LmtRATTRK. — Besides the books Juat mentioned, and the Miiimeiitaries on the Gospel narratives, the following; will be Jound useful :—Hort, Juaai^tic ChrUtianity, p. 22 ff.; Light- foot, Colossiam, p. 400ff. ; Sahatier, article in Lichtenberger's Eixcyclopadie ; Kenan, Vir dt J^iwi (index). There are a number o( monographs and articles on John the Baptist, in which thej)ointa mentioned in the preceding article are more minutely investigated. Such are U. R. Revuolils, John the Baptist ; Simpson, The Latt of the Prophets ; I!oissona.s, De Cattitude de Jean BaptUte ; Bomemann, Die Taufe Christi duTch Johannei ; Breuil, Du cxiUt de S. Jean Baplitte ■ Chenot, Jean te Baptiite ; Geu.\, Jean Baptiste ; Haupt, Johanna der Tail/er ; Kohler, Johannra der Taiifer ; articles by Loisy in Pvme de Chvstoire et d< litt^ature religieMges, iii. 1, 3.
Ll. J. M. Bebb. JOHN MARK.— See Mark.
JOHN THE APOSTLE (Life and Theologt
OF).—
L Tnn Lir*.
(a) The Gospel narrative*.
(b) nther NT rcferc'ncvs.
(c) Traditions o( the Early Church.
(d) The tniditioD of St. John's residenoa at Ephcsut
examined. IL Thi Theoloov.
A. The Ootpel and. Spittles of St. Johti.
(1) The ' signs ' and the * witness * of the
Fourth Gospel to the Messiahship of Jesus and llis unique relation to the Father.
(2) The irortf of Ood — creative and revealing
(unctions.
(3) Importance attached In the Epistles to a
true view of the Person of Clirist. (4^ Theolog>' of the Father and the Son.
(6) Scheme of salvation — meaning of the terms
' world,' • flesh,' ' eternal life ' — salvation through Christ, Implying (a) on llis part the sacrifice and death of Himself, (b) on man's part («) a beinjj bom again ; (3) the exercise of faith in the Son j (>-) the sustaining of the new liXe by participation in the tife of Chrut. (8) Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the Church.
(7) The three great statements — ' God is Spirit,'
'God is Light,' 'God is Love.'
B. Tht Apocatvptie.
(a) The Doctrine of God — («) Eternity; C3) tJnivcrsal Sovereignty ; iy) EelatiOD of Father and Son.
(&) Doctrine of the Spirit.
(c) Doctrine of Sin and Judgment, and of Salvation and the Church.
I. The Life of St. John.— The fragmentary character of the literature relating to the earliest days of the Christian Church has deprived us of any very full or certain knowledge of the lives of the apostles. And it has happened, in the case of St. Peter and St. John conspicuously, that the discussion of the traditions of their later history has been involved in controversy. It will tend to clearness if the ordinary traditional account of St. John's life is first set out, and then the range of the controversy indicated.
(a) There are but few scenes in the Gospel story in which .St. John takes a prominent place ; but enough is said to produce a strong impression of the apostle's character. He appears first, according to a very natural inference, in the opening chapter of the Gospel that bears his name. Two disciples of the Baptist, hearing the witness borne by their master to Jesus, follow the new Prophet. One is named by the author— it was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter (Jn 1"). The other is not named, but it has seemed obvioue to infer that it was St. John. His call to be an apostle is told in the Synoptic tradition, by St. Luke, with the greatest fulness of detail (Lk 5"-", Mt 42i' ^, Mk l'"- »>). It is from this source we learn that he was son of Zebedee (for John's possible relationship to Jesus see art. Salome), and that he and his father were fishermen and Galila?ans. It has often been pointed out that the presence of hired servants in the ship (Mk l'-*) with Zebedee implies a position of some degree of wealth. During the course of our Lord's ministry St. John appears only rarely in a position distinct from that of the other apostles. He is clearly one of the most prominent of the group of our Lord's followers. He, with Peter and .lames, is admitted to witness the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mk 5", Lk 8"); the same three are chosen to be present at the Transfiguration (Mt 17', Mk 9'^ Lk 9^*), and are nearest to the Lord at the agony in Gethsemane (Mk 14® and parallels). Once these three, with Andrew, are described as inquiring when our Lord's last prophecies would receive fulfilment (Mk 13'). Besides these instances, the two brothers, James and John, ap[iear (Lk ft°') independently, as wishing to call down tire on the Samaritan village that refused them shelter ; and
JOHN, APOSTLE
JOHN, APOSTLE
681
are brouf,'Iit to the Lord by their motlier with a request lor a spucial phite of dignity in the kinKdom (Mk 10^). John is once connected with St. Peter alone ; according to St. Luke, these two apostles were sent to i)rei)are the passover (Lk 22'). Once John Ls descrilied as acting alone ; it is ho who asks our Lord what is to lie done with the man whom they had found casting' out devils in Jesus' name (Mk 9'«, Lk 9*"). These notices, though scattered and fragmentary, definitely suggest a. particular character — tlie character indicated by the name given to Jolin and his brother by uiir Lord : lionnerrjes (wh. see), ' sons of thunder' (Mk ;!"). They were liery in their zeal and severe in temperament ; yet, for all this, they were among the closest of our Lord's chosen banu. Though He rebukes their vehemence. He sees in them a character such as an apostle needs.