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St. John the Apostle

St. John the Apostle

8.2
One of the twelve first followers of Jesus who is said to have written parts of the New Testament
  • proper noun
translation icon : San Juan Apóstol
  • The church was named after St. John the Apostle, who is said to have authored several books of the New Testament.

Examples

  • Many scholars debate whether the Gospel truly reflects the writings of St. John the Apostle.

  • In Christian tradition, St. John the Apostle is referred to as 'the beloved disciple.'

  • St. John the Apostle is important.

  • Did St. John the Apostle write the Book of Revelation?

  • In Christian tradition, St. John the Apostle is referred to as 'the beloved disciple.'

  • Many scholars debate whether the Gospel truly reflects the writings of St. John the Apostle.

  • The church was named after St. John the Apostle, who is said to have authored several books of the New Testament.

Synonyms

John
vsSt. John the Apostle
∞ 1.0

One of Jesus's twelve followers who is said to have written the Gospel of John and other New Testament books

is the entry's full formal version used here rather than this shorter form
St. John
vsSt. John the Apostle
1 6.8

One of Jesus' twelve apostles who is thought to have written the fourth Gospel and Revelation

is the entry's full formal version used here rather than this shorter form
John the Divine
vsSt. John the Apostle
1 8.5

A name for the Christian leader John believed to have written the fourth Gospel, three letters, and Revelation

is the entry's standard factual name rather than this reverent label
Saint John the Apostle
vsSt. John the Apostle
7.7

A follower of Jesus who people believe wrote the Gospel of John, three letters, and Revelation

is the entry's specific name choice used here instead of this honorific
John the Evangelist
vsSt. John the Apostle
8.8

One of Jesus's followers long thought to have written the Gospel of John, three letters, and Revelation

is the entry's general historical name rather than this role-focused title
Saint John
vsSt. John the Apostle
6.0

One of Jesus's disciples in the New Testament believed to have written the Gospel and Revelation

is the entry's precise full appellation chosen here instead of this shorter form

Surface Forms

St. John the Apostle main

Morphology

St. + John + the + Apostle

The phrase is fully compositional: 'St.' (Saint) + the proper name 'John' + 'Apostle' (a disciple chosen by Jesus) directly yields the intended referent, the apostle John. This conventional naming pattern is common across languages and easily predictable, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

St. John the Apostle comes from Christian stories that say John was one of Jesus's twelve close followers. He is called 'the beloved disciple' because he is shown leaning on Jesus at the Last Supper, and people later believed this close friend wrote the Gospel, some letters, and the Book of Revelation, so the name refers to that disciple and traditional author.