JOHN THE APOSTLE. He was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman, and of Salome. It is pro bable that he was born at Bethsaida, on the lake of Galilee. His parents appear to have been in easy circumstances ; at least, we find that Zebedee em ployed hired servants (Mark i. 20), and that Salome was among the number of those women who con tributed to the maintenance of Jesus (Matt. xxvii. 56). We also find that John received Mary into his house after the death of Jesus. Since this house seems to have been situated at Jerusalem (dr' EKEIIMS 7•73S ibpas, John xix. 27), it would appear that he was the owner of two houses. John's acquaintance, also, with the high-priest (xviii. 15) seems to indicate that he lived at Jemsalem, and belonged to the wealthier class. We may suppose that from a tender age he nourished religious feel ings, since Salome, who evinced so much love for Jesus, probably fostered at an earlier period those hopes of a Messiah which she expresses in Matt. xx. 20 ; and we find that he entered into com munion with the Baptist from pure motives. The occupation, also, of a fisherman was adapted to promote holy meditations, since it would frequently lead hint to pass whole nights in stillness upon the water, amid a charming country similar to the environs of the lake of Locarno. On the banks of the Jordan the Baptist directed John to Jesus, and he immediately became the Lord's disciple, and accompanied him on his return to Galilee. Hav ing arrived there, he at first resumed his trade, but was afterwards called to remain permanently with the Redeemer (Luke v. 5-10). Jesus was particu larly attached to John (John xiii. 23 ; xix. 26 ; xx. 2 ; XXI. 7), who was one of the three who were distinguished above the other apostles (Matt. xvii.
; xxvi. 37 ; Mark v. 37). After the ascension. John abode at Jerusalem, where Paul met him or his third journey, about the year 52 (Gal. ii. 3-9). Since he had undertaken the care of the mother of Jesus, we cannot well suppose that he left Jeru salem before Mary's death ; and, indeed, we find that about the year 58, when Paul was st Ephesus, John was not yet living there. If we consider the great importance of Ephesus among the various churches of Asia Minor, and the dangers arising :erom false teachers, who were prevalent there as early as the days of Paul (Acts xx. 29), it will appear likely that John was sent to Ephesus after Paul had left that scene, about the year 65. During the time of his activity in Asia Minor, he was exiled by the Roman emperor to Patmos, one of the Sporadic isles in the iEgean Sea, where, according to Revelations i. 9, he wrote the Apoca
lypse. Irenmus (Adv. Har. v. 3o), and, following him, Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. iii. IS), state that John beheld the visions of the Apocalypse about the close of the reign of Domitian. If this state ment can be depended upon, the exile to Patmos also took place under Domitian, who died A. D. 96. Tertullian (Fraser. adv. ThEr., C. 3o) relates that in the reign of Domitian John was forcibly conveyed to Rome, where he was thrown into a cask of oil ; that he was miraculously released, and then brought to Patmos. But since none of the ancient writers besides the rather undiscriminating Tertullian relate this circumstance, and since this mode of capital punishment was unheard of at Rome, we ought not to lay much stress upon it (compare Mosheim, Dissertationes ad Historiam Ecclesiasticam, p. 497, sq.) It is, however, likely that John was called to suffer for his faith, since Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, writing about A.D. 200, calls him Aciprvg (Euseb. Hist. Eccles. v. 24). According to Eusebius (Hist. Eccles., iii. 20, 23), he returned from exile during the reign of Nerva. The three epistles of John, as also the affecting account concerning his fidelity as a spiri tual pastor, given by Clemens Alexandrinus (Qzeis Dives Salmis? c. 52), testify that he was the pastor of a large diocese. John's second epistle, ver. 12, and third epistle, ver. 14, indicate that he made journeys of pastoral visitation. John died at Ephesus past the age of ninety, in the reign of the Emperor Trajan. According to Jerome, he was a hundred years old, and according to Suidas, a hundred and twenty.
If we endeavour to picture to ourselves an image of John as drawn from his Gospel and his Epistles, aided by a few traits of his life preserved by the fathers,* he appears to have been of a wise, affec tionate, and rather feminine character.
It seems that originally this softness of disposi tion would sometimes blaze up in wrath, as femi nine characters in general feel themselves as strongly repelled as attracted. An instance of his wrath we find in Luke ix. 54, sy. We trace also a degree of selfishness in Mark ix. 38 ; x. 35. Hence it appears that love, humility, and mildness, were in John the works of transforming grace. At a later period his writings indicate not only mild ness, but also a strict moral earnestness (i John i. 6 ; 9-2o ; v. 16 ; 2 John to, 11).—A. T.