J O 
JOHN, [piT, Heb. gentle, agreeable, or tlie grace of 
God ; agreeable to God.] A baptifmal name for men ; 
fometimes i furname. The fcripture mentions fevcral 
illuftrious men named John, Joanne, or Johanan, which 
la ft is the Hebrew word. 
JOHN, the father of Mattathias, the celebrated Mac- 
cabee, defcended from the priefts of Joiarib’s family. 
j Macc. ii. i. 
JOHN, furnamed Gaddis, the fon of Mattathias above- 
mentioned, and brother of Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, 
Maccabeus. John Maccabeus was treacheroufly killed 
by the fons of Jambri, as he was conducing the baggage 
belonging to his brethren the Maccabees to the Noba- 
thites their allies, i Macc. ix. 36. 
JOHN (St.), the Baptist. See Baptist, vol. ii. p.701. 
JOHN (St.), the Apostle and Evangelist, was the 
fon of Zebedee, a fifherman, who refided at or near Beth- 
faida in Galilee, and the younger brother of James the 
Greater, whofe hiftory we have already related- He was 
educated to his father’s bufinefs, and appears to have been 
^ frequent hearer of John the Baptift, by whom he had 
been led to expect the fpeedy appearance of the Meffiah, 
foretold in the law and the prophets. From the time 
when the baptift had pointed out Jefus as the perfon de- 
fignated for that high office, he appears to have enlifted 
among his difciples, attending often upon him, hearing 
his dilcourfes, and beholding his miracles; and was molt 
probably one of thofe who were prefent at the marriage- 
feaft in Cana of Galilee, where Jefus turned the water 
into wine. Hitherto he continued occafionaily to follow 
his occupation as a fifherman, jointly with his brother; 
and they were engaged in that employment, when Jefus 
by his miraculous power affifted them in catching the 
large draught of fifties, of which mention is made in the 
evangelical hiftory. From this time they were called by 
Jefus to follow him as his more conftant attendants ; and, 
after being inftrufted by him for fome time publicly with 
the people, and more particularly afterwards in private, 
were chofen by him of the number of the twelve, whom 
he named and conftituted apoftles. John alfo was fe- 
lecled, together with his brother James, and Peter, from 
the reft of the apoftles, to receive our Lord’s moft confi¬ 
dential communications j and he experienced fome parti¬ 
cular proofs and inftances of Chrift’s extraordinary and 
peculiar regard. He feems to have been the youngeft of 
the twelve, of a moft amiable engaging temper, and af- 
feftionate dilpofition of mind. Hence he acquired a 
greater ftiare of his mailer's intimate friendlhip than the 
reft, and obtained the honourable title of the difciple whom 
Jefus loved. In the life of James we have already feen, 
that he was diftinguilhed, as well as his brother, by the 
Surname of Boanerges, or one of the Sons of Thunder. He 
was one of the three apoftles whom our Lord permitted 
to be prefent at the miraculous refurreftion of Jairus’s 
daughter, and at the feene of the transfiguration on the 
mount. He was one of the four to whom our Lord pre¬ 
dicted in private the deftruftion of Jerufalem, and the 
calamities in which the Jewilh nation would fpeedily be 
involved. He was one of the two difciples whom Jefus 
fent to prepare for his eating his laft paffover; and on 
that occafion, when Jefus had declared that one of thofe 
prefent would betray him, without thinking proper to 
point out the traitor, John was encouraged by his mailer’s 
affeftion for him, privately to enquire who was the guilty 
perfon, and was favoured with an intimation by which 
he alone was enabled to difeover him. John was alfo 
one of the three apoftles whom our Lord chofe to attend 
him during his dreadful agony in the garden. On the 
apprehenfion of his mailer, he exhibited, in common 
with the other apoftles, a proof of his infirmity, by for- 
faking his Lord and feeking perfonal fafety in flight. 
He foon recovered his courage, however, and manifelled 
his attachment to Jefus under circumftances of no little 
danger. He is by many fuppofed to have been that other 
difciple who with Peter followed Jefus to the high-prieft’s 
, Vol. XL Noi 746. 
H N, 205 
hall; though this hypcfthelis. is attended with difficulties 
which may induce us to hefitate at admitting it. We 
are allured, however, that he attended the crucifixion, 
and feems to have been the only one of the apoftles who 
ventured to expofe himfelf to the hazards of fuch a 
lituation. Here he Hood by the crofs, and was noticed 
by his Lord, who recommended the future care of his 
mother to his beloved difciple; he was alfo a witnefs of 
the circumftances which clearly afeertained the death of 
Jefus, faw his body laid in the fepulchre, and the Hone 
placed at the mouth of it, as he has himfelf related. 
Early in the morning of our Lord’s refurreftion, Mary 
Magdalen, and other women, came to the fepulchre with 
the preparations which they had made for embalming his 
body; and when they found it open, and the body of Jefus 
gone, Mary immediately haftened to inform Peter and John, 
of thefe circumftances. Greatly agitated at her report, the 
two apoftles ran direftly towards the fepulchre, and, from 
what they faw there, John, firft of all, was led to entertain 
the belief that Jefus was indeed rifen from the dead, as we 
learn from his own modeft narrative. Until thi$ time he ap¬ 
pears, as well as the other apoftles, to have been ignorant of 
the meaning of thofe paftages of feripture to which Jefus had 
fo often referred, as well as the prediftions which he had 
delivered, to convince them that he mult certainly rife 
from the dead. On the evening of the fame day, and 
likewife eight days afterwards, at which times Jefus fa- 
tisfied his difciples by ocular and fenfible proofs of his 
being alive, John was prefent with the reft; and he has 
particularly related the hiftory of our Lord’s (flowing 
himfelf to him and fome others of the difciples at the fea 
of Tiberias. On that occafion, Jefus having foretold to 
Peter the martyrdom which he would undergo in his 
caufe, the curiofity of the latter led him to enquire con¬ 
cerning the fate of the beloved difciple. The anfwer of 
our Lord conveyed a reproof to his inquifitivenefs, and 
at the fame time was exprefled in terms which, from 
their being not rightly underftood, gave rife to a notiop 
among the other followers of Thrift, that this difciple 
Ihould not die. Jefus faith unto him, If I will that he tarry 
tilt I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Some ju¬ 
dicious commentators have fuppofed that this anfwer 
conveyed an intimation that John fliould not die before 
the deftruftion of Jerufalem; others imagine that it con¬ 
tained an indireft declaration, that, though Peter’s days 
would be (hortened by martyrdom, this difciple Ihould 
be preferved till he died in the ordinary courfe of nature. 
Either of thefe hypothefes will be found to be recon- 
cileable with the fails relative to the time or manner of 
the apoftle's death. After the afeenfion of Jefus, and 
the effufion of the Holy Spirit on the memorable day of 
Pentecoft, John is fpoken of as one of the leading apoftles 
of the circumcifion. Soon after the extraordinary circum- 
ftance laft-mentioned, he went up with Peter to the tem¬ 
ple at the time of the evening facrifice, and there they 
cured a man who had been lame from his birth. This 
miracle drew around them a great concourfe of people, 
to whom they preached, declaring Jefus to be the Meffiah, 
bearing their teftimony to his refurreftion from the dead, 
and avowing that from him they had received their cotn- 
miffion to perform fuch wonderful works. While they 
were fpeaking they were feized by the priefts and the 
captain of the temple, who kept them in clofe cuftody 
till the next day, when they were brought before the 
fanhedrim. Being there queftioned concerning the cure 
of the lame man, they boldly affirmed that it had been 
effefted by the power which they had received from Jefus 
of Nazareth, whom the rulers had crucified, but whom 
God had railed from the dead, and who was the long-ex- 
pefted Meffiah. Confounded by their undaunted fpirit, 
and the greatnefs as well as publicity of the miracle 
which they had juft wrought, the fanhedrim, after fome 
private debate, judged it moft prudent to dilmifs them, 
with a command, accompanied by fbreatenings, that they 
Ihould not preach any more in the name of Jelfis. Peter 
3 G Sat 
