John the Apostle

John the Apostle was a Galilean fisherman, and one of the twelve apostles Jesus had chosen to spread the Gospel to the world. He and his brother James, sons of Zebedee, first met Jesus at the place where John the Baptist was baptizing.

Among the first disciples chosen, John had most likely been among the followers of the Baptist. He had been working along with James with his father Zebedee when the two of them left to become followers of Jesus. He became a member of the inner circle along with fellow fishermen Andrew and Simon Peter. In his version of the gospel he referred to himself as the disciple "whom Jesus loved."

He and his brother were nicknamed "Boanerges" (sons of thunder) because of their zeal for the cause. Among the disciples, John remained the closest, standing with the women who bravely guarded the cross on the day of the Crucifixion. It was there that John was given the responsibility to take care of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

After the Ascension, John was among those gathered in Jerusalem that continued the healing ministry of Jesus, worshiping and preaching in Jerusalem. Even after persecution began, he remained in Judea with most of the original twelve disciples, though his brother James was killed by Herod Agrippa I.

After a long ministry (tradition has him in Ephesus), the aged apostle was arrested for his ministry against the apostate Jewish religion of his day. Taken as a threat by the Roman government, he was exiled to the island of Patmos by order of the emperor (most likely Domitian). Early records from a generation later indicate that he returned to Ephesus and served for several years, where he died of old age.

Legacy
The final book of the Bible, the prophecy of the Revelation, was specifically written by John, providing enough clues to link it to both the Gospel of John and the three epistles bearing his name: First, Second, Third John.