John was a logical choice because he was believed to have been a bit younger than the other apostles, and he was the Apostle of whom it was written "Jesus loved". The apostle Paul had founded a large church in Ephesus, and now Jesus addressed the members there with a prophetic message that applied to them and was predictive of the Church's future. [5] And on her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. What happened to the apostle John after the Biblical account of his life ends? (Matthew 16:28) It's not definitive but is definitely intriguing to wonder if John is still with us, living privately somewhere. Mary's dwelling was on a hill to the left of the road from Jerusalem, some three and half hours from Ephesus. 5 What is the main message of the book of Revelation? If John wrote about Christ's coming as future from A.D. 90-100, it is said to combat preterists, then Christ did not come back in A.D. 70 (John's writing would be pointless). The author uses the number seven, for example, in a symbolic sense to signify totality or perfection. References to a thousand years (chapter 20) have led some to expect that the final victory over evil will come after the completion of some millennium (see Millennialism). John was exiled to the island of Patmos under and by Emperor Domitians request. Also, Jesus' mother Mary would have been fairly old by then - she should have been at least mid 40s when Jesus began to preach (if she was ~15 when he was born). [49] According to tradition, after the Assumption of Mary, John went to Ephesus. St. John the Apostle Trying to find out if the apostle John was blind while on the island of Patmos but can't find any information. The disciple whom Jesus loved, one of the 12 disciples, and his inner three, John. Since Thyatira was a religious center, and the home of powerful guilds demanding religious participation of their workers in their banquets, it was difficult for Christians to resist falling into idolatry. According to Tertullian (in The Prescription of Heretics) John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. Irenaeus writes of "the church of Ephesus, founded by Paul, with John continuing with them until the times of Trajan." Was John Blind When He Wrote Revelation? What is the main message of the book of Revelation? Pergamos itself became part and parcel of the Roman Empire, when Attalus III, the last of its kings, at his death, left by will all his dominions to the Roman people in 133 BC" (The Two Babylons, 1959, p. 240). The tradition of John's exile was started by Augustine about 200 years after John lived. The serpent god was none other than Satan, whom Revelation describes as "that serpent of old, called the Devil" (Revelation 12:9 Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.American King James Version). Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. In the second part (chapters 422:5), visions, allegories, and symbols (to a great extent unexplained) so pervade the text that exegetes necessarily differ in their interpretations. Cicero [the Roman orator] called Smyrna 'one of our most faithful and most ancient allies' . Jesus was taking on disciples at Bethabara and we suppose John was there looking for a teacher. Zahn argues that this reference is actually to John the Baptist. Patmos is a small island of only 24 square miles (62 square kilometers), with a coastline in the shape of a horseshoe. Christ says to this church: "These things says He who is holy, He who is true . The city was established by Attalus II (159138 B.C. On October 18, 1881, relying on the descriptions in the book by Brentano based on his conversations with Emmerich, a French priest, the Abb Julien Gouyet discovered a small stone building on a mountain overlooking the Aegean Sea and the ruins of ancient Ephesus in Turkey. 1.10). Numerous treatment rooms, sleeping rooms (for incubation and autosuggestion in psychiatric treatment), meeting rooms, and temples were located here . Patients coming to the shrine believed that Asklepios would heal them. was john blind when he wrote revelation. The Apostle John spent a long time on the island of Patmos in exile. On the one hand, Johns Gospel is written in simple and fluent Greek, whereas the We do know that someone called John wrote the Book of Revelation because he actually signed the book. The only two times Sardis had been conquered were when its citizens had become overconfident and failed to watch. 3 Did John Write Revelation before the Gospel of John? I hope you will enjoy these articles and you will learn something by reading them. The author was probably a Christian from Ephesus known as " John the Elder." According to the Book, this John was on the island of Patmos, not far from the coast of Asia Minor, "because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. He recommends they focus instead on buying from Him the spiritual clothing of true righteousness that He later describes as "fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8 Revelation 19:8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.American King James Version). The Apostle John lived 105 years, remaining the last apostle on Earth. He went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, and in Pasadena, California, graduating with degrees in theology and Spanish. He's the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the Epistles of 1st John, 2nd John and 3rd John in the New Testament. Have a good day and may God be with you! How are the Gospels and revelation similar and different? When fellows were 17 and if their families had th. A messianic community existed at Ephesus before Paul's first labors there (cf. Thousands of priests and priestesses served the temple; many of the priestesses were dedicated to cultic prostitution. 1 Which John wrote the Book of Revelation? During his brother's lifetime Attalus II was his most loyal assistant. One of Emmerich's accounts was a description of the house the Apostle John had built in Ephesus for Mary, the mother of Jesus, where she had lived to the end of her life. . Knowing this, Christ gives the brethren the hope that if they persevere in the faith they will receive something that all the temple worship of Diana could never give themthe gift of eternal life. Whats the difference between John and John the Baptist? wall.org/~aron/blog/the-gospels-arent-anonymous, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerinthus#Works_attributed_to_Cerinthus, from your pastor, priest, or other trustworthy counselor, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup, Acceptable comments policy for Christianity Stack Exchange. As for Johns mother, Salome, Evangelist John was the youngest disciple of Christ. It is a guidebook to identify all the rich symbols . What is the basis for the belief that the Apostle John died around AD 100? Narrow paths lead southwards to a hill near the top of which is an uneven plateau, some half hour's journey. He is thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil but manages to escape unscathed. He was visiting the surrounding area, setting up bishops, founding Christian communities, Drive-Thru, and reconciling the brethren. John the writer of Revelation is one of the Apostles. So, we are here because we want to offer all the answers to all of your questions about us. The name Revelation comes from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: (apokalypsis), which means unveiling or revelation. who said that he was writing from Patmos. What is the true religion of God? John was blind when he wrote the Revelation Book, but guided by the Holy Spirit, he finished writing it. And he did this because he had received the commandment from the Lord, telling them that its fulfillment was enough for their salvation. Later, when the Roman Empire collapsed, its successor, the Holy Roman Empire, would inherit the role. - Regarding Marys Age. Behold, I am coming quickly! Further more the House of Mary which St. John had built for Mary was discovered in 1818 and modern popes have given this location many indulgences, thus implicitly favouring this tradition as being true. Is this legend true? Evangelist John was the youngest disciple of Christ. After Jesus died, John went to Ephesus to spread the good news of salvation. There was no perceived dissonance between science and religion in the ancient world" (McRay, pp. According to Revelation 1:11, on the Greek island of Patmos, Jesus Christ instructs John of Patmos to: Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. The churches in this context refers . Healing the royal officials son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54. In Rev. Gal. With three main roads crossing it, the city was one of the richest commercial centers in the world. John the Baptist did not write Revelation. The author names himself as John, but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of Revelation also wrote the Gospel of John. Updates? "From all over the world," adds William Barclay, "people flocked to Pergamos for relief of their sicknesses. Emmerich also described the details of the house: that it was built with rectangular stones, that the windows were high up near the flat roof and that it consisted of two parts with a hearth at the center of the house. A:We know nothing about John of Patmos apart from his authorship of the Book of Revelation, but presumably he was able to see, in order to be able. Is the Gospel of John written before the destruction of Jerusalem? We find a definite theme of brotherly fidelity in this section. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I already read the Wikipedia article on Cerinthus and the one on the Alogi as well. An alternative account of John's death, ascribed by later Christian writers to the early second-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis, claims that he was slain by the Jews. The city was named after the love the king who founded the city held for his brother. Purpose of Writing: The Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John by God "to show his servants what must soon take place." This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? John the Apostle was never married. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Is the God of a monotheism necessarily omnipotent? Next on the Roman mail route was Pergamos, the Roman capital of Asia Minor. He wrote the Gospel, the three canonical epistles, and the Apocalypse by divine inspiration. This solid advice is of lasting value to the entirety of the Church at any time in its history. In the belief that this Hes the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the Epistles of 1st John, 2nd John and 3rd John in the New Testament. The watchmen had gone home to sleep, thinking there was no need to keep guard at nightand so Sardis fell. What did Peter, James and John see on the Mount of Transfiguration? According to Catholic Church the main tradition is that St. John took the Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the Crucifixion of Christ. Because the author of the Book of Revelation identified himself as 'John', the book was once attributed to the apostle John. Perhaps church tradition dated John's writings (particularly the Revelation) to be A.D. 90-100 in order to disprove the preterists' view. Many of the Christians in Smyrna would die because of fierce persecutions. Who Is John In The Book Of Revelation? At John's advanced age it would have been a harrowing ordeal. Salome was Mary's younger sister making John Mary's nephew and Jesus' cousin. Bible Answer: Before the Saviour called him to discipleship and made him a fisher of men, John the Theologian was a fisher of the sea. The Roman historian Tacitus (A.D. 56-120), in his book Annals, mentions the policy of banishing political prisoners to small islands (Sections 3:68; 4:30; 15:71). This would make its religious successor, Pergamos, the temporary new "Satan's seat" of the Babylonian mystery religion. He also writes for the Beyond Today magazine and currently serves on the UCG Council of Elders. When the Apostle John wrote Revelation, he began with: "John, to the seven churches that are in Asia." (Rev 1:4). He warns them that, if they do not rapidly improve their spiritual condition, He will reject them. Author: Revelation 1:1,4,9 and 22:8 specifically identify the author of the Book of Revelation as the apostle John. John was not arrested at Golgotha giving us a clue also that he was young and harmless for Jews. When the city was excavated from 1968 to 1971, its architectural remains showed it had the typical Roman style of colonnades and public buildings and a temple to the goddess Artemis. If those articles are accurate, then the attribution of authorship of "John" to Cerinthus (by the Alogi) is not only not credible (due to their totally contradictory doctrines), but is reported second hand from the 4th Century - do you have any better support for your assertion than this? So I take it to mean, that John will be sent back to preach before the coming of Christ in our times. How accurate are the descriptions of these seven cities mentioned in the book of Revelation according to archaeology and history? The careless soldier climbed down a secret pathway to retrieve it, and that night the Persians led their troops up the same pathway and to the top. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. He is said to have lived to an old age, dying at Ephesus sometime after AD 98. 22:10-11, John brings to a close his description of his interaction with the angel who helped convey this revelation from God. Our Lord upon his his Cross said these words to the Apostle St. John: 26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Many of the coins discovered in Pergamos have the serpent as part of their design. [17] He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it. This site is dedicated to all kinds of people. 271-272). In this gospel, John is not called the Baptist. The Baptists ministry overlaps with that of Jesus; his baptism of Jesus is not explicitly mentioned, but his witness to Jesus is unambiguous. Thus, we can not say that John, son of Zebedee, spent his latter years writing. . The apostle who leaned on Jesus chest at the Last Supper. Mack says (ibid, page 197) at some point, the Revelation to John of Patmos was associated with the writings of the Johannine school solely because of the common name. So we created doortoeden.com becausea city set on a hill cannot be hidden. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the middle of the paradise of God. Further, even if their clothing were world renowned, Christ tells them their "spiritual garments" were in pitiful condition. Are there tables of wastage rates for different fruit and veg? Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation was written sometime around 96 CE in Asia Minor. And then he found his end suffering martyrdom. Have you bound yourself to the woman? . That night the Greeks led some men up the steep cliff. The original community was under the leadership of Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:12). Luke 3:1-22, Matt. American King James Version). haer. In the path of Jesus journey on Earth. John was allegedly banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island of Patmos, where, according to tradition, he wrote the Book of Revelation. The ending of Revelation, as originally written by John, is difficult to discern. The New Testament names James the Just, Joses, Simon, and Jude as the brothers (Greek adelphoi) of Jesus (Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55, John 7:3, Acts 1:13, 1 Corinthians 9:5). If scholarly research is to be trumped by blogs, this discussion belongs on the chat room. Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 275 339) reports the tradition that James the Just was the son of Josephs brother Clopas and therefore was of the brothers (which he interprets as cousin) of Jesus described in the New Testament. The fanciful tradition that the apostle John was boiled in oil then exiled to Patmos was needed in order to get him to Patmos so that he could write the book there. When he came to an end, the Apostle of Love no longer spoke with length/long words but only repeated these words over and over to his disciples and those who came to see him: My children, love one another. The Apostle John is also called John the Evangelist, John the Theologian, John the Apostle of Love, or the Son of Thunder. The last city on the route was Laodicea, 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Internal Evidence #1: No warnings to flee the destruction of Jerusalem which was only 4-8 years away when John supposedly wrote the book before AD 70: 1. The Apostle and Evangelist John were from Bethsaida Galilee. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols" (Revelation 2:19-20 Revelation 2:19-20 [19] I know your works, and charity, and service, and faith, and your patience, and your works; and the last to be more than the first. John the Baptist did not write any books that we know of and he had his own disciples. The apostle who leaned on Jesus chest at the Last Supper. Or others may say that John was Jesus uncle, so we think they knew each other before Jesus baptism. But we can understand that some Christians would welcome a heresy of this type. After a year's siege the Greeks appeared to lose all hope of conquering the city. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing by his side, he said to the disciple. This city would never reach the commercial greatness of Ephesus or Smyrna, but it was the indisputable center of religious, medical and artistic culture of the region. Whoever this John was, it clearly was not the author of John's Gospel, as the style and the theology are too different. As a side note, there are a couple of points one could add here. 2 Did the Apostle John write revelations? Thus, pagan religion had its center in Pergamos. Such was the reputation of ancient Ephesus. The wealth of the citywhich had been the capital of the Lydian Empire under the opulent King Croesuswas legendary. Is there a solution to add special characters from software and how to do it. "The defeated Chaldeans fled to Asia Minor, and fixed their central college at Pergamos," notes historian William Barker in his book Lares and Penates of Cilicia (1853, p. 232). Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. If he did not conform he was out of a job . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. After Domitian's death the Apostle returned to Ephesus during the reign of Trajan, and at Ephesus he died about A.D. 100 at a great age. He serves as the pastor of the Garden Grove, CA UCG congregation and serves in the Spanish speaking areas of South America. Lastly, Christ warns them not to put their trust in their physical wealth but in Him, who can develop the true gold that comes from overcoming trials and building righteous spiritual character. And there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and John. At that time, Domitian, Emperor of Rome, raised a great persecution against the Christians, and John was slandered before him. John was the Lords most beloved disciple. He wrote Against Heresies in about 180 - it is this work where he makes the claim. Dating the Gospel of John to after AD 98: A. No one signed the gospel now known as Johns Gospel and it was not even attributed to the apostle John until later in the second century. If John had a different helper for the gospel and Revelation, that could explain why they sound different. On the island of Patmos, he receives an eschatological revelation about the history of all humankind, summarized in the book that concludes the New Testament, suggestively entitled The Apocalypse. He returns to Ephesus in 97, during the reign of Emperor Nerva. It was proud that it had been declared a "free city," which meant its residents had the right to govern their own affairs. As for Johns mother, Salome, a cousin of the Mother of God, we learn from the Gospels that she served Christ. John's living in Ephesus, if Irenaeus is correct, would have to occur AFTER the "coming of the Son of Man". Who was one of Josephs daughters, the Virgin Marys betrothed? prisoner there. "Long before Rome was undisputed mistress of the world," comments William Barclay, "Smyrna had cast in its lot with her, never to waver in its fidelity. American King James Version, Bible Explorer Software). I could wish you were cold or hot. The Apostle and Evangelist John were from Bethsaida Galilee. Many profound theological themes and images inspired the Churchs life. One day, while fishing with James at the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus told them to follow Him. Christ uses this lesson to drive home a powerful spiritual point to His Church: "Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you" (verse 3). The text includes no indication that John of Patmos and St. John the Apostle are the same person. significant number symbol in Revelation-occurring, for instance, in four explicit septets: the churches, seals, trumpets, and bowls-there is also supposed to be a total of seven basic visions. He detests the Laodicean attitude of compromising with God's laws. The Acts of the Apostles shows the disciple and Apostle John with Peter both in the healing and in the imprisonment of the two in the dungeon, which speaks of Johns role in the early Christian community in Jerusalem. Previous to this, according to Tertullian's testimony (De praescript., xxxvi), John had been thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil before the Porta Latina at Rome without suffering injury. How did serpent worship begin in Pergamos? According to Tertullian (in The Prescription of Heretics) John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. The only eminently prophetic book of the New Testament, the Apocalypse, is traditionally also attributed to St John the Evangelist. In this way, the Roman emperors had become the heirs of "Satan's seat" during John's day. He also wrote three other Sovereign Epistles, addressed to the whole of Christendom, which is also included in the canon of the New Testament. He did not know any books or was a sage man at the beginning, like the other Apostles, but was from a wealthy family. Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more.