Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
John the Evangelist

John the Evangelist

8.8
One of Jesus's followers long thought to have written the Gospel of John, three letters, and Revelation
  • proper noun
translation icon : Juan el Evangelista
  • The writings of John the Evangelist are foundational to Christian theology.

Examples

  • During the service, the congregation honored John the Evangelist for his contributions to the early church.

  • Did John the Evangelist really write all those letters?

  • In Christian art, John the Evangelist is often depicted with an eagle.

  • Many churches are dedicated to John the Evangelist in honor of his contributions to Christianity.

  • Scholars debate whether John the Evangelist wrote all the texts attributed to him.

  • Many artisans created intricate designs in honor of John the Evangelist at the historic cathedral.

  • The church's annual feast day celebrates John the Evangelist, attracting visitors from around the region.

Synonyms

John
vsJohn the Evangelist
∞ 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 more formal traditional title rather than this shorter personal name
St. John
vsJohn the Evangelist
1 6.8

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

is the full traditional title used in formal or scholarly contexts rather than this abbreviation
John the Divine
vsJohn the Evangelist
1 8.5

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

is the conventional historic title focusing on authorship rather than this theological epithet
Saint John
vsJohn the Evangelist
6.0

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

is the established scholarly title used instead of this devotional form of address
St. John the Apostle
vsJohn the Evangelist
8.2

One of the twelve first followers of Jesus who is said to have written parts of the New Testament

is the conventional title used in formal references rather than this descriptive phrase
Saint John the Apostle
vsJohn the Evangelist
7.7

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

is the standard scholarly title used instead of this fully reverential phrasing

Surface Forms

John the Evangelist main

Morphology

John + the + Evangelist

The phrase is compositional: it names a person ('John') and identifies him by role ('the Evangelist' = the author/evangelist). This title/epithet structure is a transparent, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would understand it denotes John in his role as an evangelist.

Etymology

John the Evangelist is a traditional title for John based on the belief that he wrote the fourth Gospel. The word evangelist means someone who brings the 'good news', so the title links him to writing and sharing Jesus' message.