Who was John the Apostle?
John was an apostle, Gospel writer, and "the disciple Jesus loved," who stood at the cross and was entrusted with Jesus’ mother — and who later received the visions of Revelation on the island of Patmos.
A fisherman called along with his brother James, John belonged to Jesus’ inner circle. He described himself simply as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." At the cross, Jesus entrusted his mother to him.
He wrote the Gospel of John, three letters, and Revelation, which he received as a vision while exiled on Patmos.
His writings return again and again to one theme: that God is love, and that we are to love one another. Of all the apostles, John lived the longest and went the deepest into the Lord whose chest he had once leaned on.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.