John the Apostle
One of the Twelve apostles, the son of Zebedee and brother of James, part of Jesus's inner circle.
At a glance
- Name
- John the Apostle
- Also known as
- John
- Type
- Person
- Period
- New Testament
- Appears in
- The Gospels and the book of Acts
- First appearance
- Matthew 4
- Known for
- The apostle in Jesus's inner circle, brother of James
Who is John the Apostle?
John is one of the Twelve apostles, the son of Zebedee and the brother of James, a fisherman whom Jesus calls along with his brother while they are mending their nets. The two are sometimes called the Sons of Thunder.
John is one of the three disciples, with Peter and James, whom Jesus keeps closest, present at moments such as the raising of the synagogue leader's daughter. In the book of Acts he works alongside Peter in the early days of the church.
He is traditionally identified as the disciple whom Jesus loved and as the author of the Gospel of John, although that Gospel does not name its author.
John the Apostle in the Bible
Called with his brother James
Jesus calls John and his brother James from their boat, and they leave their nets to follow him.
Read Matthew 4 →Inside the inner circle
John is among the few disciples Jesus takes into the house to raise the synagogue leader's daughter.
Read Luke 8 →People connected with John the Apostle
- brother of James, son of Zebedee John is the younger brother of James, called with him by Jesus.
Not to be confused with
- John the Baptist A different John, the prophet who baptized Jesus in the Jordan.
- John Mark A different John, also called Mark, who traveled with Paul and Barnabas and is traditionally linked to the Gospel of Mark.
Key passages featuring John the Apostle
These are key passages, not a complete list of every appearance.