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General Information
Saint John, a Galilean fisherman and the son of Zebedee, was one of the Twelve Apostles. John and his brother, Saint James (the Great), were called Boanerges, or Sons of Thunder, by Christ. Several passages in the Bible imply that this describes their intense loyalty and aggressive zeal (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49, 54). John was one of the inner circle among the Twelve. Saint Peter, James, and John witnessed the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28) and went to Gethsemane with Jesus (Matt. 26:37; Mark 14:33).
Douglas Ezell
There he heard the announcement, "Behold
the Lamb of God," and forthwith, on the invitation of Jesus, became a
disciple and ranked among his followers (John 1:36, 37) for a time. He
and his brother then returned to their former avocation, for how long
is uncertain. Jesus again called them (Matt. 4: 21; Luke 5:1-11), and
now they left all and permanently attached themselves to the company of
his disciples. He became one of the innermost circle (Mark 5:37; Matt.
17:1; 26:37; Mark 13:3). He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. In zeal
and intensity of character he was a "Boanerges" (Mark 3:17). This
spirit once and again broke out (Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41; Luke
9:49, 54). At the betrayal he and Peter follow Christ afar off, while
the others betake themselves to hasty flight (John 18:15). At the trial
he follows Christ into the council chamber, and thence to the
praetorium (18:16, 19, 28) and to the place of crucifixion (19:26, 27).
To him and Peter, Mary first conveys tidings of the resurrection
(20:2), and they are the first to go and see what her strange words
mean. After the resurrection he and Peter again return to the Sea of
Galilee, where the Lord reveals himself to them (21:1, 7). We find
Peter and John frequently after this together (Acts 3:1; 4: 13). John
remained apparently in Jerusalem as the leader of the church there
(Acts 15:6; Gal. 2:9). His subsequent history is unrecorded. He was not
there, however, at the time of Paul's last visit (Acts 21:15-40). He
appears to have retired to Ephesus, but at what time is unknown. The
seven churches of Asia were the objects of his special care (Rev.
1:11). He suffered under persecution, and was banished to Patmos (1:9);
whence he again returned to Ephesus, where he died, probably about A.D.
98, having outlived all or nearly all the friends and companions even
of his maturer years. There are many interesting traditions regarding
John during his residence at Ephesus, but these cannot claim the
character of historical truth.
saintjohn
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