an unhospitable Samaritan town, but Jesus rebuked them.  John lived on for another generation after the martyrdom of James, who was the first Apostle to die a martyr's death.

## Trivia

* In some Gnostic texts, Thomas, not John, was presented as Jesus' favored apostle.
* John is the youngest of the apostles.