Family and Calling
John was a son of Zebedee, a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and of Salome, who followed Christ and is counted among the myrrh-bearing women; some traditions identify Salome as a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, which would make John and his brother James cousins of Christ. His elder brother was the apostle James the Greater, and the two brothers were called Boanerges, 'sons of thunder,' by Jesus.
John is traditionally identified as one of two disciples who first followed Jesus after John the Baptist pointed Him out, while the Synoptic Gospels record the formal calling of the sons of Zebedee from their fishing boats. By tradition he was the youngest of the Twelve and especially close to the Lord.
Prominence Among the Apostles
John consistently appears within the first group of four in the apostolic lists. With Peter and James he belonged to an inner circle admitted to events from which the other apostles were absent: the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in Gethsemane.
In the Fourth Gospel he is named only as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved.' At the Last Supper his place was beside Christ, on whose breast he leaned. He alone among the Twelve remained near his Master at the foot of the Cross, and there received the charge to take Jesus' mother into his own care. After the Resurrection he hastened with Peter to the tomb and was the first to believe that Christ had risen. In the early Jerusalem church he acted with Peter in healing miracles and was imprisoned, and the Apostle Paul named him a Pillar of the Church at the Apostolic Council.
Ministry in Asia Minor
John eventually settled at Ephesus in Asia Minor, where the testimony of Irenaeus and Eusebius holds that he guided the churches of the province. He trained Polycarp, who became Bishop of Smyrna, and Ignatius of Antioch is also numbered among his disciples.
According to Tertullian, John was plunged into boiling oil at Rome but remained miraculously unharmed. Under Domitian he was banished to Patmos, where he received the Apocalypse; after the emperor's death he returned to Ephesus and lived to a great age. His final exhortation to his disciples is recorded as, 'Little children, love one another.'
Writings
Orthodox tradition attributes to John the Fourth Gospel, the three canonical Epistles known as I, II, and III John, and the Book of Revelation, the last received during his exile on Patmos.
For his theological depth he is honored in the East with the title 'the Theologian,' one of only three saints to bear it. His evangelist's symbol is the eagle.
Relics & Shrines
John's tomb is located at the site of the former Basilica of Saint John at Selçuk, near Ephesus. By tradition, at over a hundred years of age he directed his disciples to dig a cross-shaped grave near Ephesus, into which he descended; when the grave was later opened, his body was not found.
The opening of his tomb during the reign of Constantine the Great is said to have yielded no bones, giving rise to the belief that he was assumed bodily.
Miracles & Traditions
Historically Documented:
The sources transmit these accounts as tradition rather than as independently documented history.
Traditional Accounts:
By tradition, on May 8 of each year a manna-like dust rises from John's tomb at Ephesus, by which the sick are healed of various diseases; this is the special significance attached to the May 8 commemoration. Tertullian relates that John was cast into boiling oil at Rome yet emerged unharmed. Tradition further holds that, having directed the digging of his own cross-shaped grave, his body was not found when the grave was opened.
Commemoration
John is commemorated on September 26, marking his repose or 'departure,' and on May 8, associated with the healing dust rising from his tomb. He is also remembered on June 30 within the Synaxis of the Holy Apostles. Western usage commemorates him on December 27.
