John the Apostle

John the Apostle John the Apostle (Aramaic: Yohanan Yohanan Ben Zavdai c. AD יוחנן בן זבדי :Shliha; Hebrew 6 – c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles. Christian tradition holds that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one not to die a martyr’s death. The Church Fa- thers consider him the same person as John the Evange- list, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple. The tradition of many Christian denominations holds that he is the author of several books of the New Testament. 1 New Testament author Church tradition holds that John is the author of the Gospel of John and four other books of the New Tes- tament — the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation. In the Gospel, authorship is internally cred- ited to the "disciple whom Jesus loved"(ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, o pathētēs on ēgapa o Iēsous) in John 20:2. John 21:24 claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of the “Beloved Disciple”. The authorship of some Johannine literature has been de- bated since about the year 200.[3][4] Some doubt that the “Gospel of John” was written by an individual named Nevertheless, the notion of .(יוחנן John” (Ἰωάννης or“ “John the Evangelist” exists, and is usually thought of as the same as the Apostle John. In his Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius says that the first epistle of John and the gospel of John are widely agreed upon as his. However, Eusebius mentions that the con- St. John at the Crucifixion of Jesus in a Stabat Mater by Pietro sensus is that the second and third epistles of John are PeruginoRome, c. 1482 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 his name ... are considered by some to be the work of a John. The revelation of John could only be what is now certain John the Elder” and, while stating that Revelation [5] was written by John of Patmos, it was “later translated called the book of Revelation. The Gospel according [2] to John differs considerably from the Synoptic Gospels, by Justin Martyr and Irenaeus”, presumably in an at- likely written decades earlier than John’s gospel. The tempt to reconcile tradition with the obvious differences bishops of Asia Minor supposedly requested him to write in Greek style. his gospel to deal with the heresy of the Ebionites, who Until the 19th century, the authorship of the Gospel asserted that Christ did not exist before Mary. John prob- of John had universally been attributed to the Apos- ably knew and undoubtedly approved of the Gospels of tle John. However, most modern critical scholars have Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but these gospels spoke of their doubts.[7][8] Some scholars agree in placing the Jesus primarily in the year following the imprisonment Gospel of John somewhere between AD 65 and 85,[9] and death of John the Baptist.[6] Around 600, however, John Robinson proposes an initial edition by 50–55 and Sophronius of Jerusalem noted that “two epistles bearing then a final edition by 65 due to narrative similarities 1 2 1 NEW TESTAMENT AUTHOR However, the Gospel’s chapter 21 ends (at verse 24) with an explicit declaration unifying the witness and authorship, in the form of a literary device of postponement of the discovery of the identity of the mysterious “other disciple,” and “disciple he loved,” and “this man,” the first two used multiple times across the expanse of eye-witness accounts: “This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.” (Source, AV) 1.1 Book of Revelation The author of the Book of Revelation identifies himself as “John”[28] The early 2nd century writer, Justin Mar- tyr, was the first to equate the author of Revelation with John the Apostle.[29] However, some biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals.[7][30] John the Presbyter, an obscure figure in the early church, has also been identified with the seer of the Book of Rev- elation by such authors as Eusebius and Jerome. John is considered to have been exiled to Patmos, during the persecutions under Emperor Domitian. Revelation Lamentation of the Virgin. John the Apostle trying to console 1:9 says that the author wrote the book on Patmos: “I, Mary 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 [10]:pp.284,307 with Paul. Other scholars are of the opinion Collins, a biblical scholar at Yale Divinity School, writes: that the Gospel of John was composed in two or three stages.[11]:p.43 Some contemporary scholars are of the “Early tradition says that John was banished to opinion that the Gospel was not written until the latter Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradi- third of the first century AD. The Dean of New Testa- tion is credible because banishment was a com- ment at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Gail mon punishment used during the Imperial pe- R O'Day, writes in her introduction to the Gospel in the riod for a number of offenses. Among such New Revised Standard Translation of the Bible [12] "...a offenses were the practices of magic and as- date of 75-80 CE as the earliest possible date of compo- trology. Prophecy was viewed by the Romans sition for this Gospel”. Other scholars think that an even as belonging to the same category, whether later date, perhaps even the last decade of the first cen- Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with tury AD right up to the start of the 2nd century (i.e. 90 - political implications, like that expressed by 100), is applicable.[13] John in the book of Revelation, would have Today, many theological scholars continue to accept the been perceived as a threat to Roman political traditional authorship. Colin G. Kruse states that since power and order. Three of the islands in the John the Evangelist has been named consistently in the Sporades were places where political offenders writings of early church fathers, “it is hard to pass by this were banished.” (Pliny Natural History 4.69- conclusion, despite widespread reluctance to accept it by 70; Tacitus Annals 4.30)[31] many, but by no means all, modern scholars.”[14] The Gospel of John was written by an anonymous Some modern higher critical scholars have raised the pos- author.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] According to Paul sibility that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and N. Anderson, the gospel “contains more direct claims John of Patmos were three separate individuals.[32] These to eyewitness origins than any of the other Gospel scholars assert that John of Patmos wrote Revelation but traditions”.[24] F. F. Bruce argues that 19:35 contains an neither the Gospel of John nor the Epistles of John. For “emphatic and explicit claim to eyewitness authority”.[25] one, the author of Revelation identifies himself as “John” Bart D. Ehrman, however, does not think the gospel several times, but the author of the Gospel of John never claims to have been written by direct witnesses to the re- identifies himself directly. Some Catholic scholars state ported events.[17][26][27] that “vocabulary, grammar, and style make it doubtful 2.2 Other references to John 3 that the book could have been put into its present form by Galilee. The brothers were firstly disciples of John the the same person(s) responsible for the fourth gospel”.[33] Baptist. Jesus then called Saint Peter, Saint Andrew and these two sons of Zebedee to follow him. James and John are listed among the Twelve Apostles. Jesus referred to 2 References to John in the New the pair as “Boanerges” (translated “sons of thunder”);[8] although their nature was calm and gentle, when their pa- Testament tience was pushed to its limits their anger became wild and thunderous causing them to speak out like an un- tamed storm. A gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on a Samaritan town, but Jesus rebuked them. [Lk 9:51-6] John lived more than half a century after the martyrdom of James, who was the first Apostle to die a martyr’s death. 2.2 Other references to John Peter, James and John were the only witnesses of the rais- ing of Daughter of Jairus.[35] All three also witnessed the Transfiguration, and these same three witnessed the Agony in Gethsemane more closely than the other Apos- tles did.[36] John was the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had 'forbidden' a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus’ name, prompting Jesus to state that 'he who is not against us is on our side'.[37] Jesus sent only John and Peter into the city to make the preparation for the final Passover meal (the Last Sup- per).[Lk 22:8][38] At the meal itself, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” sat next to Jesus. It was customary to lie along upon couches at meals, and this disciple leaned on Jesus.[36] Tradition identifies this disciple as Saint John[Jn 13:23-25].

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