MIRACULOUS MIRACLES™

Saint — John the Apostle and Evangelist

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St. John the Apostle and Evangelist
early 1st century, Bethsaida — c. AD 100, Ephesus
The Beloved Disciple — author of the Fourth Gospel
Basilica of St. John, Ephesus (Selçuk), Turkey
Feast
December 27
Life

John, son of Zebedee, was the younger brother of James the Greater and, with Andrew, one of the first disciples John the Baptist sent to Jesus. He is the 'beloved disciple' of the Fourth Gospel — the one who leaned on the breast of Christ at the Last Supper, the only apostle to stand at the foot of the Cross, the one to whom the dying Christ entrusted his Mother: 'Behold your son... Behold your mother' (John 19:26–27).

He was the first of the apostles to reach the empty tomb on Easter morning and the first to recognise the risen Christ on the Sea of Galilee. Tradition unanimously holds that after caring for the Blessed Virgin Mary he settled at Ephesus, became bishop there, and was the only apostle to die a natural death.

He authored the Fourth Gospel, three letters (1, 2, 3 John), and — exiled to the island of Patmos under Domitian — the Apocalypse / Book of Revelation. Tradition holds that in his extreme old age, when he could no longer preach long sermons, he would say simply at every gathering: 'Little children, love one another.'

Miracles & Phenomena

  • At the Empty Tomb

    Running with Peter to the empty tomb on Easter morning, John outran Peter, looked in, and 'saw and believed' (John 20:8) — the first apostle to come to faith in the Resurrection through the evidence of the linen cloths.

  • The Cup of Poison

    An early tradition (preserved by Isidore of Seville and visually in Christian iconography) holds that the high priest at Ephesus offered John a cup of poison to test his faith. John blessed the cup; the poison rose from it in the form of a serpent, and he drank without harm.

  • The Cauldron of Boiling Oil

    Tertullian records the tradition that John was brought to Rome under Domitian and was plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil at the Porta Latina — and emerged unharmed. He was then exiled to Patmos. A small Roman church, San Giovanni in Oleo, marks the traditional spot.

  • The 'Manna' of John's Tomb

    From at least the time of St. Augustine and Gregory of Tours, pilgrims to Ephesus reported that a sweet-smelling dust (the 'manna' of John) issued from his tomb on his Eastern feast day, May 8 — the source of many healings. The feast was kept in the East to commemorate the miracle.

Relics
  • Body
    Tomb of St. John the Apostle
    Basilica of St. John, Selçuk (Ephesus), Turkey

    Within the ruins of the great cross-plan basilica built by Justinian (548–565) over the apostle's grave. The tomb is marked beneath what was the central dome.

Iconography
  • John with the Eagle

    His iconographic symbol from the four Living Creatures of Ezekiel and Revelation 4 — the eagle, soaring closest to heaven — for the soaring opening of his Gospel: 'In the beginning was the Word.'

  • John with the Chalice and Serpent

    From the legend of the cup of poison — John often shown holding a gold chalice from which a small serpent rises.

  • The Beloved Disciple at the Last Supper

    The young John reclining on the breast of Christ — the only of the Twelve depicted as beardless, in Leonardo's Last Supper and countless other works.

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