Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. The Repose of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

John the Evangelist, John of Zebedee - one of the Twelve Apostles. The Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was a beloved, chosen disciple of Christ. Christ loved all His apostles, but with especially ardent love he loved John the Theologian, whom he called to the path of apostleship in his youth. Christ, hanging on the cross, commanded him to be the guardian and trustee of His Most Pure Mother: looking at His Mother, and then at the disciple (Apostle John), He said to Her: “Behold your Mother!” And to him: “Behold your son!”
Apostle John author Gospel of John, three Council Epistles And Books of Revelation (Apocalypse) which were included in the New Testament. In his Gospel, with great power and depth, Saint John testifies to the world about the Divinity of the Lord Jesus.
The years of life of the Apostle John are determined very approximately. According to church tradition, at the time of the crucifixion of Christ he was 16 years old and he died in the 100th year, remaining the only living apostle who saw Jesus Christ during His earthly life. That is approximately: 17-100. n. e.
The rest of the apostles had all already died at this time. martyrdom. The entire Christian Church deeply revered the Apostle John as the seer of God's destinies. On the icons, the Holy Apostle John is depicted with an eagle - a symbol of the high soaring of his theological thought.

Writings of the Apostle in the New Testament.

Future life.

Missionary path. Exile to the island of Patmos.

Return from exile to Ephesus.

The Apostle John raises people from the dead.

- On the island of Patmos, local residents revered the sorcerer Kinops as a god. They Kinops took revenge on John for his preaching of Christ. According to John's prayer

Celebrating the memory of the Apostle John the Theologian.

Sources.

Materials used:
1. BIBLE. Books of the Holy Scriptures of the OLD and NEW TESTAMENT. Canonical. In Russian translation with parallel passages and applications. Russian Bible Society. Moscow. 1995.
2. Prot. S. Slobodsky “The Law of God” M.: Yauza-press, Lepta Book, Eksmo, 2008.
3. From websites:

Memory of the holy glorious and all-validated apostle and evangelist John the Evangelist The church honors October 9 (September 26, old style). This day is referred to as numbered among the twelve. The Apostle John occupies special place among the disciples of Christ. It is no coincidence that the Church calls John the apostle of love, since he taught that without love a person cannot approach the Lord. The Apostle John is the author of the Gospel of John, three conciliar epistles and the Revelation of John the Theologian (Apocalypse). John the Theologian- the only one of the twelve apostles who died a natural death.

Repose of the Apostle John the Theologian

The Apostle John finished his earthly path aged over one hundred years. He lay down alive in the grave and ordered his disciples to cover him with earth, which they did, grieving for him. Having learned about this, the rest of the apostle’s disciples came to the burial place and dug up the grave, but it turned out to be empty.

In the 4th century, a small church was built on the site of the grave of John the Evangelist, and under Emperor Justinian a huge basilica with six domes (each 30 m high) was erected here. Currently, only floor slabs and columns remain from it.

Veneration of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

Every year, fine dust emerged from the grave of the Apostle John in the form of manna, with the help of which Christians were healed of illnesses. In memory of this miracle, it was established to celebrate May 21 memory of the holy apostle and evangelist John. Also, the memory of the holy apostle is celebrated on July 13 - the day of the council of the holy, glorious and all-praised twelve apostles, and on October 9 - the day of the repose of the Apostle John the Theologian.

Troparion and Kontakion to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

Troparion, tone 2.

The beloved Apostle of Christ God, trying to deliver unrequited people, accepts the bot, falling down, who reclines on thee in the chest. Pray to the Theologian for the impending pagan rebuke, as if to disperse a cloud, asking us for peace and great mercy.

Kontakion, tone 2.

Who will confess your greatness as a virgin; You pour forth miracles, and pour out healings, and pray for our souls, as the Theologian and friend of Christ.

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Library of Russian Faith
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Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Icons

The Holy Church gave only the holy Apostle John, as the seer of God's destinies, the title of Theologian. The iconographic symbol of the Apostle and Evangelist John is the eagle. Also, the Apostle John is depicted with an Angel who conveys to him the Divine Word. In early Christian art, the Apostle John the Theologian was often depicted as a young man, in particular, as he is depicted in mosaics in Ravenna: in the dome of the Baptistery of the Orthodox (mid-5th century) and in the medallion on the western arch of the Church of San Vitale (546-547).

However, there is also ancient images apostle in the form of an elder in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna.

In later icons, the Apostle John is depicted as an old man with an inkwell, a pen, a book in his hands and in the presence of an angel or eagle.

Temples and monasteries in the name of John the Theologian in Rus'

In the name of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian was consecrated temple in Varyazhki in Smolensk, built between 1160 and 1180.

In 1547, in Pskov, in the town of Misharina Gora, a temple was built in the name of John the Theologian.

In 1455, in the Pskov land, the Monk Savoy Krypetsky (d. 1495) was founded St. John the Theologian Monastery.

In 1462, St. Jonah (d. 1470), Bishop of Perm, founded the Cherdyn St. John the Theologian Monastery on the banks of the Kolva River.

In 1478, the Cheremenets St. John the Theologian Monastery was founded, located on a peninsula on Lake Cheremenets in the Luga region Leningrad region in the town of Cheremenets Skreblovsky rural settlement. The first mention of the monastery dates back to 1498. According to legend, during the reign of John III (1440-1505) in 1478, on the island where the monastery is located, the peasant Mokii appeared icon of the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian. The prince, having learned about this phenomenon, ordered to found a monastery on the island in the name of the apostle.

Old Believer churches in the name of John the Theologian

In the Old Believers, there are currently several churches in the name of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. In the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church today the throne is in and in (the district of Tatarstan), as well as in the Odessa region; in the Russian Ancient Orthodox Church - in the village of the Nizhny Novgorod region.

The image of the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian in painting

Among the artists who depicted the apostle and evangelist John the Evangelist, world-famous painters are: El Greco “John the Evangelist” (1595-1605. Prado Museum, Madrid); Hieronymus Bosch"St. John on Patmos" (1504-1505, Berlin Art Gallery, Berlin), “Scenes of the Passion of Christ and a pelican with chicks (Reverse side of the board “St. John on Patmos”; Hans Memling “The Apostle John” (c. 1468); Domenichino “St. John the Evangelist" and others.

Soulful teaching

A Word about the Young Man Who Was Saved by John the Theologian

When the great disciple of Christ, John the Theologian, came to the city of Asia, he met there a young man of good birth, and tall, and handsome in face, and wished to save his soul so that he would become faithful. Having taught him enough about the commandments of God, he brought him to the bishop of that city and said: “Bishop, I commend this young man to you, with the testimony of the Holy Spirit, that you may keep him from all evil.” And having said this, John went to other countries to teach them the faith of Christ.

The bishop, having received the young man, taught and kept him and instructed him diligently. And soon he baptized him, thinking that he would be confirmed by baptism. The young man began to gradually relax and get closer to other young men and crazy men, going with them to feasts, and drunkenness, and all-night fornication. Then he went on a robbery spree, and eventually his evil friends took him with them to the mountains. And, since he was great in body, the robbers made him one of their elders and made him unmerciful and godless, bitter and cruel in everything.

Then, after a year, John came to Ephesus and in front of everyone said to the bishop: “Bring me the young man whom I entrusted to you.” The bishop took a deep breath, shed tears and answered John: “a young man has died.” John asked: how and in what way? Mental death or physical death? And the bishop said: “To her, my soul. The great destroyer is also the ultimate fierce robber.” And John said to the bishop: “Have I not made you the guardian of the soul of this young man, as a good shepherd for the sheep of Christ? But now bring me a horse, and I will go to the place where the young man is hiding.”

Mounting his horse, John quickly drove him off, looking for Christ’s lost sheep. When he reached the mountain where the robbers were hiding, he was captured by the robber guards. And John prayed to them to take him to their elder, and they took him and led him away. The young man stood armed, and when he saw John coming towards him, he ran away out of shame. John, forgetting his old age, quickly chased after the young man and shouted to him: “Why are you running away from me, child, from your father? And why are you bothering me so much, my son? Become, do not be afraid, you have hope of salvation. I will lay down my soul for you, as the Lord Jesus Christ did for us. Don't be afraid, child, stop, don't be horrified. Christ sent me to give you forgiveness of sins. I will suffer for you, and the blood that you shed will be on me. The burden of your sins will be on my neck, child!”

Hearing all this, the young man stopped and threw down his weapon, trembling and crying a lot. He approached John with tears and kissed him. He hid his right hand, because it was still covered in blood. Having taken it from the robbers, John returned to Ephesus. There he brought him into the church, giving us all famous example repentance, so that none of us, having fallen into many sins, despair of our salvation. But, coming to repentance, he would receive God's mercy. The Lord wants to save us all and bring us to true reason.

A Word about Saint John the Theologian, how he taught a man to paint icons

Not far from Constantinople there was a certain small town in which lived a young orphan named Hussar. He earned money by hiring out to herd geese. On the gates of that city there was an image of John the Theologian, painted with paints. And always, when the geese were grazing in front of the city gates, the Hussar wrote with his finger in the sand, looking at the image of John the Evangelist. At the same time, he said: “Lord, grant me to learn how to paint this image, for my soul desires this.” When he was unable to depict hands, or a head, or eyes, he smoothed out his drawing and painted again.

He did this for three years. And one day, while he was writing, John the Theologian came to him in the form of a gray-haired old man, just as he was depicted on the gate. And he asked him: “What are you doing, Hussar, drawing in the sand?” The hussar replied: “Look at the gate, where the image of John the Theologian is. I’ve been learning to paint this image in the sand for three years.” Saint John said to him: “Do you want to study icon writing?” The Hussar said: “Yes, sir, I wish it.” Then John took a cane and ink and wrote a letter: “I, John the Theologian, who reclined on the chest of the Lord’s honorable one and drank His secret cup, am sending this youth Hussar to you, Khinar, so that you can teach him how to paint icons better than yourself.” And, having sealed the letter with a ring, he gave it to the Hussar, saying: “Go to Constantinople, there is a royal icon painter there, named Hinar. He writes in the golden royal chambers and goes to the Church of St. Sophia for matins. After waiting for him, give him this letter. Tell me that John the Theologian gave it to me, and then go with him.” Having said all this, John became invisible.

The hussar soon went to the city and, when it was morning, he saw this royal icon painter there returning from the Church of St. Sophia, gave him the letter and followed him. The icon painter, having read the letter, marveled at what was written in it. The hussar told him everything that happened. Then envy gripped the icon painter’s heart so as not to teach the Hussar.

At that time, a certain Tsar’s husband built a stone church and ordered Hinar to paint an icon of St. John the Theologian. The icon painter, absent on some business, ordered the Hussar to rub the paints. According to God's provision, Khinar slowed down until lunch, then John the Theologian came to the Hussar and asked him what he was doing. The Hussar answered: “I’m rubbing paint so that my master can paint the icon of John the Theologian.” John said to him: “Get up and write.” The hussar, frightened, replied: “Sir, I haven’t even learned to hold a brush.” John said: “Look at me and write.” Taking the cane and putting it in his hand, he began to write the image on the board. And, having written, he left him. Then the whole chamber was illuminated by the icon, as if by the sun.

The hussar began to cry, thinking about what would happen to him now from the master. Returning, the master was surprised at what had happened. And from that time on, the Hussar became more skillful than the master. They also told the tsar that the icon painter had a student who had come to study for the third day, and yesterday he painted the icon of John the Theologian in such a way that the chamber glows from it, as from the sun, in a way that cannot even come to a person’s mind. Having taken the icon, they took it to the king. The king was seized with fear from the light emanating from the icon, and this was to the shame of the royal icon painter among the royal men. Some said that the student is more skillful than the master, others that the master is more skillful. The king said: “I can truly judge who is more skillful than whom. Let them paint two eagles in my chambers and put them on the wall. I'll take the hawk and let it go. And whose eagle the hawk begins to grab, that master will be more skillful.” And everyone answered: “Right, king, you say.”

They soon arrived and painted two eagles, each their own, and everyone marveled, looking at both. Looking at the master’s writings, they said that there is no other like him in the world. Having approached the student’s writing, they marveled and were amazed at his great art. The king, taking the hawk, let it go. And the hawk began to grab the student’s bird on the wall. From that time on, the king took Hussar into his chambers to paint icons, and his writing was more skillful than his teacher Khinar. There are those two birds to this day in those royal chambers where they were written. And the icon of St. John the Theologian was taken to the church and this church was consecrated in the name of St. John the Theologian, and they celebrated with joy in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

I read that our Lord’s beloved apostle John died peacefully. But it is written: “Peter turned and saw the disciple, whom Jesus loved, following him, and who at the supper, bowing to His chest, said: Lord! who will betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus: Lord! what about him? Jesus says to him: If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? you follow Me. And this word spread between the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but: if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? - This disciple testifies to this and wrote this; and we know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things; but if we were to write about it in detail, then I think the world itself would not be able to accommodate the books written. Amen" (John 21:20-25). Does this mean that Saint John the Theologian is alive today and awaits the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God? And where is it written about the peaceful death of the apostle?

Priest Afanasy Gumerov answers:

According to Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome, Irenaeus of Lyons and Eusebius Pamphilus, the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian died under the emperor Trajan (98 - 117). According to the Alexandrian chronicle of St. The Apostle John the Theologian died in the 72nd year after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, being 100 years and 7 months. All these testimonies by death mean departure from earthly life. The circumstances surrounding this departure are quite mysterious. The Apostle and 7 disciples left Ephesus and, having reached a certain place, ordered them to sit down. Then he walked away from them and began to pray. He then ordered them to dig a cross-shaped grave. “Take the earth, my mother, and cover me with it,” he told the disciples. They complied and returned to Ephesus with great weeping. When the Christians living in the city found out about this, they came and dug up the grave, but did not find the body of the apostle there.

With the saint, the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome - the daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. At the same time as his older brother Jacob, he was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His disciples on Lake Gennesaret. Leaving their father Zebedee in the boat (Zebedee was fishing), both brothers followed the Lord.

The Apostle John was especially loved by the Lord for his perfect gentleness and virginal purity. After his calling, Saint John did not part with the Lord; he was one of the three disciples whom the Lord brought especially close to Himself; he was present at the resurrection of Jairus's daughter and at the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor. During the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord and, at a sign from the Apostle Peter, leaned on the Savior’s chest and asked Him about the name of the traitor. The Apostle John followed the Lord when He was led bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the judgment of the lawless high priests Annas and Caiaphas; he was in the bishop’s courtyard during the interrogations of his Divine Teacher and relentlessly followed Him along the Way of the Cross, compassionate with Him with all his heart. At the foot of the Cross, he wept together with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to them from the height of the Cross: “Woman, behold your son,” and to him: “Behold your mother” (John 19: 26-27). From this time on, John loving son, took care of Holy Virgin Mary and served Her until Her Dormition, never leaving Jerusalem. After the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Apostle John, according to the lot that fell to him, went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his disciple Prochorus. During the voyage, a strong storm arose and the ship sank. All the travelers were thrown onto land, except for only the Apostle John, who remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, having lost his spiritual father and mentor, and went to Ephesus alone. On the fourteenth day of his journey, he, standing on the seashore, saw that a wave had thrown a man onto the shore. Approaching him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord kept alive, despite the fact that he spent fourteen days in deep sea. While in Ephesus, the Apostle John constantly preached to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by numerous and great miracles, so that the number of believers increased every day. At this time, the persecution of Christians began, initiated by Emperor Nero (56-68). The Apostle John was taken in chains to trial in Rome. For confessing his fiery faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle John was sentenced to death, but was kept alive by the power of God: he drank the cup of deadly poison offered to him and remained unharmed; in the same way, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil, into which he had been plunged by order of his tormentor. After this, the apostle was exiled to prison on the island of Patmos, where he lived for many years.

On the way to his place of exile, the Apostle John performed many miracles, and when he arrived on the island of Patmos, his sermon, accompanied by wondrous miracles, attracted all the inhabitants of the island to him. The Apostle enlightened most of the inhabitants with the light of the Gospel, cast out numerous demons who were in idol temples, and healed a great many sick people. The Magi showed great resistance to the preaching of Saint John. They have long kept the pagans under their control with various demonic obsessions. Particularly terrifying to everyone was the arrogant sorcerer Kinops, who boasted that he would bring the apostle to death. But the great John, the son of Gromov, as the Lord Himself called him, by the power of God’s grace acting through him, destroyed all the demonic tricks that Kinops hoped for. The proud sorcerer died ingloriously in the depths of the sea, since the Apostle John with one word bound the demons who had previously helped Kinops; They were powerless to help the sorcerer, and he drowned.

On the island of Patmos, the Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a deserted mountain, where he performed three days of fasting and prayer, after which the mountain shook and thunder roared. Prokhor fell to the ground in fear. The Apostle picked him up and ordered him to write down the words that he would pronounce. “I am seven Alpha and Omega, the firstfruits and the end, says the Lord, who is and who is and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the holy Apostle. So, around the year 96, the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) of the holy Apostle John the Theologian was written. This Book reveals the secrets of the destinies of the Church and the end of the world.

After a long exile, the Apostle John received freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued his activities, teaching Christians to beware of emerging heresies. Around 95, the Apostle John wrote the Gospel in Ephesus. He commanded all Christians to love the Lord and each other and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

“The Apostle of Love” - this is how Saint John is called, since he constantly taught that without love a person cannot approach God and please Him. In his three Epistles, the Apostle John preaches love for God and neighbors, himself being an example of love for those around him. Already in old age, having learned about one young man who had strayed from the true path and become the leader of a gang of robbers, the Apostle John went to look for him in the desert; when the culprit, seeing the holy elder, disappeared, the Apostle ran after him and begged him to stop, saying that he would take upon himself the sin of the young man, if only he would repent and not destroy his soul. Touched by such love, the young man truly repented and corrected his life.

The Apostle John lived on earth for more than 100 years, finally remaining the only living person who saw Jesus Christ during His earthly life; the rest of the Apostles at this time had all already died a martyr's death. The entire Christian Church deeply revered the Apostle John as the seer of God's destinies. The Lord Himself gave His beloved disciple and his brother the Apostle James the name Boanerges, which means “sons of Thunder,” and the Church called him “Theologian” for the depth of the Divine revelations he proclaimed to the world. On the icons, the Holy Apostle John is depicted with an eagle - a symbol of the high soaring of his Theological thought.

When the time came for the departure of the Apostle John to afterworld, he retired outside of Ephesus with 7 of his disciples and ordered a cross-shaped coffin to be dug for himself in the ground, in which he lay down, telling the disciples to cover it with earth. The disciples kissed their beloved Apostle with tears, but, not daring to disobey, they did what he said. They covered his face with a cloth and buried his grave. Having learned about this, the rest of the Apostle’s disciples came to the place of his burial and dug up the grave, but did not find in it the body of the Apostle, who, according to the special provision of God, had been transferred to the afterlife. This happened on September 26, at the beginning of the 2nd century. Every year, from the grave of the Holy Apostle John, on the 8th of May, fine dust emerged, which believers collected and were healed of mental and physical illnesses. Therefore, the Church celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8th.

The Church calls St. John the Apostle of Love, for he constantly taught that without love a person cannot approach God. Love is main feature his spiritual appearance. All life path apostle - service of Love.

Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Evangelist, John Zebedee (Hebrew "Yohanan"), was the brother of Saint James, son of Zebedee and Salome. The birthplace of John the Evangelist was Bethsaida. Zevedei had some wealth, had workers, was engaged in fishing and was not an insignificant member of Jewish society. Salome was the daughter from the first marriage of St. Joseph the Betrothed; she is also mentioned among the wives who served the Lord with their property. Thus, John was the nephew of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was originally a disciple of John the Baptist. He was the first to follow the Savior along with Andrew the First-Called. However, John the Theologian became a constant disciple of the Lord after a miraculous catch of fish on Lake Gennesaret, when the Savior Himself called him along with his brother James.

The Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and virginal purity. Together with Peter and brother James, the Apostle John was honored with special closeness to the Savior; he was with Him in the most important and solemn moments of His earthly life. The Apostle John was present at the resurrection of Jairus's daughter, saw the Transfiguration of the Lord, heard a conversation about the signs of His second coming, and witnessed His Gethsemane prayer. During the Last Supper, the Apostle John fell to the chest of Jesus. Church tradition unanimously identifies John the Theologian with the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” “Breast” in Church Slavonic is “persi”, probably from here comes the name of John the Theologian as the Savior’s confidant, subsequently this word becomes a common noun to designate a person, especially someone close to him.

According to legend, John the Theologian, together with Peter, followed the Savior after his arrest and, taking advantage of an old acquaintance, went himself and led Peter into the courtyard of the house of the high priest Anna. John the Theologian relentlessly followed the Teacher along the entire Way of the Cross, grieving with all his heart. Of all the apostles, only John the Theologian is said to have stood on Calvary at the cross of the Savior, not caring about his own safety. At the foot of the Cross, he wept together with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the height of the Cross: “ Woman, behold Your son" and to him: " Se Mati is yours". From that time on, the Apostle John, like a loving son, took care of the Blessed Virgin Mary and served Her until Her Dormition, never leaving Jerusalem.

He was characterized by calmness and depth of contemplation, combined with ardent loyalty, and tender and endless Love bordered on ardor and even some harshness. His heartfelt impulses sometimes reached such violent jealousy that Christ was forced to moderate them, as disagreeing with the spirit of the new teaching. It is believed that it was for this fiery zeal that the Savior named the Apostle John and his sibling Jacob "sons of thunder" (Boanerges). For him there was no duality. He believed that you can belong either to Christ or to the devil; there can be no middle state. At the same time, he displayed rare modesty and, despite his special position as a beloved disciple, he did not stand out from the number of other disciples of the Savior.

According to legend, after the Dormition Mother of God The Apostle John, according to the lot that fell to him, went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his disciple Prochorus. They set off on a ship that was wrecked during a strong storm. All participants in the voyage except John the Evangelist were washed ashore by the waves after some time, and he, having spent about two weeks in the depths of the sea, miraculously was found by Prokhor on the shore near the city of Ephesus alive and unharmed.

While in the city of Ephesus, the Apostle John constantly preached the teachings of Christ to the pagans. His preaching was accompanied by numerous and great miracles, so that the number of believers increased every day.

In Ephesus, the apostles John and Prochorus were hired to work in public bath, whose owner was an angry and rude woman named Romana. According to pagan custom, a young man and a girl were buried alive at the base of this bathhouse. Since then, a demon lived in it and drowned someone every year. That year a youth named Domn was drowned. The father could not bear the death of his son and died of grief. Romana, out of her malice, blamed everything on John, who worked as a stoker. She began shouting that the young man had died from intoxication, and eventually declared that if John did not resurrect Domna, he would die himself. The horror of Romana was indescribable when John, having prayed, resurrected not only the young man, but also his father. Then in the name of Christ he bound the demon and drove him out of the city. This miracle shocked Romana and the residents of Ephesus so much that many townspeople immediately turned to Christ.

Under Emperor Domitian (81-96), the Apostle John was summoned to Rome as the only surviving apostle, and by order of this persecutor of Christians he was sentenced to death. The apostle drank the cup of deadly poison offered to him and remained alive according to the word of Christ: “And if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them” (Mark 16:18), then he was thrown into boiling oil, but the power of God kept him unharmed here too.

After this, the Apostle John was exiled to the semi-desert island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. There were royal nobles on the ship; the son of one of them, while playing, fell into the sea and drowned. The nobles began to ask John for help, but he refused them, having learned that they honor pagan gods. But in the morning, out of pity, John prayed to God, and a wave threw the young man onto the ship.

Apostle John the Theologian preaching on the island of Patmos during the Bacchanalia (F. Moller.1856)

On the island of Patmos lived the sorcerer Kinops, who communicated with unclean spirits. Local residents revered Kinops as a god. When the Apostle John began to preach Christ, the inhabitants of the island called on the sorcerer Kinops to take revenge on John. The apostle exposed the demonicity of Kinops, and through the prayer of John, a sea wave swallowed the sorcerer. The people who worshiped Kinops waited for him by the sea for three days, exhausted from hunger and thirst, and three children died. The Apostle John, having prayed, healed the sick and raised the dead. His preaching, accompanied by many miracles, attracted everyone to him local residents who received holy baptism.

One day on Patmos, while praying in a secluded cave, he had a revelation about the fate of the world. The legend describes this event as follows: “The mountain shook, thunder roared, Prokhor fell to the ground in fear. The Apostle John raised him up and ordered him to write down what he would say. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who is and who is to come, the Almighty,” proclaimed the Spirit of God through the holy Apostle. Thus, around the year 67, the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) of the holy Apostle John the Theologian was written, symbolically describing the events that were to occur at the end of time. This is a special book, full of mystical depth, power and imagery. Of all the books of the New Testament, it is the only one that is not read aloud at Orthodox services. The text of the Revelation of John the Theologian is not included in the annual cycle of worship. People have been pondering the symbols of the Apocalypse for centuries, and yet its meaning will be fully revealed only during the Second Coming of Christ.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The cave in which the Apostle received the Revelation is now located under the buildings of the Monastery of the Apocalypse and is a temple in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian. To this day, in the cave, pilgrims are shown the place where the Apostle’s head rested during sleep, as well as the place where his hand usually lay. In the ceiling of the cave one can see the same triple crevice through which he heard “ loud voice, as if blowing a trumpet,” announcing revelation.

Monastery of St. John the Evangelist on the island of Patmos

The walls of the monastery of St. Apostle John the Theologian on the island of Patmos

Inside the Monastery of St. John the Evangelist

Cave of the Apocalypse

After the death of Domitian, the Apostle John returned from exile to Ephesus, where he wrote the Gospel. This was important because by the end of the first century Christendom several active ones have spread religious movements who denied the divine essence of the Savior.

Since ancient times, the Gospel of John has been called spiritual; it mainly contains the Lord's conversations about the deepest truths of faith - about the incarnation of the Son of God, about the Trinity, about the redemption of mankind, about spiritual rebirth, about the grace of the Holy Spirit and about Communion. From the first words of the Gospel, John raises the believer’s thought to the height of the divine origin of the Son of God from God the Father: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word came to God, and God was the Word.” (John 1:1) The Apostle John expresses the purpose of writing his Gospel as follows: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).

In addition to the Gospel and the Apocalypse, the Apostle John wrote three epistles, which were included in the New Testament books as Council Epistles (that is, district epistles). In them he preaches love for God and neighbors, being an example of love for those around him.

Church Tradition has preserved a touching story showing how much love his heart was filled with. While visiting one of the churches in Asia Minor, the Apostle John, among those listening to his word, noticed a young man distinguished by extraordinary talents, and entrusted him to the special care of the local bishop. Subsequently, this young man became close to bad comrades, became corrupted and became the leader of a gang of robbers. The Apostle of Love, having learned about this from the bishop, went to the mountains, where the robbers were rampant, and was captured by them. He did not try to free himself and only said: “Take me to your leader. I came to see him." At the sight of the Apostle John, he was extremely embarrassed and ran away from him. John rushed after him: “Son, son, why are you running away from your father!” He encouraged him with words of love, brought him to church himself, shared with him the labors of repentance, and did not rest until he had completely reconciled him with God.

IN last years Throughout his life, the Apostle spoke only one instruction: “Little children, love one another.” The disciples asked him: “Why do you repeat the same thing?” The apostle replied: “This is the most necessary commandment. If you fulfill it, then you will fulfill the entire law of Christ.”

But Saint John’s love for people turned into fiery jealousy when he met false teachers who corrupted the believers. One day in a public bath he met the heretic Cerinthos, who rejected the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Let’s quickly get out of here,” the apostle said to the disciple who was with him, “I’m afraid that this building might collapse on us.”

The Apostle John the Theologian died in Ephesus already at the beginning of the 2nd century, presumably at the age of one hundred and five years. The circumstances of the death of the Apostle John are unusual and even mysterious. At the insistence of the Apostle John, seven of his closest disciples buried him in a cross-shaped grave, and alive, covering his face with a cloth: “... attract my mother earth, cover me!” They did not dare to violate the teacher's request. However, after some time, when the grave was opened, John’s body was not there. Prokhor writes: “Then we remembered the words of the Lord spoken to the Apostle Peter: “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21, 22) This event seemed to confirm the assumption of some Christians that the Apostle John would not die, but would live until the Second Coming of Christ and would expose the Antichrist. Corruption did not touch the body of the apostle - only the Mother of God, Elijah and Enoch were awarded this.

Liturgy at the burial site of John the Evangelist (Türkiye)

Prokhor also reports that every year on May 8, for many years, the grave exuded myrrh - a thin layer of dust (or “manna”), and people were healed of illnesses through the prayers of St. John the Evangelist.

The eagle is a symbol of the high soaring of Theological thought - the iconographic sign of the Evangelist John the Theologian. Of the disciples of Christ, only he was given the title of Theologian by the Holy Church, as a seer of the Destinies of God.

Apostle John the Theologian. Full-length sketch for the painting of the KhHS

Troparion, tone 2
Beloved Apostle of Christ God, / hasten to deliver the unrequited people, / who receive you as you fall, / who have fallen and are accepted; / Pray to Him, O Theologian, / and disperse the present darkness of tongues, asking us for peace and great mercy.

Kontakion, tone 2
Thy greatness, virgin, who is the story? / Perform miracles, and pour out healings, / and pray for our souls, / as a theologian and friend of Christ.

PATMOS (2006)

Original name: Patmos (Island of Revelation))
Year of issue: 2006
Genre: Documentary
A country: Russia
Duration: 00:33:06
Director: Alexander Bogatyrev

About the film:
Film-pilgrimage. Patmos is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, one of the Southern Sporades Islands. In ancient times, Patmos was a place of exile for the Romans. According to legend, the Apostle John the Theologian was exiled here and in one of the caves he had a revelation that formed the content of the Apocalypse.

Patmos is home to one of the largest monasteries in Greece, the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, founded by St. Christodoulos in 1088. It contains a rich collection of manuscripts, the description of which was published by the monk Sakkelion in Athens.

The monasteries of Patmos contain the head of the Apostle Thomas and the relics of many saints. Those who come to Patmos for the first time leave with tears in their eyes from the Cave of the Apocalysis and the Monastery of St. John the Theologian. Many remain to live on the island forever, having converted to Orthodoxy. That's what this film is about. An extraordinary atmosphere of spirituality and at the same time the feeling that it is here on Patmos, where the Apostle John the Theologian lived and wrote the Apocalypse, that they are at the origins of faith. The film will tell about the architecture of the monasteries of this island, its history and attractions.