JOHN, Tun APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (ante), was probably one of the two disci ples of John the Baptist who, impressed with the witness of their master to Jesus of Nazareth, followed him and, having abode with him the rest of the day, were thence forth numbered among his disciples. Ile and his brother James were called to be fishers of men in close connection with two other brethren, Simon and Andrew. When the twelve apostles were chosen, these four were placed at the head of the list. John and James received from Jesus the surname, "Boanerges," signifying sons of thunder. Through their mother, Salome, they sought from him what they considered the two places in his kingdom that were nearest to himself. In a Samaritan village that would not receive him they asked, "Lord shall we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" At another time John said, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name and we forbade him, because he followed not with us." John, Peter, and James were often specially trusted by their master. They only of the apostles were with him when lie raised the daughter of Jairus, when he was transfigured on the holy mount, and when he entered on his conflict in the garden. Besides the frequent association of the three apostles, a still closer intimacy existed between John and Peter, recorded first, and perhaps beginning, when Jesus sent them together into Jerusalem to prepare the last passover. Afterwards, at the supper, they held confidential communication together in the effort to ascertain who was to be the traitor. When Jesus was arraigned before the great council, John, through his acquaintance with the high priest, in whose house the session was held, obtained admission for himself and Peter. They were together ou the morning of the resurrec tion, when Mary Magdalene told them of the opened and empty sepulcher, and together they started immediately to see for themselves—John outrunning Peter, but Peter entering in before John. At the sea of Tiberias a special intimacy between them was
shown when John, first of the company in recognizing the Lord, informed Peter per sonally of his discovery; and when Peter, having had the manner of his death intimated to him, inquired earnestly concerning John, " Lord, what shall this man do?" After the day of Pentecost, they went together into the temple and were together in healing the lame man, in their imprisonment, and in their bold answer before the council. After the gospel had been preached in Samaria, they were sent together by the other apostles to direct and perfect the movement there. And they were still together in Jerusalem, accounted—with the second James—as pillars of the church, 17 years after the conver sion of Paul. While John, from the beginning of Christ's ministry, was one of the chosen three and of the yet more favored two, be was also honored by an association with the Lord himself closer than any of the rest obtained. Not until the last passover is the distinction recorded; probably not until then was it manifested; perhaps the only outward sign of it was in the privilege given him of reclining with his bead on the breast of Jesus, at that supper before which the apostles had disputed among themselves about the place that each should have in the expected kingdom. From that time he designates himself in his gospel as " the disciple whom Jesus loved." Ile only of the apostles stood by the cross, where he received from the Lord in his dying agony tho precious charge of his mother, who was also standing by, that he might be to her as a son. After the martyrdom of Paul, .John, according to the general testimony of the early Christians, resided at Ephesus, having an apostolic oversight of the churches in pro consular Asia.