Saint John Facts

John the Apostle Facts and Symbols

John’s symbol is a snake in a cup. Traditional sources claim that John was the only apostle to live a long life and die of natural causes. That, however, doesn’t mean that he never faced persecution.

The same sources claim that the Romans tried to poison John with a cup of wine. When that didn’t work, they threw him into a vat of boiling oil. When he still didn’t die, they exiled him to the island of Patmos where he wrote Revelation.

John wrote more books of the New Testament than anyone except the apostle Paul. His most important work was the Gospel of John, which is the most mystical and symbolic of the gospels. He also wrote Revelation, as mentioned above, and the three letters of John.

St John Trivia

John the Apostle is often depicted as an aged man with a white or grey beard in Byzantine art or as a beardless youth in the art of Medieval Western Europe. In Medieval paintings, sculptures, and literature, he is also often presented as an androgynous or feminine figure.

John the Apostle’s facts and Miracles

The KJV of the Bible does not record any miracles done by John. However, in Acts, he is present when Peter invokes Jesus’ name to heal a lame man. John’s enormous contributions do include the Gospel of John, 1,2,3 John, and the Book of Revelations.

The highest pinnacle of John’s time with Jesus is debatable. Was it being at Jesus’ transfiguration? Was it at being the first of the male disciples to enter Jesus’ empty tomb? Or was it his vision of the End Times? As for me, I think John’s greatest accomplishment may well have been entrusted by Jesus to care for Jesus’ mother Mary after Christ’s crucifixion.

Later Life & Death

While it is unknown for how long John the Apostle stayed in Judea, he and the other disciples were scattered through the Roman Empire’s provinces as Herod Agrippa began the persecution of Christians. He took care of the mother of Jesus until the Assumption of Mary and then went to Ephesus where he wrote his three epistles.

According to Christian writer Tertullian, for preaching the gospel, Roman authorities exiled him to the Greek island of Patmos after throwing him into boiling oil from which he escaped unscathed. He received the revelation from Christ in Patmos, where he wrote the ‘Book of Revelation’.

He eventually returned to Ephesus, where he died of old age sometime after 98 C.E., and was buried in modern-day Selçuk, Turkey, where his tomb is located. While early second-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis claimed that he was slain by the Jews, many doubt the authenticity of the claim, with some arguing that it was John the Baptist.

Liturgical commemoration

The feast day of Saint John in the Roman Catholic Church, which calls him “Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist”, and in the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Calendars, which call him “Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist”, is on 27 December. In the Tridentine Calendar, he was commemorated also on each of the following days up to and including 3 January, the Octave of the 27 December feast. This Octave was abolished by Pope Pius XII in 1955. The traditional liturgical color is white.

Until 1960, another feast day that appeared in the General Roman Calendar is that of “Saint John Before the Latin Gate” on May 6, celebrating a tradition recounted by Jerome that St John was brought to Rome during the reign of 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 the Latin gate of Rome, the traditional site of this event.

The Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite commemorate the “Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian” on September 26.

On May 8 they celebrate the “Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian“, on which date Christians used to draw forth from his grave fine ashes which were believed to be effective for healing the sick.

Other Christians highly revere him but do not canonize or venerate saints

Conclusion John the Apostle Facts

John the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, alongside his brother James, according to the New Testament. He is believed to be the youngest of the apostles and the only apostle who died of old age rather than being martyred. He is also known as John the Evangelist, the Beloved Disciple, John of Patmos, John the Elder, and John the Presbyter.

He is believed to be the author of the Gospel of John, as well as four other books of the New Testament: the three Epistles of John and the ‘Book of Revelation’.

Some sources also credit him for writing the pseudepigraphical apocryphal text titled ‘Acts of John’ which, despite containing strong docetic themes, is not considered to be gnostic in modern scholarship. December 27 is observed as the feast day of Saint John.

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