St. John's window.

St. John (aka St. John the Evangelist or St. John the Divine) was the author of three letters, the fourth Gospel, and the Revelation to John in the New Testament (at least according to the Christian tradition). He played a major role in the early church at Jerusalem.

John and his brother James were the sons of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman, and Salome. John and James were among the first disciples called by Jesus. In the Mark's gospel John is always mentioned after James, identifyinig him as the younger brother. His mother, Salome, was among those women who ministered to the circle of disciples. Jesus called James and John "Boanerges," which is Greek for "sons of thunder," refering to their impetuousity, as in Mark 9:38 and Luke 9:54:

John, James, and Peter apparently were the three apostles closest to Jesus. John's authoritative position in the church after the Resurrection is shown by his visit with Peter to Samaria to lay hands on the new converts there. Paul submitted his own gospel (Acts) to Peter, James, and John for editing and proofing.

Like King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Elvis, John's later actions have passed into the mists of legend and uncertainty. Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus (NOT a box of parrots) and Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, both claim that John died in Ephesus and that his tomb is located there. Dust from John's tomb supposedly has miraculous healing powers.

Mark 10:39 (...And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized) seems to indicate that John was martyred at some point. A north African theologian named Tertullian claims that John was thrown into a pot of boiling oil but walked away unharmed (how Tertullian came up with this scenario is not reported; I suspect alchohol was involved). Also supposedly the ground over John's grave moves as if he were breathing.

John's symbol in this window is, of course, the Gospel of John.

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