John the Apostle is traditionally held to be the author of theGospel of John, and many Christian denominations believe that he authored several other books of the New Testament (the threeJohannine epistles and theBook of Revelation, together with the Gospel of John, are called theJohannine works), depending on whether he is distinguished from, or identified with, John the Evangelist, John the Elder, and John of Patmos.
Although theauthorship of the Johannine works has traditionally been attributed to John the Apostle,[15] only a minority of contemporary scholars believe he wrote the gospel,[16] and most conclude that he wrote none of them.[15][17][18] Regardless of whether or not John the Apostle wrote any of the Johannine works, most scholars agree that all three epistles were written by the same author and that the epistles did not have the same author as the Book of Revelation, although there is widespread disagreement among scholars as to whether the author of the epistles was different from that of the gospel.[19][20][21]
Armenian icon of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, 13th century by the Armenian manuscript illuminatorToros Roslin
John the Apostle was born into a family of Jewish fishermen on theSea of Galilee. He was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother ofJames the Great. According to church tradition, their mother wasSalome.[22][23] Also according to some traditions, Salome was the sister ofMary, Jesus' mother,[23][24] making Salome Jesus' aunt, and her sons John the Apostle and James were Jesus' cousins.[25]
John the Apostle is traditionally believed to be one of two disciples (the other beingAndrew) recounted inJohn 1:35–39, who upon hearing the Baptist point out Jesus as the "Lamb of God", followed Jesus and spent the day with him, thus becoming the first two disciples called by Jesus. On this basis some traditions believe that John was first a disciple ofJohn the Baptist, even though he is not named in this episode.[26]
According to theSynoptic Gospels (Matt 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11), Zebedee and his sons fished in theSea of Galilee. Jesus then calledPeter,Andrew and the 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").[27] A Gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on an unhospitableSamaritan town, but Jesus rebuked them.[28] John was also the disciple who reported to Jesus that they had 'forbidden' a non-disciple fromcasting out demons in Jesus' name, prompting Jesus to state that 'he who is not against us is on our side'.[29]
John is traditionally believed to have lived on for more than fifty years after the martyrdom of his brother James, who became the first Apostle to die amartyr's death in AD 44.
Jesus sent only Peter and John into the city to make the preparation for the finalPassover meal (theLast Supper).[37][38]
Many traditions identify the "disciple whom Jesus loved" in the Gospel of John as the Apostle John, but this identification is debated. At the meal itself, the "disciple whom Jesus loved" sat next to Jesus. It was customary to recline on couches at meals, and this disciple leaned on Jesus.[39] Tradition identifies this disciple as John.[40]
After the arrest of Jesus in theGarden of Gethsemane, only Peter and the "other disciple" (according to tradition, John) followed him into the palace of thehigh-priest.[39] The "beloved disciple" alone, among the Apostles, remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross onCalvary alongsidemyrrhbearers and numerous other women. Following the instruction of Jesus from the Cross, the beloved disciple tookMary, the mother of Jesus, into his care as the last legacy of Jesus.[41] Peter and John were also the only two apostles who ran to the empty tomb afterMary Magdalene bore witness to theresurrection of Jesus.[42]
After Jesus'Ascension and the descent of theHoly Spirit atPentecost, John, together with Peter, took a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. He was with Peter at the healing of the lame man atSolomon's Porch in the Temple[43] and he was also thrown into prison with Peter.[44] Later, only Peter and John went to visit the newly converted believers inSamaria.[45]
The phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς,ho mathētēs hon ēgapā ho Iēsous), or inJohn 20:2; "whom Jesus loved" (ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς,hon ephilei ho Iēsous), is used six times in theGospel of John,[47] but in no other New Testament accounts of Jesus.John 21:24 claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of this disciple.
The disciple whom Jesus loved is specifically referred to six times in the Gospel of John:
It is this disciple who, while reclining beside Jesus at theLast Supper, asks Jesus, after being requested byPeter to do so, who it is that will betray him.[40]
Later at thecrucifixion, Jesus tells hismother, "Woman, here is your son", and to the Beloved Disciple he says, "Here is your mother."[48]
WhenMary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb, she runs to tell the Beloved Disciple and Peter. The two men rush to the empty tomb and the Beloved Disciple is the first to reach the empty tomb. However, Peter is the first to enter.[42]
Also in the book's final chapter, after Jesus hints to Peter how Peter will die, Peter sees the Beloved Disciple following them and asks, "What about him?" Jesus answers, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"[51]
Again in the Gospel's last chapter, it states that the very book itself is based on the written testimony of the disciple whom Jesus loved.[52]
None of the other Gospels includes anyone in the parallel scenes that could be directly understood as the Beloved Disciple. For example, inLuke 24:12, Peter alone runs to the tomb. Mark, Matthew and Luke do not mention any one of the twelve disciples having witnessed the crucifixion.
There are also two references to an unnamed "other disciple" inJohn 1:35–40 andJohn 18:15–16, which may be to the same person based on the wording inJohn 20:2.[53]
Church tradition has held that John is the author of theGospel of John and four other books of the New Testament – the threeEpistles of John and theBook of Revelation. In the Gospel, authorship is internally credited to the "disciple whom Jesus loved" (ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς,o mathētēs on ēgapa o Iēsous) inJohn 20:2.John 21:24 claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of the "Beloved Disciple". The authorship of someJohannine literature has been debated since about the year 200.[54][55]
In his 4th centuryEcclesiastical History,Eusebius says that theFirst Epistle of John and theGospel of John are widely agreed upon as his. However, Eusebius mentions that the consensus is that the second and third epistles of John are 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 John. The revelation of John could only be what is now called the Book of Revelation.[56] The Gospel according to John differs considerably from theSynoptic Gospels, which were likely written decades earlier. Thebishops of Asia Minor supposedly requested him to write his gospel to deal with the heresy of theEbionites, who asserted that Christ did not exist before Mary. John probably knew of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but these gospels spoke of Jesus primarily in the year following the imprisonment and death ofJohn the Baptist.[57] Around 600, however,Sophronius of Jerusalem noted that "two epistles bearing his name ... are considered by some to be the work of a certain John the Elder" and, while stating that Revelation was written by John of Patmos, it was "later translated by Justin Martyr and Irenaeus,"[1] presumably in an attempt to reconcile tradition with the obvious differences in Greek style.
Until the 19th century, the authorship of the Gospel of John had been attributed to the Apostle John. Many modern scholars such as Colin G. Kruse[58] continue to affirm traditional authorship,[59] but most modern critical scholars have their doubts.[60] Some scholars place the Gospel of John somewhere between AD 65 and 85;[61][page needed]John Robinson proposes an initial edition by 50–55 and then a final edition by 65 due to narrative similarities with Paul.[62]: pp.284, 307 Other scholars are of the opinion that the Gospel of John was composed in two or three stages.[63]: p.43 Most contemporary scholars consider that the Gospel was not written until the latter third of the first century AD, and with the earliest possible date of AD 75–80: "...a date of AD 75–80 as the earliest possible date of composition for this Gospel."[64] Other scholars think that an even later date, perhaps even the last decade of the first century AD right up to the start of the 2nd century (i.e. 90 – 100), is applicable.[65]
Modern, mainstream Bible scholars generally assert that the Gospel of John has been written by an anonymous author and not written by an eyewitness.[66][67][68] According toThe New Oxford Annotated Bible (2018), modern scholars agree that the gospel was more probably written by a disciple of John son of Zebedee; it could have been theBeloved Disciple or someone who recorded his dictation.[69]
Regarding whether the author of the Gospel of John was an eyewitness, according to Paul N. Anderson, the gospel "contains more direct claims to eyewitness origins than any of the other Gospel traditions."[70]F. F. Bruce argues that 19:35 contains an "emphatic and explicit claim to eyewitness authority."[71] According to Bart Ehrman, the gospel nowhere claims to have been written by direct witnesses to the reported events.[68][72][73] According to Hugo Mendez, both the original text of John’s gospel and the epilogue (chapter 21) claims that the work was ‘written’ by an eyewitness. Although the gospel presents its implied author as an eyewitness to Jesus, Mendez argues that this claim should be doubted given the amount of historically dubious content in the work and the commonality of claims to eyewitness testimony in forgeries at the time.[74]
According to theBook of Revelation, its author was on theisland of Patmos "for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus", when he was honoured with thevision contained in Revelation.[75]
The author of theBook of Revelation identifies himself as "Ἰωάννης" ("John" in standard English translation).[76] The early 2nd-century writerJustin Martyr was the first to equate the author of Revelation withJohn the Apostle.[77] However, most biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals since the text was written around 100 AD, after the death of John the Apostle,[60][78][79] although many historians have defended the identification of the Author of the Gospel of John with that of the Book of Revelation based on the similarity of the two texts.[80]
John the Presbyter, an obscure figure in the early church, has also been identified with the seer of the Book of Revelation by such authors asEusebius in hisChurch History (Book III, 39)[79] andJerome.[81]
John is considered to have been exiled toPatmos, during the persecutions under EmperorDomitian. Revelation 1:9 says that the author wrote the book on Patmos: "I, 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 Collins, a biblical scholar atYale Divinity School, writes:
Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology. Prophecy was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with political implications, like that expressed by John in the book of Revelation, would have been perceived as a threat to Roman political power and order. Three of the islands in theSporades were places where political offenders were banished. (PlinyNatural History 4.69–70; TacitusAnnals 4.30)[82]
Some modern critical scholars have raised the possibility that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John of Patmos were three separate individuals.[83] These scholars assert that John of Patmos wrote Revelation but neither the Gospel of John nor the Epistles of John. The author of Revelation identifies himself as "John" several times, but the author of the Gospel of John never identifies himself directly. Some Catholic scholars state that "vocabulary, grammar, and style make it doubtful that the book could have been put into its present form by the same person(s) responsible for the fourth gospel."[84]
Print of John the Apostle made at ca. the end of the 16th c. – the beginning of the 17th c.[85]Byzantineillumination depicting John dictating to his disciple,Prochorus (c. 1100)Tomb of Saint John the Apostle,Saint John's Basilica,Ephesus,Turkey
There is no information in the Bible concerning the duration of John's activity inJudea. According to tradition, John and the other Apostles remained some 12 years in this first field of labour. Thepersecution of Christians underHerod Agrippa I (r. 41–44 AD) led to the scattering of the Apostles through theRoman Empire'sprovinces.[86]
A messianic community existed atEphesus beforePaul's first labors there (cf. "the brethren"),[87] in addition toPriscilla and Aquila. The original community was under the leadership ofApollos (1 Corinthians 1:12). They were disciples of John the Baptist and were converted by Aquila and Priscilla.[88] According to tradition, after theAssumption of Mary, John went to Ephesus.Irenaeus writes of "the church of Ephesus, founded by Paul, with John continuing with them until the times ofTrajan."[89] From Ephesus he wrote the three epistles attributed to him. John was banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island ofPatmos, where, according to tradition, he wrote theBook of Revelation. According toTertullian (inThe Prescription of Heretics) John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. It is said that all in the audience ofColosseum were converted to Christianity upon witnessing this miracle. This event would have occurred in the 1st century, during the reign of either EmperorNero or EmperorDomitian, who were both known to have persecuted Christians.
When John was aged, he trainedPolycarp who later becameBishop of Smyrna. This was important because Polycarp was able to carry John's message to future generations. Polycarp taughtIrenaeus, passing on to him stories about John. Similarly,Ignatius of Antioch was a student of John. InAgainst Heresies, Irenaeus relates how Polycarp told a story of
John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceivingCerinthus within, rushed out of thebath-house without bathing, exclaiming, "Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, becauseCerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within."[90]
It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived all of them. He is said to have lived to old age, dying of natural causes at Ephesus sometime after AD 98, during the reign ofTrajan, thus becoming the only apostle who did not die as amartyr.[91]
An alternative account of John's death, ascribed by later Christian writers to the early second-century bishopPapias of Hierapolis, claims that he was slain by the Jews.[92][93] Most Johannine scholars doubt the reliability of its ascription to Papias, but a minority, includingB.W. Bacon,Martin Hengel andHenry Barclay Swete, maintain that these references to Papias are credible.[94][95] Zahn argues that this reference is actually toJohn the Baptist.[91]
John is also associated with thepseudepigraphalapocryphal text of theActs of John, which is traditionally viewed as written by John himself or his disciple,Leucius Charinus. It was widely circulated by the second century AD but deemed heretical at theSecond Council of Nicaea (787 AD). Varying fragments survived in Greek and Latin within monastic libraries. It contains strongdocetic themes, but is not considered in modern scholarship to beGnostic.[99][100]
Until 1960, another feast day which appeared in the General Roman Calendar is that of "Saint John Before the Latin Gate" on 6 May, celebrating a tradition recounted by Jerome that St John was brought to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, and was thrown in a vat of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously preserved unharmed. A church (San Giovanni a Porta Latina) dedicated to him was built near theLatin gate of Rome, the traditional site of this event.[104]
February 15:Synaxis of Saint John the Theologian at Diaconissa.[105]
May 8: Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.[106] On this date Christians used to draw forth from his grave fine ashes which were believed to be effective for healing the sick.[107]
TheQuran also speaks of Jesus's disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as "supporters for [the cause of] Allah".[113] The Sunnah did not mention their names either. However, some Muslim scholars mentioned their names,[114] likely relying on the resources of Christians, who are considered "People of the Book" in Islamic tradition. Muslimexegesis more or less agrees with theNew Testament list and says that the disciples includedPeter,Philip,Thomas,Bartholomew,Matthew,Andrew,James,Jude, John andSimon the Zealot.[115] Notably, narrations of People of the Book (Christians and Jews) are not to be believed or disbelieved by Muslims as long as there is nothing that supports or denies them in Quran or Sunnah.[116]
Druze tradition honors several "mentors" and "prophets", and John the Apostle is honored as aprophet.[6] In the Druze tradition and doctrine, Matthew the Apostle is respected for his contributions to spiritual knowledge and guidance.[6] Druze doctrine teaches thatChristianity is to be "esteemed and praised", as theGospel writers are regarded as "carriers of wisdom".[117]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) teaches that, "John is mentioned frequently in latter-day revelation (1 Ne. 14:18–27; 3 Ne. 28:6; Ether 4:16; D&C 7; 27:12; 61:14; 77; 88:141). For Latter-day Saints these passages confirm the biblical record of John and also provide insight into his greatness and the importance of the work the Lord has given him to do on the earth in New Testament times and in the last days. The latter-day scriptures clarify that John did not die but was allowed to remain on the earth as a ministering servant until the time of the Lord's Second Coming (John 21:20–23; 3 Ne. 28:6–7; D&C 7)".[118] It also teaches that in 1829, along with the resurrected Peter and the resurrected James, John visitedJoseph Smith andOliver Cowdery and restored thepriesthood authority withApostolic succession to earth,[119] though a few ex-Latter-Day Saints claim[120] controversially[121] that previous editions of Latter-day scripture contradict this claim of Priesthood authority and Apostolic succession. John, along with theThree Nephites, will live to see theSecond Coming of Christ astranslated beings.[122]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches that John the Apostle is the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple.[122]
AlthoughFreemasonry is not a religion, it takes as its patron saints St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.[123] Therefore, the Feast of St. John the Evangelist is used in many jurisdictions as the start of the new masonic year.
As he was traditionally identified with the beloved apostle, the evangelist, and the author of the Revelation and several Epistles, John played an extremely prominent role in art from the early Christian period onward.[124] He is traditionally depicted in one of two distinct ways: either as an aged man with a white or gray beard, or alternatively as a beardless youth.[125][126] The first way of depicting him was more common inByzantine art, where it was possibly influenced by antique depictions ofSocrates;[127] the second was more common in the art ofMedieval Western Europe, and can be dated back as far as 4th century Rome.[126]
Legends from theActs of John, an apocryphal text attributed to John, contributed much to Medieval iconography; it is the source of the idea that John became an apostle at a young age.[126] One of John's familiar attributes is the chalice, often with a serpent emerging from it.[124] This symbol is interpreted as a reference to a legend from the Acts of John,[128] in which John was challenged to drink a cup of poison to demonstrate the power of his faith (the poison being symbolized by the serpent).[124] Other common attributes include a book or scroll, in reference to the writings traditionally attributed to him, and an eagle,[126] which is argued to symbolize the high-soaring, inspirational quality of these writings.[124]
In Medieval and through to Renaissance works of painting, sculpture and literature, Saint John is often presented in an androgynous or feminized manner.[129] Historians have related such portrayals to the circumstances of the believers for whom they were intended.[130] For instance, John's feminine features are argued to have helped to make him more relatable to women.[131] Likewise, Sarah McNamer argues that because of his status as an androgynous saint, John could function as an "image of athird or mixed gender"[132] and "a crucial figure with whom to identify"[133] for male believers who sought to cultivate an attitude ofaffective piety, a highly emotional style of devotion that, in late-medieval culture, was thought to be poorly compatible with masculinity.[134] After the Middle Ages, feminizing portrayals of Saint John continued to be made; a case in point is an etching byJacques Bellange, shown to the right, described by art criticRichard 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."[135]
In the realm of popular media, this latter phenomenon was brought to notice inDan Brown's novelThe Da Vinci Code (2003), where one of the book's characters suggests that the feminine-looking person to Jesus' right inLeonardo da Vinci'sThe Last Supper is actuallyMary Magdalene rather than St. John.
Nor do we have reliable accounts from later times. What we have are legends, about some of the apostles – chiefly Peter, Paul, Thomas, Andrew, and John. But the apocryphal Acts that tell their stories are indeed highly apocryphal.
— Bart D. Ehrman, "Were the Disciples Martyred for Believing the Resurrection? A Blast From the Past", ehrmanblog.org
Bart Ehrman
— Emerson Green, "Who Would Die for a Lie?", The big problem with this argument [of who would die for a lie] is that it assumes precisely what we don't know. We don't know how most of the disciples died. The next time someone tells you they were all martyred, ask them how they know. Or better yet, ask them which ancient source they are referring to that says so. The reality is [that] we simply do not have reliable information about what happened to Jesus' disciples after he died. In fact, we scarcely have any information about them while they were still living, nor do we have reliable accounts from later times. What we have are legends.
^Kurian, George Thomas; Smith, III, James D. (2010).The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, Volume 2. Scarecrow Press. p. 391.ISBN9780810872837.Though not in complete agreement, most scholars believe that John died of natural causes in Ephesus
^Historical Dictionary of Prophets In Islam And Judaism, Brandon M. Wheeler,Disciples of Christ: "Islam identifies the disciples of Jesus as Peter, Philip, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, John, James, Bartholomew, and Simon"
^abcS. Swayd, Samy (2009).The A to Z of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 109.ISBN9780810868366.
^McCain, Edward (2010).A Gift of Angels: The Art of Mission San Xavier Del Bac. University of Arizona Press. p. 138.ISBN9780816528400.Saint John the Evangelist is patron of miners (in Carinthia), Turkey (Asia Minor), sculptors, art dealers, bookbinders ...
^P. Foley, Michael (2020).Drinking with Your Patron Saints: The Sinner's Guide to Honoring Namesakes and Protectors. Simon and Schuster. p. 150.ISBN9781684510474.John is a patron saint of Asia Minor and Turkey and Turks because of his missionary work there.
^abM. Limberis, Vasiliki (2011).Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs. Oxford University Press. p. 164.ISBN9780190208684.
^Brian Bartholomew Tan."On Envy". Church of Saint Michael. Retrieved13 September 2023.
^abHarris, Stephen L. (1985).Understanding the Bible: a Reader's Introduction (2nd ed.). Palo Alto: Mayfield. p. 355.ISBN978-0-87484-696-6.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.
^While Luke states that this is the Passover (Lk 22:7–9) the Gospel of John specifically states that the Passover meal occurs on the following day (Jn 18:28)
^Mendez, Hugo (2020). "Did the Johannine Community Exist?".Journal for the Study of the New Testament.42 (3):350–374.doi:10.1177/0142064X19890490 – via Sage.
^Wagner, Richard; Helyer, Larry R. (2011).The Book of Revelation For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 26.ISBN9781118050866.other contemporary scholars have vigorously defended the traditional view of apostolic authorship.
^Adela Collins. "Patmos".Harper's Bible Dictionary. Paul J. Achtemeier, gen. ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985. p755.
^Griggs, C. Wilfred. "John the Beloved" inLudlow, Daniel H., ed.Selections from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism: Scriptures of the Church (Salt Lake City, Utah:Deseret Book, 1992) p. 379. Griggs favors the "one John" theory but mentions that some modern scholars have hypothesized that there are multiple Johns.
^Introduction. Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources: including the Revised New Testament and the Revised Psalms. New York: Catholic Book Pub., 1992. 386. Print.
^Vailhé, Siméon (6 February 2013) [New York: Robert Appleton Co., 1 May 1909]."Ephesus".The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New advent. Retrieved3 May 2013.
^Grant, Robert M. (1997).Irenaeus of Lyons. London: Routledge. p. 2.
^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 historianPhilip of Side and the ninth-century monkGeorge Hamartolos both stated that Papias had written that John was "slain by the Jews."
^Rasimus, Tuomas (2010).The Legacy of John: Second-Century Reception of the Fourth Gospel. Brill. p. 5.ISBN978-9-00417633-1. Rasimus finds corroborating evidence for this tradition in "two martyrologies from Edessa and Carthage" and writes that "Mark 10:35–40//Matt. 20:20–23 can be taken to portray Jesus predicting the martyrdom of both the sons of Zebedee."
^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
^Zuzic, Marko.A Short History of St. John in Ephesus: The first and Greatest Metropolis of Asia The Cradle of the Hellenic Civilization A Nursery and Garden of Christianity The Second Province of God After Jerusalem with a precious Unique Common Christian-Moslem Shrine. Private Print: American Society of Ephesus 1st ed. Illustrated 96 pagesPage 37-45
^"The Calendar".The Church of England. Retrieved27 March 2021.
^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
^Prophet's Sirah by Ibn Hisham, Chapter: Sending messengers of Allah's Messenger to kings, p.870
^Noegel, Scott B.; Wheeler, Brandon M. (2003).Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press (Rowman & Littlefield). p. 86.ISBN978-0810843059.Muslim exegesis identifies the disciples of Jesus as Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, Philip, John, James, Bartholomew, and Simon
^Musnad el Imam Ahmad Volume 4, Publisher: Dar al Fikr, p.72, Hadith#17225
^Jadranka Prolović, "Socrates and St. John the Apostle: the interchangеable similarity of their portraits"Zograf, vol. 35 (2011), 9: "It is difficult to locate when and where this iconography of John originated and what the prototype was, yet it is clearly visible that this iconography of John contains all of the main characteristics of well-known antique images of Socrates. This fact leads to the conclusion that Byzantine artists used depictions of Socrates as a model for the portrait of John."
^J.K. Elliot (ed.),A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation Based on M.R. James (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993/2005), 343–345.
^*James Hall,Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, (New York: Harper & Row, 1979), 129, 174–75.
Jeffrey F. Hamburger,St. John the Divine: The Deified Evangelist in Medieval Art and Theology. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002), xxi–xxii; ibidem, 159–160.
Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism",Cleveland Studies in the History of Art, Vol. 6 (2001), 16.
Annette Volfing,John the Evangelist and Medieval Writing: Imitating the Inimitable. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 139.
^*Jeffrey F. Hamburger,St. John the Divine: The Deified Evangelist in Medieval Art and Theology. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002), xxi–xxii.
Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism"Cleveland Studies in the History of Art, Vol. 6 (2001), 20.
Sarah McNamer,Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 142–148.
Annette Volfing,John the Evangelist and Medieval Writing: Imitating the Inimitable. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 139.
^*Carolyn S. Jerousek, "Christ and St. John the Evangelist as a Model of Medieval Mysticism"Cleveland Studies in the History of Art, Vol. 6 (2001), 20.
Annette Volfing,John the Evangelist and Medieval Writing: Imitating the Inimitable. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 139.
^Sarah McNamer,Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 142.
^Sarah McNamer,Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 145.
^Sarah McNamer,Affective Meditation and the Invention of Medieval Compassion, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010), 142–148.
Perkins, Pheme; Coogan, Michael D. (2010). Brettler, Marc Z.; Newsom, Carol (eds.).The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press. p. 1380.
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