St. John the Theologian was son of Zebedee and Salome from Besthaida of Galilee. A fisherman by trade, Jesus called upon both he and his elder brother James while fishing with their father to follow Him and become fishers of man. Leaving behind their father and all worldly possessions they followed Christ wherever He went as His disciples. As the beloved Apostle of Christ, he was present at our Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor and sat next to our Lord at the Last Supper where he placed his head on our Lords bosom. At the Crucifixion, only he of all the disciples remained along side the Theotokos at the foot of the Cross and it was here that Jesus presented him to His Mother as her son and in turn entrusted him with the care of His Mother.
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Saint John remained in Jerusalem in the service our Lord's Mother until her Dormition. Shortly thereafter, St John departed with his disciple St Prochoros to the East where he preached throughout Asia Minor and especially in Ephesus. During the second persecution of Christians St John was sent to Rome to stand trial before the then Emperor Domitian. He was tortured and cast into a vat of boiling oil from which he came forth unscathed. The Emperor, having failed in his futile attempts to bring any harm towards our great Saint, banished him into exile on the island of Patmos. It is here that our Lord revealed to Saint John all that is to come until the end of time and |
| instructed him to write it down. Following our Lord's instructions Saint John composed all the things which he had seen into the book known as the Apocalypse (the book of Revelation). Upon the death of the Emperor, Saint John returned to Ephesus where he then wrote his Gospel and his three Catholic Epistles. | |
There are two feasts celebrated within the Orthodox Church in honor of St. John the Theologian:
The feast of St John the Theologian and Evangelist is celebrated on May 8th.
The feast of the Metastasis of St John the Theologian in celebrated on September 26th.
Apolytikion (2nd Tone)
Beloved Apostle of Christ our God,
hasten to deliver a people without defense.
He who permitted you to recline upon His bosom,
accepts you on bended knee before Him.
Beseech Him, O Theologian, to dispel the persistent cloud of nations,
asking for us peace and great mercy.
