John the Apostle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint John the Apostle |
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| Apostle | |
| Born | c. AD 6 Bethsaida, Galilee, Roman Empire |
| Died | c. AD 100 (aged 93–94) place unknown, traditionally assumed to be Ephesus, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Christianity |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Feast | 27 December (Roman Catholic, Anglican) 26 September (Orthodox) |
| Attributes | Book, a serpent in a chalice, cauldron, eagle |
John the Apostle (c.AD 6-100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles. The Church Fathers identify him as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Elder and the Beloved Disciple.
Church tradition has held that John is the author of the Gospel of John and five other books of the New Testament — the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation.
John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James, son of Zebedee (James the Greater). Their mother was Salome. Zebedee and his sons fished in the Sea of Galilee. The brothers were firstly disciples of John the Baptist. Jesus then called Peter, Andrew and these 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"); although their nature was calm and gentle, when their patience was pushed to its limits their anger became wild and thunderous causing them to speak out like an untamed storm.
A gospel story relates how the brothers wanted to call down heavenly fire on a Samaritan town, but Jesus refused them. John lived for more than half a century following the martyrdom of James, who was the first Apostle to die a martyr's death.
It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and outlived them. He is said to have lived to an old age, dying at Ephesus sometime after AD 98. John's traditional tomb is thought to be located at Selçuk, a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus.
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. The traditional ceremonial color is white.
In art
John played an extremely prominent role in art from the early Christian period onward. 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. The first way of depicting him was more common in Byzantine art, where it was possibly influenced by antique depictions of Socrates; the second was more common in the art of Medieval Western Europe, and can be dated back as far as 4th century Rome.
Gallery of art
- John the Apostle
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A portrait from the Book of Kells, c. 800
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From the restored The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci,
c. 1400s -
John the Apostle and St Francis by El Greco, c. 1600-1614
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Valentin de Boulogne, John and Jesus
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St. John the Evangelist in meditation by Simone Cantarini (1612-1648), Bologna
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Saint John and the Poisoned Cup by El Greco, c. 1610-1614
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The Last Supper, anonymous painter
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St. John at the Crucifixion of Jesus in a Stabat Mater by Pietro Perugino, c. 1482
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Print of John the Apostle made at ca. the end of the 16th c. – the beginning of the 17th c.
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Byzantine illumination depicting John dictating to his disciple, Prochorus (c. 1100)
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Tomb of Saint John the Apostle, Saint John's Basilica, Selçuk, Turkey
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St. John the Apostle by Jacques Bellange, c. 1600
See also
In Spanish: Juan el Apóstol para niños
