John the Apostle

Sources and Scholarly Historiography

Information concerning John the Apostle is not preserved in first-century documentary sources outside the New Testament writings. Modern knowledge of his life derives from the application of historical-critical methods to primary texts, including the canonical gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline epistles, and apocryphal materials, alongside early patristic writings.^[2][8] The earliest surviving manuscript fragment of the Fourth Gospel is Papyrus 52 (P52), dated paleographically to approximately 125 AD, which preserves verses from chapter 18.^[9][10] Papyrus 66 (P66), an almost complete codex from approximately 200 AD, and Papyrus 75 (P75), dating to approximately 175 to 225 AD and uniting the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John, demonstrate that Johannine literature was circulated and categorized as a unity among early Christian communities.^[9]

The complex history of Johannine studies was highlighted by Adolf von Harnack, who described the Fourth Gospel as one of the greatest enigmas of early Christianity.^[2][8] Charles Harold Dodd observed that understanding the Johannine tradition is tantamount to understanding the essence of early Christianity.^[2][8] In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, liberal criticism largely severed the connection between the Gospel of John and John the son of Zebedee, frequently interpreting the text through a Hellenistic or Gnostic lens.^[2][8] Following World War II, a new critical outlook arose that emphasized the Jewish, Palestinian, and historical dimensions of the Fourth Gospel, leading several scholars to reconsider the degree to which John the son of Zebedee served as the root source or primary authority behind the traditions preserved in the text.^[2][8]

Early Life and Calling

The New Testament identifies John as a native of Bethsaida in Galilee and the son of Zebedee, working as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee alongside his elder brother James.^{[11][12][13][14]} Their mother is traditionally identified as Salome, based on a comparison between Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40.^{[11][15][16][17]} In Matthew, the mother of the sons of Zebedee is counted among the women present at the crucifixion, whereas Mark names Salome in the parallel scene.^[15][16] Some ancient and modern commentators infer from John 19:25 that Salome was also the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which would make James and John the first cousins of Jesus.^{[14][18][19][20]} However, other scholars, such as Richard Bauckham, note that the commonality of the names Mary and Salome in first-century Palestine makes this identification conjectural, and that the Fourth Gospel emphasizes a spiritual relationship rather than biological kinship.^[21][22]

The fishing enterprise operated by Zebedeo and his sons was a collaborative commercial venture. Luke 5:7-10 specifies that the brothers had hired workers (misthōtoi) and maintained an organized business partnership (koinōnoi and metochoi) with Simon Peter and Andrew.^[23] In the first-century Galilean fishing economy, local Jewish operations supplied processed and preserved fish, which was preferred by Jewish consumers seeking compliance with biblical dietary purity laws.^[24] Later traditions preserved in Nonnus of Panopolis's fifth-century paraphrase of the Gospel of John and the fourteenth-century manuscript Historia Passionis Domini assert that Zebedee's commercial ties included supplying fish directly to the palace of the High Priest in Jerusalem, which offered an explanation for why the unnamed disciple was known to Caiaphas.^{[25][26][27][28]} Alternatively, scholars such as Brian J. Capper have suggested that the disciple known to the High Priest was an aristocratic member of an Essene-like community located on Jerusalem's southwest hill.^[29][30]

According to the Fourth Gospel, John began his religious discipleship under John the Baptist in the Jordan Valley.^[31][32][33] In John 1:35-40, Andrew and an unnamed disciple hear the Baptist proclaim Jesus as the Lamb of God, after which they follow Jesus and spend the day with him.^{[2][8][31][33]} Biblical scholars including Alfred Wikenhauser and Raymond E. Brown conclude that this unnamed companion was John himself, who noted the precise hour of the encounter as the tenth hour, or four in the afternoon.^[32][34] The synoptic tradition records the subsequent formal call of John and James along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus summoned them from their boats while they were mending their nets, prompting them to leave their father and hired servants immediately to follow him.^{[12][35][36][37]}

Jesus gave James and John the Aramaic surname Boanerges, which Mark 3:17 translates as sons of thunder.^[35][38][39] The underlying Semitic root has been linked to words denoting roar or thunder (Bney-re'em), as well as tumult (ragash) or anger (ragaz).^[38][40][41] While some authors speculated that the name pointed to a zealous or nationalist disposition, Otto Wilhelm Betz and Alan Culpepper argue that Boanerges was an early authentic tradition bestowed not as a derogatory epithet, but as a prophetic promise of the boldness and resonance with which the brothers would proclaim the word of God like heavenly thunder.^[20][42] Their fierce temperament was displayed when a Samaritan village refused hospitality to Jesus on his way to Jerusalem; the brothers asked whether they should command fire to descend from heaven to consume the inhabitants, an impulse for which Jesus sternly rebuked them.^[38][43][44]

Ministry with Jesus

Throughout the synoptic narratives, John is consistently placed within the first four names in every apostolic list, appearing alongside Peter, James, and Andrew.^{[20][45][46][47]} Together with Peter and James, John formed an inner triumvirate among the Twelve who were chosen by Jesus to witness unique manifestations of his divine authority.^[48][49] These events included the raising of the daughter of Jairus, where only the parents and these three apostles were admitted, the Transfiguration upon the holy mountain, where they beheld the glory of Christ speaking with Moses and Elijah, and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, where they were selected to watch and pray near Jesus prior to his arrest.^[48][50][51]

The ambition of the Zebedee brothers is documented in the Gospels when they sought positions of highest preeminence in the coming Kingdom. According to Mark 10:35-40, James and John approached Jesus directly asking to sit on his right and left hand in his glory, whereas Matthew 20:20-23 depicts their mother Salome making the petition on their behalf.^[52][53] Jesus answered by asking whether they were able to drink the cup that he was to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which he was baptized, to which they replied that they could.^[53] Jesus confirmed that they would indeed share in his suffering, though assigning places of honor belonged solely to the Father, using the occasion to instruct the Twelve that true greatness in his kingdom lies in serving others rather than exercising authority.^[38][53][54]

Jesus assigned only Peter and John the responsibility of entering Jerusalem to prepare the Passover meal that became the Last Supper.^[55][56][57] During the supper, the disciple whom Jesus loved sat immediately next to Jesus, reclining upon his chest according to the Roman triclinium dining custom.^[58][59] At Peter's prompting, this disciple leaned back against Jesus to inquire who the betrayer was.^[60][61] This position earned him the Greek patristic epithet Epistēthios, meaning on the chest.^[59][62][63] Following the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane, an unnamed disciple known to the High Priest facilitated Peter's entry into the courtyard of Annas and Caiaphas.^[2][58][64]

At the crucifixion, while the other male disciples had scattered, the Beloved Disciple stood at the foot of the cross alongside Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.^{[15][65][66][67]} Jesus addressed his mother from the cross, saying, 'Woman, behold your son,' and to the disciple, 'Behold your mother'.^[66][68] From that hour, the disciple took her into his own home, establishing a spiritual kinship that patristic tradition interpreted as an entrustment of Mary to John's lifelong filial care.^[2][65][66] Following the resurrection, upon receiving Mary Magdalene's report of the empty tomb, Peter and the Beloved Disciple ran together to the garden; the Beloved Disciple arrived first and waited outside, possibly as a sign of consideration for Peter, and upon entering saw the linen cloths and believed.^[69][70] In John 21, during the miraculous catch of 153 fish on the Sea of Tiberias, this disciple was the first to recognize the risen Lord on the shore.^[71][72]

The Beloved Disciple

The anonymous figure designated as the disciple whom Jesus loved (ho mathētēs hon ēgapā ho Iēsous) appears six times in the Fourth Gospel, serving as a primary witness and the stated guarantor of the text's veracity.^{[2][5][8][73][74]} According to Cornelis Bennema, this figure exhibits unique narrative traits: exceptional intimacy and loyalty toward Jesus, superior spiritual perception, unbroken fidelity during the Passion, and deep mutual respect with Peter.^[71][75] Christian tradition holds that this figure and John the Evangelist are the same person; Irenaeus of Lyon, writing around 180, called John the disciple of the Lord who leaned upon his breast, and in doing so consistently meant the apostle John.^[32][34][76]

Modern critical scholarship has proposed various alternative identifications for the Beloved Disciple, including Lazarus of Bethany, John Mark, Matthias, Paul of Tarsus, or the Samaritan woman, while others hypothesize an unnamed Jerusalem disciple from the priestly class.^{[2][8][29][77][78]} Critics such as Pierson Parker note that the Fourth Gospel never directly names John, nor does it narrate synoptic episodes featuring the Zebedee brothers like the Transfiguration.^[79] However, the synoptic Gospels state that only the Twelve were present at the Last Supper, a point on which, according to Pierson Parker, the identification of John as the Beloved Disciple depends too heavily.^[79] Furthermore, early patristic authors never mention any of the alternative candidates in connection with the title, leaving John the Apostle as the only figure supported by early external church evidence.^[80][81]

John Chapman drew attention to the phenomenon termed the omission of John in John.^[82] While Simon Peter is named 40 times in the Fourth Gospel, and figures like Andrew, Philip, and Thomas appear frequently, the names of James and John are completely absent from the entire body of the narrative, appearing only once in the appendix as the sons of Zebedee (John 21:2).^[82] Exegetes suggest that the author deliberately veiled John's name under the title of the Beloved Disciple out of modesty and spiritual conviction, pointing to the Holy Spirit as the true source of inspiration.^[83][84] Beyond historical identity, scholars such as Alv Kragerud, T. Lorenzen, Richard Bauckham, and Raymond E. Brown emphasize the symbolic dimension of the figure as the ideal disciple, who exemplifies perfect contemplative intimacy with Christ, stays beside the cross, honors Mary, respects apostolic authority, and remains faithful until the Lord comes.^{[2][8][85][86][87]}

Leadership in the Early Church

In the Acts of the Apostles, John occupies a leading position within the infant Jerusalem community. In the list of apostles awaiting Pentecost in the Upper Room (Acts 1:13), Luke places John second immediately after Peter, elevating him above his elder brother James.^[20][88] Following Pentecost, John and Peter acted as close companions in preaching and performing miracles in Jerusalem. In Acts 3:1-11, they miraculously cured a man lame from birth at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, gathering a large crowd.^[89][90] When arrested and interrogated the next morning by the Sanhedrin, presided over by Annas and Caiaphas, the rulers were amazed by the bold speech of Peter and John, recognizing them to be uneducated and ordinary men (agrammatoi kai idiōtai) who had been with Jesus.^[91]

. Following the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution that scattered believers, the Jerusalem church dispatched Peter and John to Samaria to examine the work of Philip the Evangelist (Acts 8:14-25).^[2][92][93] There, they prayed for the Samaritan converts and laid hands upon them to receive the Holy Spirit, in sharp contrast to the earlier synoptic episode where John had wished to rain fire upon a Samaritan town.^[20] During this mission, they also encountered and rebuked Simon Magus before returning to Jerusalem.^[93]

Around 44 AD, King Herod Agrippa I launched a persecution against the church and had James the Great executed by the sword, making him the first of the Twelve to suffer martyrdom.^[38][94] This persecution led to a temporary dispersal of apostolic leaders from Judea.^[38][95] However, exegetes widely hold that John took part in the Council of Jerusalem, around 48 to 50 AD, which left Gentile converts free from observing the precepts of the Torah.^{[20][96][97][98]} In Galatians 2:9, Paul of Tarsus explicitly identifies John, alongside James the Just and Cephas (Peter), as the three recognized pillars of the church (styloi), confirming that they extended to Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship for their mission to the Gentiles.^{[20][99][100]}

Ministry in Asia Minor and Patmos

Early Christian tradition places John's later ministry in Western Anatolia, centering upon the metropolis of Ephesus, then the third or fourth largest city in the Roman Empire.^{[66][101][102]} A community of believers already existed at Ephesus before Paul's first labors there, in addition to Priscilla and Aquila, and it was originally led by Apollos.^{[101][103][104]} According to Irenaeus, John settled in Ephesus after the passing of Mary, guiding the churches of Asia Minor until the reign of Emperor Trajan.^{[102][105][106][107]} Church fathers report that John trained prominent leaders of the sub-apostolic generation, including Polycarp of Smyrna, Papias of Hierapolis, and Ignatius of Antioch.^[108][109] Irenaeus relates an anecdote transmitted through Polycarp that John once visited a public bathhouse in Ephesus but fled immediately upon seeing the adoptionist teacher Cerinthus inside, crying out: 'Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within'.^{[107][110][111]}

During the latter part of the first century, Ephesus was a major hub of the imperial cult, which was aggressively promoted under the Flavian emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.^[101][112] Domitian's insistence on being addressed as Lord and God (Dominus et Deus) created direct religious conflict with Christian convictions of 'one Lord' (Ephesians 4:5), a tension reflected in the anti-imperial apocalyptic imagery of the period and historical artifacts like the Alexamenos graffito.^[113][114] John is considered to have suffered persecution under Domitian.^{[115][116][117][118]}

A celebrated ancient tradition preserved by Tertullian in De praescriptione haereticorum records that John was brought to Rome under Domitian and plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil near the Latin Gate (Porta Latina).^{[105][116][119]} He emerged miraculously unharmed, an event that allegedly converted the onlookers and prompted the emperor to exile him rather than attempt further executions.^{[105][119][120][121]} The site of this legendary ordeal is commemorated in Rome by the chapel of San Giovanni in Oleo and the basilica of San Giovanni a Porta Latina.^{[14][116][122][123]} Some scholars have noted a parallel in Juvenal's Fourth Satire, which narrates the imperial preparation of a large foreign fish (peregrinus) before Domitian acting as Pontifex Maximus.^[124]

John is considered to have been exiled to the Aegean island of Patmos, a rocky penal outpost in the Sporades used for political and religious exiles.^{[115][116][118][120]} Revelation 1:9 states that the author was on Patmos 'for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus'.^{[115][118][125]} Patristic writers, including Clement of Alexandria, Jerome, and Eusebius, record that following Domitian's assassination on 18 September 96 AD, Emperor Nerva repealed his predecessor's decrees and permitted exiled Christians to return.^{[117][126][127]} According to these writers, John returned to Ephesus, where he governed the local churches, ordained bishops, and completed his theological writings before dying in peace during the early years of Trajan's reign.^{[99][117][126][128]}

Death, Tomb, and Associated Traditions

The predominant patristic consensus holds that John was the youngest of the apostles and the only one to die a natural death in old age, having lived past 90 or 100 years.^{[129][130][131]} Jerome records in his Commentary on Galatians that in his final years in Ephesus, when John was too frail to walk and had to be carried to church assemblies, he continuously repeated the single instruction: 'Little children, love one another'.^[132][133] When asked why he always repeated the same phrase, he answered that it was the Lord's commandment, and if observed, it alone was sufficient.^{[132][133][134]}

An alternative tradition of early martyrdom emerged from citations attributed to Papias of Hierapolis found in late epitomes by Philip of Side (c. 430 AD) and the ninth-century chronicle of George Hamartolos, asserting that James and John were both killed by the Jews, thus fulfilling Jesus' prophecy in Mark 10:38-39.^[135][136] While nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholars such as Marie-Émile Boismard, B. W. Bacon, and Martin Hengel took these citations seriously, most Johannine scholars doubt the reliability of their ascription to Papias, noting that neither Irenaeus nor Eusebius found any record of an early martyrdom in Papias' original writings.^{[32][34][137][138]} Theodor Zahn suggested that the reference in Papias originally applied to the death of John the Baptist rather than the apostle.^[129]

John's traditional burial site is located on the hill of Ayasuluk in Selçuk, near Ephesus, where a fourth-century shrine was replaced in the sixth century by Emperor Justinian I with a monumental basilica.^{[14][62][139]} Legends arose early regarding the apostle's grave. The second-century Acts of John states that when disciples dug up the tomb, it was found empty with only his sandals remaining, fostering beliefs that he had been bodily assumed into heaven.^[140] Other medieval traditions reported that the apostle lay sleeping in the tomb; Augustine of Hippo noted rumors that the earth above the grave heaved gently with the cadence of the apostle's breath.^[141] In the fourteenth century, the Catalan chronicler Ramon Muntaner documented the annual phenomenon of holy manna, fine dust that bubbled forth from openings in the tomb slab on the apostle's feast day and was collected by pilgrims to cure diseases and calm sea storms.^[142][143] In nineteenth-century American literature, Herman Melville referenced this Ephesian miracle in chapter 111 of Moby-Dick, comparing the gentle undulations of the Pacific Ocean to 'those fabled undulations of the Ephesian sod over the buried Evangelist St. John'.^[144]

The Johannine Corpus and Authorship

Five New Testament writings are traditionally linked to John: the Gospel of John, the First, Second, and Third Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation.^{[4][6][7][145]} While church tradition from Irenaeus to the nineteenth century attributed all five works to John the Apostle, modern biblical criticism views their authorship with substantial divergence.^{[4][7][145][146]} A broad consensus among critical scholars holds that the three epistles share a single author, but that the Book of Revelation was written by a distinct author due to marked differences in Greek grammar, apocalyptic style, and eschatological outlook.^{[147][148][149]} Dionysius of Alexandria in the third century had already contrasted the polished Hellenistic Greek of the Gospel and First Epistle with the rough, Semitic-influenced Greek and solecisms of Revelation, concluding that Revelation was written by a different figure named John.^[149][150]

The relationship between the apostle John and the composition of the Fourth Gospel remains heavily debated. Internal claims in John 19:35 and 21:24 identify the written testimony of the Beloved Disciple as the foundational basis of the work.^{[151][152][153]} Some conservative scholars continue to maintain traditional apostolic authorship.^[154][155] However, mainstream historical-critical scholars, such as Raymond E. Brown, Rudolf Schnackenburg, and Jean Zumstein, conclude that the text developed across several editorial stages within a vibrant Johannine school at Ephesus.^{[156][157][158]} In this view, the historical apostle John provided the underlying apostolic eyewitness tradition, which was subsequently formulated by an evangelist disciple and finalized by an editorial circle that added the epilogue in chapter 21.^[157][159]

Scholarly discussion frequently addresses the distinction between John the Apostle and an enigmatic figure known as John the Presbyter (or Elder).^{[32][160][161][162]} Eusebius of Caesarea cited a famous passage from Papias of Hierapolis that distinguished between the apostle John in a list of deceased disciples and a living disciple named the presbyter John.^{[32][34][160]} Eusebius suggested that this presbyter was the actual author of Revelation and perhaps the shorter epistles, which begin with the author identifying himself simply as 'the elder' (2 John 1; 3 John 1).^{[32][160][161]} Scholars like Jean Colson, Oscar Cullmann, and Xavier Léon-Dufour proposed that the presbyter John was a cultivated Jerusalem disciple who authored the Gospel itself.^[162][163] In Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Ratzinger incorporated the presbyter hypothesis, arguing that the Johannine school in Ephesus formed an authoritative circle centered upon the apostolic witness of the Beloved Disciple and sustained by the presbyter.^[164][165]

Theological Themes and Vocabulary

The Fourth Gospel opens with the celebrated hymn to the Logos (Word), proclaiming that the Word was with God in the beginning, was God, and became flesh (John 1:1, 14).^[166] The theological depth of this prologue, which contemplates the divine nature and preexistence of Christ, earned John the titles of the Divine and the Theologian in Eastern and Western traditions.^{[167][168][169]} Statistical lexical analysis demonstrates the distinctiveness of Johannine vocabulary compared to the synoptics and Acts: the term Father (patēr) appears 137 times in John compared to 64 in Matthew, 18 in Mark, and 56 in Luke; remain or abide (menō) occurs 40 times in John and only 12 times across the synoptics combined; life (zōē) appears 36 times in John versus 16 across the synoptics; and believe (pisteuō) occurs 98 times in John, while it is never found in the synoptics in noun form and rarely in verb form.^[148][170]

Johannine theology is characterized by a spatial and conceptual dualism contrasting light with darkness, spirit with flesh, truth with falsehood, and life with death.^[148][171] Unlike the Book of Revelation, which follows the apocalyptic tradition in expecting salvation in the future, the Fourth Gospel stands apart from the apocalyptic outlook and almost always treats salvation as already possessed by the believer.^[148][170] However, Johannine theology vigorously opposes docetism and gnosticism: 1 John 4:2-3 and 2 John 7 insist that anyone who denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of the Antichrist, emphasizing the tangible physical reality of the incarnation through verbs like seeing, hearing, and touching.^[172][173]

The repeated use of love (agapē, phileō) and truth (alētheia) throughout the Johannine writings established the apostle's reputation as the Apostle of Love and the Apostle of Truth.^{[148][174][175]} Evelyn Underhill described the Gospel of John as one of the summits of Christian mystical experience, emphasizing that its profound contemplative quality arose directly from personal meditation and spiritual union with Christ.^[176] Similarly, Origen wrote in the third century that no one could truly comprehend the depth of John's Gospel unless they had rested upon Jesus' breast and received Mary as their mother.^[177][178]

Apocryphal Literature

John the Apostle features prominently across numerous early non-canonical and apocryphal writings. The most influential is the Acts of John (Acta Iohannis), composed in Greek during the late second or early third century and attributed to Leucius Charinus.^[20][179] The text, which contains strong docetic themes, was deemed heretical at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 AD, and fragments of it survive in Greek and Latin.^[179] The text recounts elaborate missionary episodes in Ephesus, including the raising of the magistrate Lycomedes and his wife Cleopatra, the miraculous healing of the sick in the city theater, the supernatural collapse of half the Temple of Artemis, the resurrection of Drusiana from her tomb, and a humorous miracle where John commands bedbugs to leave his inn bed for the night.^[180][181]

The apocryphal cycle also includes the Acts of John in Rome, which describes the emperor Domitian summoning John to Rome following reports of his miraculous deeds.^[20][182] In this account, John proves the truth of the Gospel by drinking a cup of lethal poison without harm; when the poison immediately kills a condemned criminal, John raises the dead man back to life, prompting his exile to Patmos.^[182][183] Among the gnostic texts discovered at Nag Hammadi, the Apocryphon of John (Secret Book of John) presents a private post-resurrection dialogue in which Jesus reveals esoteric cosmological secrets to the apostle.^[184]

Theological Reception and Esotericism

. Origen wrote a Commentary on the Gospel of John.^[185]

An esoteric tradition known as Johannism posited that Christ imparted a secret spiritual doctrine to John, creating an internal, contemplative Church of John alongside the external, institutional Church of Peter.^[186][187] This concept influenced several medieval fringe movements and alternative Christian groups, including the Knights Templar and later neo-Templar societies.^[186][187]

Liturgical Commemoration

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran Church, the primary feast day of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, is celebrated on 27 December.^{[131][188][189]} The liturgical color for the day is white, distinguishing John as the only apostle not commemorated with the red vestments of martyrdom.^[131][188] In the historic Tridentine calendar, this feast was observed with an octave extending until 3 January, which was abolished by Pope Pius XII in 1955.^[190][191] At first John was celebrated jointly with his brother James the Great on 27 December, and both names appear together in the Carthaginian Calendar, the sixth-century Martyrologium Hieronymianum and the Gallican liturgical books, but in Rome the feast was reserved to John alone from an early date.^[191]

Until 1960, the General Roman Calendar included a second feast on 6 May titled Saint John Before the Latin Gate (Sanctus Joannes ante Portam Latinam), commemorating his miraculous deliverance from boiling oil in Rome.^{[14][116][122][123]} Pope John XXIII removed this commemoration from the General Roman Calendar in his Rubricarum instructum of 25 July 1960 to avoid duplicate feasts of the same saint, so it appears in the 1957 Roman Missal but not in the 1962 Roman Missal.^{[14][123][192][193]} In Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine-rite Catholic churches, the principal feast of John's repose is observed on 26 September, while 8 May commemorates the annual emergence of healing manna from his tomb in Ephesus.^{[143][194][195][196]} The Byzantine calendar also remembers him on 15 February, 30 June (Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles), 10 July, and 2 August.^{[197][198][199][200]} In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the sons of thunder James and John are commemorated on 29 December, while the Coptic Church marks his departure on 4 Tobi (corresponding to January).^[130][201]

Perspectives in Other Faiths

Islamic tradition acknowledges the disciples of Jesus (al-Hawāriyyūn) in the Quran, praising them as helpers of God who accepted the message of divine unity.^{[202][203][204]} While the Quran does not mention the apostles by name, classical Muslim historians and Quranic exegetes such as al-Tabari identify John (Yūḥannā) among the disciples based on Christian scriptural sources.^{[205][206][207]} In Arabic Christian and Islamic traditions related to Habib the Carpenter, John is regarded as one of the disciples sent to preach monotheism in Antioch.^[208][209] In the Druze faith, John the Apostle is venerated as an inspired prophet and mentor, and the Gospel writers are revered as carriers of spiritual wisdom.^{[210][211][212]}

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that John did not die, but was transformed into a translated being who will remain ministering on earth until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.^{[213][214][215]} This doctrine is based on an interpretation of John 21:20-23 and Section 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which Joseph Smith stated was a translation of an ancient record written on parchment by John and hidden away.^{[213][215][216]} Latter-day Saint theology also holds that in May 1829, John appeared alongside the resurrected Peter and James to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery along the Susquehanna River, restoring the Melchizedek Priesthood and apostolic authority to the earth.^{[215][217][218]}

Freemasonry honors Saint John the Evangelist alongside Saint John the Baptist as patron saints of the fraternity, collectively referred to as the holy Saints John.^[186][219] In many Masonic jurisdictions, symbolic lodges are dedicated to these two figures, and the feast of Saint John the Evangelist on 27 December traditionally marks the installation of lodge officers and the beginning of the Masonic year.^{[186][219][220]}

Cultural and Artistic Legacy

In Christian art, John is depicted through two distinct iconographic types: as an elderly, bearded sage, common in Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox icons, or as a beardless youth with long hair, prevalent in Western European medieval and Renaissance art.^{[1][62][221][222]} His symbol within the traditional Tetramorph is the eagle, derived from Ezekiel 1:10 and Revelation 4:7, representing the high theological flight and soaring contemplation of the Fourth Gospel.^{[168][222][223][224]} His personal attributes include an open book or scroll, an inkwell and quill, a cauldron referencing his trial in boiling oil, and a chalice containing a small dragon or serpent, which symbolizes the poisoned cup he neutralized with a blessing.^{[14][182][222][223]}

During the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, Western painters and sculptors frequently depicted John with soft, feminized features.^[225] Art historians note that this aesthetic reflected the late medieval practice of affective piety, providing an accessible image of emotional devotion and mixed gender for contemplative believers.^{[226][227][228]} This iconography appears in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, where John sits to Jesus' right, an image that modern popular culture, notably Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, controversially reinterpreted as Mary Magdalene.^[229][230] Jacques Bellange's seventeenth-century etching represents a striking example of this androgynous artistic tradition.^[229]

John's life inspired prominent sculptural monuments. Donatello created a monumental seated marble statue of Saint John the Evangelist (1409-1411) for the facade of Florence Cathedral, now in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, and produced five polychrome stucco tondos depicting scenes from his life in the Old Sacristy of the Basilica of San Lorenzo between 1434 and 1443.^[231][232] Other significant statues include Alessandro Algardi's Baroque sculpture in Bologna, Juan Martínez Montañés's wooden carving in Seville, Martín Alonso de Mesa's figure for Lima Cathedral, and Juan de Ávalos's colossal twentieth-century sculpture with the eagle at the Valle de los Caídos in Spain.^[232][233]

Major ecclesiastical buildings worldwide bear John's name. In Rome, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral of the Pope, is dedicated to Christ the Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. Other notable structures include Correggio's frescoed Church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma, the Carolingian Besançon Cathedral in France, the Gothic Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo, and the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.^[234][235] In Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família in Barcelona, the tower of John is capped with an eagle, associated in the architectural plan with Scorpio, water, and the contemplative stage of silence.^[236][237]

In literature, Dante Alighieri features John prominently in the Divine Comedy. In Cantos 25 to 27 of Paradiso, John examines Dante on the theological virtue of love (caritas), radiating a light so blinding that Dante is temporarily dazzled, and disabuses the poet of the legend that he was bodily taken to heaven before the general resurrection.^{[238][239][240]} Friedrich Hölderlin composed his celebrated hymn Patmos (1802) reflecting on Johannine spirituality, while Robert Browning wrote the monologue A Death in the Desert (1864) to defend the historical apostle against nineteenth-century rationalist critics. In classical music, Johann Sebastian Bach set John 18-19 in his St John Passion (BWV 245), premiered in Leipzig on Good Friday in 1724, and Heinrich Schütz composed his own St John Passion (SWV 481) in 1666.^{[241][242][243]} On screen, John has been portrayed in more than sixty motion pictures, including Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings (1927), Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth (1977), and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004).^[244]

The name John (Hebrew: Yoḥanan, meaning 'Yahweh is gracious') became one of the most widely adopted names in Christian history.^[245] Twenty-three popes of the Catholic Church chose the pontifical name John, the most recent being John XXIII in 1958, while Popes John Paul I and John Paul II selected the first double names in papal history to combine the names of Peter and Paul alongside John. Additionally, nineteen Coptic Patriarchs of Alexandria have borne the name John.

References

1. Chadwick, Henry (2021). "Saint John the Apostle". Encyclopædia Britannica.
2. Brown, Raymond E. (2000). El Evangelio según Juan, 2 vol. Madrid (España): Ediciones Cristiandad. ISBN 84-7057-425-6.
3. «São João Evangelista, o Discípulo Amado». Comunidade Católica Shalom. 27 de dezembro de 2019. Consultado em 29 de dezembro de 2025. Cópia arquivada em 13 de setembro de 2025
4. Harris, Stephen L. (1985). Understanding the Bible: a Reader's Introduction (2nd ed.). Palo Alto: Mayfield. p. 355. ISBN 978-0-87484-696-6. 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.
5. Gv13,23;19,26;20,1-10;21,7;21,20, su laparola.net.
6. Cfr: Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Roland E. Murphy, Nuovo Grande Commentario Biblico, Queriniana, 2002, pp. 1240, 1292-1293, 1307, ISBN 88-399-0054-3; Bibbia TOB, Elle Di Ci Leumann, 1997, p. 2414, ISBN 88-01-10612-2; Bibbia di Gerusalemme, EDB, 2011, pp. 2511, 2514, ISBN 978-88-10-82031-5; Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, Doubleday, 1993, pp. 27, 573, ISBN 0-385-47202-1; Bart Ehrman, Il Nuovo Testamento, Carocci Editore, 2015, pp. 482-491, 501-511, ISBN 978-88-430-7821-9; Bart Ehrman, Jesus apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium, Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 41-48, ISBN 978-0-19-512474-3; John Dominic Crossan, Who killed Jesus?, HarperOne, 1995, pp. 16-26, ISBN 978-0-06-061480-5.
7. Jean Zumstein, Les premiers temps de l’Église, de saint Paul à saint Augustin, Mesnil-sur-l’Estrée, Gallimard, coll. « Folio Histoire » (no 124), 2004, 843 p. (ISBN 978-2-0703-0204-8), p. 201.
8. Brown, Raymond E. (2000). L'Evanxeliu según Xuan, 2 vol. Ediciones Cristiandad. ISBN 84-7057-425-6.
9. Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The text of the New Testament: an introduction to the critical editions and to the theory and practice of modern textual criticism (en inglés). Grand Rapids, Míchigan (EE.UU.): Eerdmans Publishing Co. ISBN 0-8028-4098-1.
10. Gv 18,31-33, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
11. by comparing Matthew 27:56 to Mark 15:40
12. de Tuya, Manuel (1977). Biblia Comentada, Tomo Vb: Evangelios (3ª edición). Madrid (España): Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos. pp. 86-88. ISBN 84-220-0831-9.
13. Mt4,21;20,20;26,37;27,56;Mc10,35;Lc5,10;Gv21,2, su laparola.net.
14. Den hellige evangelisten Johannes (~6-~100) — Den katolske kirke
15. Brown, Raymond E. (2006). La Muerte del Mesías. Desde Getsemaní hasta el sepulcro. Tomo II: Comentario a los relatos de la pasión de los cuatro evangelios. Estella, Navarra (España): Editorial Verbo Divino. pp. 1202-1208. ISBN 84-8169-487-8.
16. Brown, Raymond E. (2006). La Muerte del Mesíes. Dende Getsemaní hasta'l sepulcru Tomo II: Comentariu a los rellatos de la pasión de los cuatro evanxelios. Estella, Navarra (España): Editorial Verbo Divino, páx. 1202-1208. ISBN 84-8169-487-8.
17. Charles Herbermann, red. (1913): Salome, Catholic Encyclopedia, New York: Robert Appleton Company
18. "Topical Bible: Salome". biblehub.com. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
19. "The Disciples of Our Saviour". biblehub.com. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
20. Culpepper, R. Alan (2000). John, the son of Zebedee: the life of a legend (en inglés). EE. UU./Gran Bretaña: T&T Clark. ISBN 0-567-08742-5.
21. Bauckham, Richard (2002). Gospel women: studies of the named women in the gospels (en inglés). Grand Rapids, Míchigan (EE. UU.): Eerdmans Publishing Co. pp. 203-256. ISBN 0-567-08870-7.
22. Bauckham, Richard (2002). Gospel women: studies of the named women in the gospels (n'inglés). Grand Rapids, Michigan (EE. XX.): Eerdmans Publishing Co, páx. 203-256. ISBN 0-567-08870-7.
23. Hanson, K.C. (1997). «The Galilean fishing economy and the Jesus tradition». Biblical Theology Bulletin (en inglés) 27: 99-111. ISSN 0146-1079. Consultado el 17 de marzo de 2011.
24. Hernández Catalán, Jose Antonio (2009). «El sector de la pesca en el mar de Galilea». pp. 1-10. Archivado desde el original el 28 de noviembre de 2009. Consultado el 13 de marzo de 2011.
25. Drum, W. (1914). «The disciple known to the high priest». The Expository Times (en inglés) 25 (8): 381-382. ISSN 0014-5246. | //portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0014-5246
26. Hennecke, Edgar (1963). Hennecke, Edgar; Schneemelcher, Wilhelm, eds. New Testament Apocrypha (en inglés) 1. Filadelfia, Pensilvania (EE.UU.): The Westminster Press. p. 152.
27. Drum, W. (1914). «The disciple known to the high priest» (n'inglés). The Expository Times 25 (8): páxs. 381-382. ISSN 0014-5246. https://archive.org/details/expository-times_1914-05_25_8/page/381.
28. Hennecke, Edgar (1963). New Testament Apocrypha 1 (n'inglés). Filadelfia, Pennsylvania (EE. XX.): The Westminster Press, páx. 152.
29. Capper, Brian J. (1998). «'With the Oldest Monks...' Light from essene history on the career of the beloved disciple?». The Journal of Theological Studies (en inglés) 49 (1): 1-55. ISSN 0022-5185.
30. Capper, Brian J. (1998). «'With the Oldest Monks...' Light from essene history on the career of the beloved disciple?» (n'inglés). The Journal of Theological Studies 49 (1): páxs. 1-55. ISSN 0022-5185. https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-theological-studies_1998-04_49_1/page/1.
31. "John, The Apostle – International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
32. Wikenhauser, Alfred (1978). El evangelio según San Juan (3a edición). Barcelona (España): Editorial Herder. ISBN 84-254-0083-X.
33. Gv1,35-40, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
34. Wikenhauser, Alfred (1978). L'evanxeliu según San Xuan, 3a editorial Editorial Herder. ISBN 84-254-0083-X.
35. Media, Franciscan (27 December 2015). "Saint John the Apostle". Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
36. Mt 4,21-22, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
37. Mc 1,19-20, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
38. Leal, Juan (1973). Nuevo Testamento-Evangelios (2°) 2. Madrid (España): Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos. ISBN 84-221-0327-3.
39. Mc3,17, su laparola.net.
40. Così D.R.G. Beattie («Boanerges: A Semiticist's Solution», in Irish Biblical Studies (1983), pp. 11-13).
41. (EN) H. Davison, For a true history of the Zealot movement, Philadelphia, Shalom, 2004, p. 111.
42. Es19,16;Sal29,3, su laparola.net.
43. Lk 9:51–56
44. Lc 9,51-56, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
45. Acts 1:13
46. Matthew 10:2–4
47. Mt10,2-4;Mc3,16-19;Lc6,13-16;At1,13, su laparola.net..
48. Mark 5:37
49. Mk 5,37; Mt 17,1; 26,37.
50. Matthew 17:1
51. Matthew 26:37
52. Mt 20,20-23, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
53. Mc 10,35-40, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
54. Leal, Xuan (1973). Nuevo Testamento-Evangelio (2°) 2. Biblioteca d'Autores Cristianos. ISBN 84-221-0327-3.
55. Lk 22:8
56. Lc22,8, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
57. ルカ22:8
58. "St John The Evangelist". www.ewtn.com.
59. Gv13,25;21,20, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
60. Jn 13:23–25
61. Gv13,23-25, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
62. Vignolo, R. (2000). «Juan Evangelista (NT: Apóstol y Evangelista)». En Leonardi, C.; Riccardi, A.; Zarri, G, eds. Diccionario de los Santos, Volumen 2. España: San Pablo. pp. 1357-1364. ISBN 84-285-2259-6.
63. Vignolo, R. (2000). «Xuan Evanxelista (NT: Apóstol y Evanxelista)», Diccionariu de los Santos, Volume 2. San Pablo, páx. 1357-1364. ISBN 84-285-2259-6.
64. Gv18,15, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
65. Jn 19:25–27
66. Gv19,26-27, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
67. «São João Evangelista: o discípulo amado». Minha Biblioteca Católica. 27 de dezembro de 2024. Consultado em 29 de dezembro de 2025
68. Jn 19:26–27
69. Jn 20:1–10
70. Gv20,3-8, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
71. Bennema, Cornelis (2009). «The beloved disciple - The unique eyewitness». Encountering Jesus. Character studies in the Gospel of John (en inglés). Milton Keynes, Bucks (Reino Unido): Paternoster. pp. 171-182. ISBN 978-1-84227-666-2.
72. Gv21,7, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
73. John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20, 21:24
74. John 21:24
75. Bennema, Cornelis (2009). «The beloved disciple - The unique eyewitness», Encountering Jesus. Character studies in the Gospel of John (n'inglés). Milton Keynes, Bucks (Reinu Xuníu): Paternoster, páx. 171-182. ISBN 978-1-84227-666-2.
76. Irénée, Contre les hérésies, III, 1, 2.
77. Ehrman, Bart; Mendez, Hugo (2023). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings (Eighth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-0197754023.
78. Brown, Raymond E. (2005). La comunidá del discípulu amáu, 6ª, Ediciones Síguime. ISBN 978-84-301-0898-5.
79. Parker, Pierson (1962). «John the son of Zebedee and the Fourth Gospel». Journal of Biblical Literature (en inglés) 81 (1): 35-43. ISSN 0021-9231.
80. Carson, D.A. (2007). «The Balkanization of Johannine Studies». En Anderson, P.N.; Just, F.; Thatcher, T., ed. John, Jesus and History, Volume 1: Critical Appraisals of Critical Views (en inglés). Atlanta (Georgia): Society of Biblical Literature. pp. 133-159. ISBN 978-1-58983-293-0.
81. Carson (2007). «The Balkanization of Johannine Studies», John, Jesus and History, Volume 1: Critical Appraisals of Critical Views (n'inglés). Atlanta (Georgia): Society of Biblical Literature, páx. 133-159. ISBN 978-1-58983-293-0.
82. Chapman, John (1928). «Names in the fourth Gospel». The Journal of Theological Studies 30: 16-23. ISSN 0022-5185.
83. de Maldonado, J. (1954). Comentarios al Evangelio de San Juan. Introducción. Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos (Madrid). p. 20.
84. Tuñí, Josep Oriol; Allegre, Xavier (1995). «Evanxeliu según san Xuan», Escritos joánicos y cartes católiques. Introducción al Estudiu de la Biblia, 8. Estella, Navarra (España): Editorial Verbo Divino, páx. 144. ISBN 84-7151-909-7.
85. Lorenzen, T. (1971). Der Lieblingsjünger im Johannesevangelium – Eine redaktionsgeschichtliche Studie (Stuttgarter Bibel Studien 55). Stuttgart: KBW Verlag.
86. Bauckham, Richard (1993). «The beloved disciple as ideal author». Journal for the Study of the New Testament 15 (49): 21-44. ISSN 0142-064X. doi:10.1177/0142064X9301504903. | //portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0142-064X
87. Bauckham, Richard (1993). «The beloved disciple as ideal author». Journal for the Study of the New Testament 15 (49): páxs. 21-44. doi:10.1177/0142064X9301504903. ISSN 0142-064X.
88. At1,13, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
89. Acts 3:1 et seq.
90. At3,1-11, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
91. At4,1-21, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
92. Acts 8:14
93. At8,14-25, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
94. At12,1-2, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
95. cf. Ac 12:1–17
96. Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (1972). «Carta a los Gálatas». En Brown, Raymond E.; Fitzmyer, Joseph A.; Murphy, Roland E., eds. Comentario Bíblico "San Jerónimo" III. Madrid (España): Ediciones Cristiandad. p. 606. ISBN 978-84-705-7117-6.
97. At15,1-35, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
98. "St. John the Evangelist" na edição de 1913 da Enciclopédia Católica (em inglês). Em domínio público.
99. "Fonck, Leopold. "St. John the Evangelist." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 6 Feb. 2013". Newadvent.org. 1 October 1910. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
100. Gal2,1-9, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
101. Trebilco, Paul (2004). The early Chrstians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius (en inglés). Tübingen (Alemania): Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 3-16-148271-9.
102. «História de São João Evangelista». Cruz Terra Santa. Consultado em 29 de dezembro de 2025. Cópia arquivada em 28 de abril de 2025
103. Acts 18:27
104. Vailhé, Siméon (6 February 2013) [New York: Robert Appleton Co., 1 May 1909]. "Ephesus". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New advent. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
105. Grant, Robert M. (1997). Irenaeus of Lyons. London: Routledge. p. 2.
106. Ireneo de Lyon, Adversus haereses Libro III,1,1. Archivado el 1 de abril de 2012 en Wayback Machine.
107. Ireneo di Lione, Contro le eresie 3,3,4 (tr. ing.).
108. Smith, Preserved (1915). "The Disciples of John and the Odes of Solomon" (PDF). The Monist. 25 (2): 161–199. doi:10.5840/monist191525235. JSTOR 27900527.
109. de Lyon|, Ireneu. «3». Adversus Haereses. A refutation of the heretics, from the fact that, in the various Churches, a perpetual succession of bishops was kept up. (em inglês). III. [S.l.: s.n.] Cópia arquivada em 14 de abril de 2026
110. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III.3.4.
111. Ireneu, Adversus haereses, III.3.4.
112. Biguzzi, G. (1998). «Ephesus, its Artemision, its Temple to the Flavian Emperors and Idolatry in Revelation». Novum Testamentum (en inglés) 40: 276-290. ISSN 0048-1009. | //portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0048-1009
113. Brown, Raymond E. (1997). An Introduction to the New Testament. New York (EE.UU.): Doubleday. pp. 805-809. ISBN 0-3852-4767-2.
114. Brown, Raymond E. (1997). An Introduction to the New Testament. New York (EE. XX.): Doubleday, páx. 805–809. ISBN 0-3852-4767-2.
115. Adela Collins. "Patmos". Harper's Bible Dictionary. Paul J. Achtemeier, gen. ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985. p755.
116. Se puede acceder al documento completo en: Tertullianus, Quintus Septimius Florens. «Liber de praescriptionibus adversus haereticos». Documenta Catholica Omnia – International (Omnium Paparum, Conciliorum, Ss. Patrum, Doctorum Scriptorumque Ecclesiae Qui Ab Aevo Apostolico Ad Usque Benedicti XVI Tempora Floruerunt) (en latín). Consultado el 1 de marzo de 2011.
117. Girolamo, De viris illustribus 9 (tr. ing).
118. [Plínio, o Velho|Plínio]], História Natural 4.69-70; Tácito, Anais 4.30)
119. Saint Andrew Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts by Dom. Gaspar LeFebvre, O.S.B., Saint Paul, MN: The E.M. Lohmann Co., 1952, p.1325-1326 (em inglês)
120. Eusebio de Cesarea. Historia Ecclesiae, III, 18, 1; III, 23, 1.
121. «La fiamma non aveva potuto ardere quel corpo mercé del candore della sua verginità», su 30giorni.it. URL consultato il 13 gennaio 2015..
122. 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
123. Pius PP. XII. «Missale Romanum, Ex Decreto Concilii Tridentini Restitutum» (en latín). pp. 14 y 396. Consultado el 1 de mayo de 2011. «Die 6 Maji: S. Joannis, Apostoli et Evangelistae ante Portam Latinam».
124. I. Ramelli, La Satira IV di Giovenale ed il supplizio di san Giovanni a Roma sotto Domiziano, 1969, p. 254 (http://revistas.ucm.es/ghi/02130181/articulos/GERI0000120343A.PDF Archiviato il 2 aprile 2010 in Internet Archive.)
125. Ap1,9, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
126. Citado por Eusebio de Cesarea. Historia Ecclesiae, III, 23, 6.
127. Jean-Christian Petitfils, Jésus, éd. Fayard, décembre 2011, p. 534.
128. Petitfils 2011, p. 526.
129. "John the Apostle". CCEL.
130. Fonck, Leopold. «San Juan Evangelista». La Enciplopedia Católica. Consultado el 13 de febrero de 2011.
131. Liturgia del 27 dicembre, su liturgia.silvestrini.org. URL consultato il 13 gennaio 2015.
132. San Jerónimo. Commentariorum in Epistolam ad Galatas VI, 10.
133. Lorenz Bergmann: Kirkehistorie (s. 54), forlaget P.Haase & søn, København 1973
134. http://timeline.biblehistory.com/event/john
135. Cheyne, Thomas Kelly (1901). "John, Son of Zebedee". Encyclopaedia Biblica. Vol. 2. Adam & Charles Black. pp. 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."
136. Marie-Émile Boismard, Le Martyre de Jean l'apôtre, Paris, éd. Gabalda, coll. Cahiers de la Revue biblique, no 35, 1996.
137. Culpepper, R. Alan (2000). John, the Son of Zebedee: The Life of A Legend. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 172. ISBN 9780567087423.
138. Étienne Trocmé, « Marie-Emile Boismard, Jésus, un homme de Nazareth, raconté par Marc l'évangéliste. Paris, Cerf, 1996 (Coll. « Théologies ») » (compte-rendu), Revue d'Histoire et de Philosophie religieuses, vol. 76, no 2,‎ 1996, p. 231-232 (lire en ligne).
139. 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
140. James, M. R. (1924). The Apocryphal New Testament. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. p. 270 – via Internet Archive.
141. "Tractates on the Gospel of John (Augustine): Tractate 124 (John 21:19-25)". New Advent. Paragraph 2. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
142. Foss, Clive (2002). "Pilgrimage in Medieval Asia Minor". Dumbarton Oak Papers. 56: 140–141. doi:10.2307/1291859. JSTOR 1291859.
143. "Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian". Orthodox Church in America. สืบค้นเมื่อ 2026-07-29.
144. Melville, Herman (1981) [1851]. Moby-Dick (Bantam Classic ed.). Bantam Books. p. 442. ISBN 0-553-21311-3.
145. D'Aragon, Jean-Louis (1972). «Apocalipsis». En Brown, Raymond E.; Fitzmyer, Joseph A.; Murphy, Roland E., eds. Comentario Bíblico "San Jerónimo" IV. Madrid (España): Ediciones Cristiandad. pp. 531-592. ISBN 978-84-705-7117-6.
146. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Roland E. Murphy, Nuovo Grande Commentario Biblico, Queriniana, 2002, p. 1240, ISBN 88-399-0054-3.
147. Kruger, Michael J. (30 April 2012). Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books. Crossway. p. 272. ISBN 9781433530814.
148. Kohlenberger III, J.R.; Goodrick, E.W.; Swanson, A. (1995). The Exhaustive Concordance to the Greek New Testament (en inglés). Grand Rapids, Míchigan (EE. UU.): Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-3104-1030-0.
149. Bart Ehrman, Il Nuovo Testamento, Carocci Editore, 2015, pp. 501-511, ISBN 978-88-430-7821-9.
150. Eusebio de Cesarea, Historia Ecclesiae, III, 39; VII, 25.
151. Paul N. Anderson, The Riddles of the Fourth Gospel, p. 48.
152. F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John, p. 3.
153. Rivas, Luis Heriberto (2008). El Evangelio de Juan. Introducción, Teología, Comentario. Buenos Aires (Argentina): Editorial San Benito. ISBN 987-1177-18-6.
154. Kok, Michael (2017). The Beloved Apostle?. Cascade Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-1532610219.
155. Kruse, Colin G.The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary, Eerdmans, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-2771-3, p. 28.
156. Bibbia TOB, Elle Di Ci Leumann, 1997, p. 2414, ISBN 88-01-10612-2.
157. Camille Focant (dir.) et Daniel Marguerat (dir.), Le Nouveau Testament commenté, Bayard, Labor et Fides, 2012, p. 402.
158. Vermes. A kereszténység kezdetei. 184. o.
159. Bibbia di Gerusalemme, EDB, 2011, p. 2511, ISBN 978-88-10-82031-5.
160. "Church History, Book III, Chapter 39". The Fathers of the Church. NewAdvent.org. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
161. 2Gv1;3Gv1, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
162. Jean Colson, L’Énigme du disciple que Jésus aimait, Paris, Beauchesne, 1969.
163. Xavier Léon-Dufour, Lecture de l’Évangile selon Jean, Paris, Seuil.
164. Ratzinger, Joseph (2007). Jesús de Nazaret. México: Editorial Planeta. ISBN 978-970-37-0705-8.
165. Ratzinger, Joseph (2007). Xesús de Nazaré. Editorial Planeta. ISBN 978-970-37-0705-8.
166. Gv 1, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
167. "Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian". www.oca.org. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
168. Alfredo Cattabiani, Volario, Mondadori, Milano, 2000, ISBN 88-04-47991-4, p. 409
169. Das Synaxarion – die Leben der Heiligen der Orthodoxen Kirche. In 2 Bänden. Gestützt auf die 6-bändige Ausgabe des Hl. Klosters Simonos Petra. Erster Band. September bis Februar. Kloster des Hl. Johannes des Vorläufers, Chania (Kreta) 2006, ISBN 960-88698-0-3, S. 123–127.
170. Kohlenberger III, J.R.; Goodrick, Y.W.; Swanson, A. (1995). The Exhaustive Concordance to the Greek New Testament (n'inglés). Grand Rapids, Michigan (EE. XX.): Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-3104-1030-0.
171. Johannes Beutler, L'évangile de Jean, introduction, p. 7.
172. Gv1,14;1Gv1,1-3;2Gv7, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
173. 1Gv2,18;2,22;4,3; 2Gv7, su La Parola - La Sacra Bibbia in italiano in Internet.
174. Horvatek, Miško (2008). «New Testament Paradigm of the Unity of Christians». KAIROS - Evangelical Journal of Theology (en inglés) 2 (1): 117-128.
175. Horvatek, El mioško (2008). «New Testament Paradigm of the Unity of Christians» (n'inglés). KAIROS - Evangelical Journal of Theology 2 (1): páxs. 117-128.
176. Underhill, Evelyn (1998) [​1913 (editado por E. P. Dutton & Co)​]. The mystic way; a psychological study in Christian origins. Kila, Montana (EE. UU.): Kessinger Publishing. p. 218. ISBN 0-766-10175-4. Consultado el 13 de mayo de 2011.
177. Orígenes, Comentario al Evangelio de San Juan, Homilía 1, 23.
178. Oríxenes, Comentariu al Evanxeliu de San Xuan, Homilía 1, 23.
179. "The Acts of John". gnosis.org. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
180. Piñero, Antonio; del Cerro, Gonzalo (2004). Hechos apócrifos de los Apóstoles. I: Hechos de Andrés, Juan y Pedro. Madrid (España): Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos. ISBN 978-84-7914-717-4.
181. Piñero, Antonio; del Cuetu, Gonzalo (2004). Fechos apócrifos de los Apóstoles. I: Fechos d'Andrés, Xuan y Pedro. Biblioteca d'Autores Cristianos. ISBN 978-84-7914-717-4.
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