The legacy of Apostle John

The enduring legacy of Apostle John, steadfast disciple, foster son of Mother Mary and fearless Evangelist

John the favorite disciple of Jesus is often shown being closest to him 

John the favorite disciple

At his crucifixion, Jesus asked his beloved Apostle John (son of Zebedee and Salome), to look after  Mother Mary. 

John the fearless Apostle

Through the years following the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, both Peter and John remained active in preaching the Gospel in Jerusalem. 

John is said to have “preached with great zeal and success.” He had a “testimony of power, wisdom, conviction, and sincerity” his enemies couldn’t contradict.

Furthermore, John presented his faith with clarity and conviction. It was with “simplicity and candor that his words had a powerful effect.” As such, his listeners “were astonished at his wisdom and eloquence.”

John goes to Ephesus with Mother Mary

During the brief but bloody reign of King Herod Agrippa I (r. 41-44 AD),  early Christians in the Holy Land were ruthlessly persecuted and many were martyred including St Stephen, Apostle James (the older brother of John), and James the Just (first Bishop of Jerusalem). 

 

Jerusalem was not a safe anymore, and according to tradition John and the Virgin Mary travelled to Ephesus between 38 and 47 AD and lived there. 

John continues his missionary work in Ephesus 

John preached fearlessly and made many converts in Ephesus, helping to establish the first Church in 58 AD

His enemies were no match for his zeal and conspired to spread lies of sedition about him, as a result he sent Rome to be tried by newly crowned Emperor Domitian in 81 AD.

John is exiled to Patmos

Emperor Domitian (r. 81-96 AD) wasted no time in declaring himself the undisputed God, the prevalent practice first conferred by the Senate on Emperor Augustus Caesar and assumed automatically by Emperor Caligula (r. 37-41 AD). 

John, an ardent believer in the resurrected Christ, would have unequivocally denounced this form of Pagan worship. 

 
When Emperor Domitian  said, “Thus perish all who believe in that deceiver, Jesus Christ of Nazareth”.

John confidently replied, “My Master patiently submitted to all that Satan…could devise to humiliate and torture Him. He gave His life to save the world.”

He continued, “I am honored in being permitted to suffer for His sake. I am a weak, sinful man. Christ was holy, harmless, [and] undefiled. He did no sin; neither was guile found in His mouth.”

After hearing the sedition charges against John, the emperor ordered thst he be cast him into a cauldron of boiling oil. Also, he challenged him to drink poison.

God preserved John’s life, just as He once saved the Prophet Daniel and his friends from the fiery furnace.

John had no trace of burn on his skin. Neither he was poisoned by the drink. With this, he realised God’s promise in Mark 16:18. That is, if people “drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them.”

Rather than acknowledge the saving power of Christ, the enraged Emperor Domitian ordered John to be banished to Patmos, a “barren rocky island in the Aegean Sea”, the Roman government’s chosen place of banishment for criminals.

John writes the Book of Revelations on the Island of Patmos

Here on the desolate Island of Patmos, he was given the grace to witness the key events in history since the dawn of time, through the age of mankind until the end of time. 

I now understand why the Gospel of St John, unlike the other three synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke starts with this profound testimony: "In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." [John 1:1-5]

He wrote the Book of Revelation on the Greek Island of Patmos in 96 AD.  

John’s last days in Ephesus

It is believed that the evangelist St. John  spent his last years in the region around Ephesus, on a hill named as Hagia Theologos, meaning the "Holy Theologian". It  is also the name given to the city during Byzantine period. The Turkish name first  for the town and later only for the hill is Ayasuluk (meaning Sacred Breath). 


It was here that John completed his Gospel, the last and the only one of the four not considered among the Synoptic Gospels (i.e., those presenting a common view). 

He also wrote the three Epistles of St John. 

He died at age 98 during the reign of Emperor Trajan (r. 98-117 AD). Among the 12 apostles, he is the only one who was not martyred but died of old age under normal circumstances.

John is said to be buried in the southern slope of Ayosolug (also Ayasuluk) Hill, where a small church was dedicated to him in the 2nd century AD.

Churches in Ephesus dedicated to the Apostle John

Three hundred years after the death of St. John, a small chapel was constructed over the grave in the 4th century.

The church of St John was changed into a marvelous basilica during the reign of Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565 AD), who also constructed the impressive Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.  

Emperor Justinian spared neither cost nor effort to build an edifice to rival the Temple of Artemis, that was said to be one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. 

The monumental basilica, overlooking the site of the Great Temple of Artemis, was in the shape of a cross and was covered with six domes. 

Its Roman construction, being of stone and brick with strong walls that supported large domes is an extremely rare find among contemporary structures in Ephesus.

Under  the central dome raised by two steps and covered with marble, the tomb of St John was said to lay, but sadly all that remains today are the four columns at the corners. 

In the apse of the  central nave, beyond the transept is the synthronon, semicircular rows of seats  for the clergy. To the north transept was attached the treasury which was later  converted into a chapel.

The columns in the courtyard reveals the monograms of Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora.  Constructed in the 5th century AD, the baptistery is north of the nave, with its key hole shape with steps leading in and out of the baptismal pool. 

Subsequent developments at the Basilica of John

Rampart walls around the church were constructed for protection from the Arabian attracts in the 7th - 8th centuries AD.

It is said that impressive that in the 10th century AD, frescoes representing St John, Jesus and a Saint, were added to the chapel. 

There is no recorded history of whether the mortal remains of St John were ever in the tomb nor do we know what happened to the contents of the tomb after Ephesus came under the control of the Seljuk Turks following their victories over the Byzantines, especially the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. 

The Basilica falls into disrepair

With the arrival of Turks, the chapel was used as a mosque in the 14th century; unfortunately the Basilica of Saint John became unusable due to the serious earthquake in the same century and has remained in poor repair since then.

While there may be room for debate about the mortal remains of St John, the favorite disciple, there is no doubting his enduring legacy as a steadfast disciple, dedicated foster son of Mother Mary, fiery speaker and fearless Evangelist.

References

1. John at Patmos: Reasons of exile and why it was a blessing. Available at: https://www.heroesbibletrivia.org/en/john-at-patmos-reasons-of-exile/ (Accessed: 29 November 2024). 
2. The basilica of st john (no date) Ephesus. Available at: https://ephesus.us/around-ephesus/basilica-of-st-john (Accessed: 29 November 2024). 
3. Basilica of St. John (no date) Ephesus Travel Guide. Available at: https://www.ephesustravelguide.com/basilica-of-st-john.html (Accessed: 29 November 2024).