John was the son of the fisherman Zebedee and the daughter of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage — Salome. Together with his brother James, he was one of the first to follow Christ. For their fervent zeal, Jesus called the brothers “sons of thunder” and sometimes had to moderate their fervor.
The closest of the disciples of Christ, John accompanied the Teacher everywhere, witnessed the miracles performed by Him and the sufferings He endured, followed Him on the way to the cross and remained at the cross with the Mother of God. The Gospel of John contains most of the Savior’s speeches; for his transmission of the Word of God, the evangelist received the nickname Theologian.
In the Gospel and the three Epistles, as well as his sermons and conversations, John the Theologian most often spoke about the main commandment of the Lord — to love each other — and explained: “If only that could be fulfilled, it would be enough.” For this he was called the Apostle of Love.
After the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Savior and the Assumption of the Virgin, who remained in John’s house until the end of her earthly life, the apostle went to preach in the cities of Asia Minor. His companion and disciple was Prochorus, who wrote the hagiography of the evangelist, “The Travels of John the Theologian.” Together they went to Ephesus, and later were exiled on the island of Patmos. Already as an old man, John dictated the Gospel and Revelation (the Apocalypse) to his disciple.
The earliest images of John the Theologian of the 3rd–4th centuries can be found in the catacombs: he stands before Christ among the twelve apostles or, less often, the four evangelists. On icons dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Last Supper, Crucifixion, Ascension, and Descent of the Holy Spirit, John is usually depicted as a young man, as he was young during those events.
Later, a canonical image of an elder sitting at a low table was developed. Relatively rarely, the evangelist is depicted while writing; often he points to what has already been written, reads or turns his gaze to heaven, listening to the voice of God. In many iconographic images, he is accompanied by Prochorus, who bends over a book with a writing quill. In the 11th–13th centuries, they were especially often depicted together.
In the Deesis tier, John is usually depicted half-turned to the right, as an elder, carrying the Gospel to the throne of the Lord.
The closest of the disciples of Christ, John accompanied the Teacher everywhere, witnessed the miracles performed by Him and the sufferings He endured, followed Him on the way to the cross and remained at the cross with the Mother of God. The Gospel of John contains most of the Savior’s speeches; for his transmission of the Word of God, the evangelist received the nickname Theologian.
In the Gospel and the three Epistles, as well as his sermons and conversations, John the Theologian most often spoke about the main commandment of the Lord — to love each other — and explained: “If only that could be fulfilled, it would be enough.” For this he was called the Apostle of Love.
After the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Savior and the Assumption of the Virgin, who remained in John’s house until the end of her earthly life, the apostle went to preach in the cities of Asia Minor. His companion and disciple was Prochorus, who wrote the hagiography of the evangelist, “The Travels of John the Theologian.” Together they went to Ephesus, and later were exiled on the island of Patmos. Already as an old man, John dictated the Gospel and Revelation (the Apocalypse) to his disciple.
The earliest images of John the Theologian of the 3rd–4th centuries can be found in the catacombs: he stands before Christ among the twelve apostles or, less often, the four evangelists. On icons dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Last Supper, Crucifixion, Ascension, and Descent of the Holy Spirit, John is usually depicted as a young man, as he was young during those events.
Later, a canonical image of an elder sitting at a low table was developed. Relatively rarely, the evangelist is depicted while writing; often he points to what has already been written, reads or turns his gaze to heaven, listening to the voice of God. In many iconographic images, he is accompanied by Prochorus, who bends over a book with a writing quill. In the 11th–13th centuries, they were especially often depicted together.
In the Deesis tier, John is usually depicted half-turned to the right, as an elder, carrying the Gospel to the throne of the Lord.
