Difference between revisions of "Saint John"

Revision as of 12:25, 31 January 2010

There have been many saints called John. According to Attwater (1965), there are "sixty-four in the Roman Martyrology alone". The most important, in the sense of being most frequently met in the course of studies, church names and so on are given here. (For others, you will have to consult a more detailed Source, such as Attwater or Farmer 2003; or the magnificent Acta Sanctorum ('Doings of the Saints'), published in sixty-eight volumes by the Societé des Bollandistes, Antwerp and Brussels, 1643-present.) The identification of the Saint Johns is made harder by confusions over the Apostle, the Divine, the Evangelist and the Epistolarist, some of whom may be the same as each other - but not demonstrably proved as such. For example, both Attwater and Farmer callk the second earliest St John the Apostle and Evangelist, but Peake's Commentary says, with some support, that this traditional belief "remains at least open to question" (735c). Accordingly, separate note have been written for each of the Johns that ordinary students are likely to come across.

John the Apostle

John the Apostle (1st century of the Common Era) was, along with his brother James, called to follow Jesus from their work of mending nets (Mark, I, 19-20), thus becoming two of the Twelve Apostles. They were also known as the "Sons of Zebedee", and "sons of thunder", which may be a reference to their quick tempers. It is traditionally believed that this John is the same as the Evangelist; he has also been identified with the Epistolarist and the Divine. This may be questioned on stylistic grounds.

John the Baptist

John the Baptist was Jesus' elder cousin: his mother Elizabeth was related to Mary. John's was a miraculous birth: Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, a priest, had given up hope of a child. John is a prophet, recognized as such in Islam (where he is called Yahyá) as well as in Christianity: he said of himself that he was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord'". In the course of his ministry, he baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. Later, he denounced King Herod Antipas for incest, and was beheaded when the woman concerned, Herodias, Herod's brother's widow and his niece, persuaded her daughter Salome to ask for John's head on a plate.

John of the Cross

John Chrysostom

John of Damascus

John the Divine

John the Divine ('Divine' here is a noun being used in the standard 17th century language of the AV to mean 'theologian', 'man of knowledge of God') is the author of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. Although it has traditionally been believed that this John is also the Evangelist, and indeed the Epistolarist as well - and therefore the Apostle - it appears that this is improbable, on stylistic grounds. In the third century, the author of Revelation was said to be John the Presbyter ('the Elder').

John the Epistolarist

There are three Epistles in the New Testament which are 'Johannine': the First Epistle General of John, The second Epistle of John and The Third Epistle of John, in the translation of the AV.

John the Evangelist

John the Evangelist is the author of the fourth Gospel.Traditionally, he is identified with John ther Apostle, but this is not even claimed before the second century.

John of Patmos

(Saint John Lateran)

This is not a saint: it is the name of the basilica (church) in the Lateran area of Rome (called after the Laterani, a family of ancient Rome that owned it and built there). The fuller name is The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Arcibasilica Papale di San Giovanni in Laterano). Despite its name, the church is dedicated primarily to "Our Saviour" (Jesus), and secondarily to two Saint Johns from the list above, the Baptist and Evangelist. The official name is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sancti Iohannes Baptista et Evangelista in Laterano (in Latin). It is the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is the oldest church in Rome, the mother church of all Roman Catholic churches, the Cathedral of Rome, and the Pope's official church; so it is the most importnt of Christian churches. In 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine allowed the Pope to set up the episcopal chair in a church in the Lateran. The first mention in ancient sources is 313, when a consistory of bishops was held in Domum Faustae in Laterano (~ 'Fausta's house in the Lateran'). (Fausta was Constantine's second wife, who was a convert.) The Popes lived in the Lateran Palace until Clement V (1305–1314) transferred the papal seat to Avignon. After the return of the Pope to Rome in 1377, the Vatican Palace became the papal residence.

There are also places and families called St John or St Johns.