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The Beloved Disciple is a character in the Gospel of John, traditionally identified with John.

Overview

The Beloved Disciple is usually regarded as the author of the Fourth Gospel and identified with Jesus' disciple John son of Zebedee and John of Patmos, the author of Revelation. However, there is no reliable corroboration of these notions from extra-biblical sources and even the Bible itself never identifies either the 'beloved disciple' nor the author of the Fourth Gospel. Therefore, it is unsafe to equate the Beloved Disciple with John the son of Zebedee, or John of Patmos, or any other known figures. More likely, it seems, is the belief that the Gospel and the Epistles and the Revelation all flow from a 'Johannine School' of theology. R. Alan Culpepper is perhaps the best known representative of this line of thought.

The Beloved Disciple in ancient sources

Gospel of John

John 13:23-25 - Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

John 19:26-27 - When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

John 20:1-10 - Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

John 21:1-25 - After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Cf. John 1:35-40 - Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

Cf. John 18:15-16 - And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.

The Beloved Disciple in Scholarship

There have been as many attempts to identify the Beloved Disciple as there have been commentaries on the Gospel of John.

In 1985, James H. Charlesworth argued that the Beloved Disciple should be identified with the disciple Thomas. Other scholars (Eller, Waejen, and most recently, Ben Witherington III [see http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/01/was-lazarus-beloved-disciple.html]) have seen in Lazarus a more likely candidate. None of the suggested hypotheses has gained consensus.

Most recently, The Gospel of John (2010 Michaels), book goes into the various possibilities (see pp. 17ff). Ramsey maintains that the Beloved Disciple is not Andrew, Philip, Nathaniel, Judas Iscariot, Thomas, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, Judas-not-Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, or a son of Zebedee. He was male, but other than that, he remains anonymous. Ramsey concludes his discussion on the identity of the Beloved Disciple as putative author of the Fourth Gospel as follows: ... he tells his story freely, yet... he retains his privacy, a privacy that even the most inquisitive commentator will do well to respect (p. 24).

The Beloved Disciple in Fiction

James Twyman produced a musical CD in 2000 which was titled The Order of the Beloved Disciple, with tracks including, 1. Our Lady Of The Universe; 2. The Hail Mary; 3. Ave Maria; 4. Fr. Joso's Prayer; & 5. The Message. John, The Beloved Disciple by Dan Palmer was produced in 2008 and is another musical rendition relating to the Beloved Disciple.

After the pioneering Corpus Christi (1998 McNally), play, the Beloved Disciple has an established status in contemporary gay culture. The Beloved Disciple and the House of Hippo (2001 Harwood), novel, Jesus in Love (2006 Cherry), novel, and The Gay Disciple (2007 Henson), novel are among the fictional retellings of the Jesus story to present the Beloved Disciple as a young male homosexual.

Related categories

• John / John of Patmos

External links

• Wikipedia

Select Bibliography (articles)

1960s

• Who Was the Beloved Disciple / S. Lewis Johnson / In: Expository Times 77.5 (1966) 157-158.

1970s

• Der Jünger, den Jesus liebte / Rudolf Schnackenburg / Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament. Vorarbeiten 2 (1970) 97-117

• Beloved disciple in the gospel of John: some clues and conjectures / Paul Sevier Minear / In: Novum Testamentum 19.2 (1977) 105-123

1980s

• The relation of the beloved disciple to the twelve / John J. Gunther / In: Theologische Zeitschrift 37.3 (1981) 129-148

• Der Jünger, den Jesus liebte / Eugen Ruckstuhl / Studien zum Neuen Testament und seiner Umwelt. Aufsätze 11 (1986) 131-167

• The Function and Background of the Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John / Hans-Martin Schenke / in:Nag Hammadi, Gnosticism, and Early ChristianityHedrick, Charles W. - Hodgson, Robert, Jr. (eds.), Peabody (Mass.), Hendrickson, 1986, p. 111-125.

• Le disciple bien-aimé / Jean Zumstein / In: Cahiers Bibliques de Foi et Vie 86.5 (1987) 47-58

• The Beloved Disciple and Implied Readers: A Socio-narratological Approach / William S. Kurz / In: Biblical Theology Bulletin 19 (1989) 100-107

1990s

• The Beloved Disciple as Ideal Author / Richard J. Bauckham / In: Journal for the Study of the New Testament 49 (1993) 21-44

2000s

• 'Der Jünger, den Jesus liebte': Ideale Nachfolge im Johannesevangelium / Philip Müller / In: Geist und Leben 78.2 (2005) 81-91
  • The Beloved Disciple might be a historical figure but in the Gospel of John represents the ideal post-Easter disciple of Jesus

• "The Disciple Jesus Loved". Witness, Author, Apostle - A Response to Richard Bauckham's Jesus and the Eyewitnesses / Andreas J. Köstenberger / In: Bulletin for Biblical Research 18.2 (2008) 209-231
  • Supports the identification of the Beloved Disciple with John son of Zebedee against Bauckham's identification with "John the Presbyter" mentioned by Papias.

• The Chiastic Key to the Identity of the Beloved Disciple / Daniel F. Stramara / In: St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 53.1 (2009) 5-27

2010s

• Whom Did Jesus Love Most? Beloved Disciples in John and Other Gospels / Marvin Meyer / In: The Legacy of John. Second-Century Reception of the Fourth Gospel (NT.S 132), Rasimus, Tuomas (ed.), Leiden / Boston, Brill, 2010, p. 73-91.

• "The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved" / Philip Müller / In: Theology Digest 54.2 (2010) 157-163