| John the Evangelist
(died about AD 101), in the New Testament, one of the 12 apostles,
son of Zebedee and younger brother of Saint James the Great. He is also
known as St. John the Divine. He became a disciple first of John the Baptist
and then of Jesus, who made him an apostle and called him and James Boanerges
(Greek, "sons of thunder"), for their zeal (see Mark 3:17). John,
together with James and Peter, made up the group of disciples who witnessed
Jesus' transfiguration and were present during the agony in Gethsemane.
Next to Peter, John was the most active of the apostles in organizing the
early church in Palestine and, later, throughout Asia Minor. According
to tradition, during a period of persecution of Christians by the Romans,
John was banished to Patmos, where he is believed to have written the Apocalypse,
or Book of Revelation. Later he is believed to have gone to Ephesus, where
the same tradition relates that he wrote three Epistles and the fourth
Gospel. He is venerated as the patron saint of Asia Minor. In art he is
represented by several emblems, among them an eagle, relating to his position
as evangelist, and a kettle, referring to the tradition that he survived
an attempted execution by immersion in burning oil. His feast day is December
27. Source: Microsoft Encarta 97 |
