Since the 16th century, some have interpreted the relationship between Jesus and John the Apostle, the Disciple whom Jesus loved as an erotic, homosexual romance.^[1] This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... John the Apostle (Greek Ιωάννης, see names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. ... Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, polychromed and gilded wood, c 1320 The phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved or Beloved Disciple is used several times in the Gospel of John, but in none of the other accounts of Jesus. ...

"Beloved disciple"

Main article: Disciple whom Jesus loved

Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, polychromed and gilded wood, c 1320.^[2]

One of the factors leading to the assumption that Jesus and John loved each other is the phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved or Beloved Disciple, which is used several times in the Gospel of John, but in none of the other accounts of Jesus.^[3] In John's gospel, it is the Beloved Disciple who asks Jesus during the Last Supper who it is that will betray him. Later at the crucifixion, Jesus tells his mother "Woman, here is your son", referring to the Beloved Disciple is the common interpretation. To the Beloved Disciple he says, "Here is your mother." Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, polychromed and gilded wood, c 1320 The phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved or Beloved Disciple is used several times in the Gospel of John, but in none of the other accounts of Jesus. ... Image File history File links Jesus_johannes. ... Image File history File links Jesus_johannes. ... Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, polychromed and gilded wood, c 1320 The phrase the disciple whom Jesus loved or Beloved Disciple is used several times in the Gospel of John, but in none of the other accounts of Jesus. ... For other uses, see Gospel of John (disambiguation). ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... For other uses, see Crucifixion (disambiguation). ... Saint Mary and Saint Mary the Virgin both redirect here. ...

In art, the Beloved Disciple is portrayed as a beardless youth – the figure of the Student. He is usually shown in major scenes from the Gospel of John, especially the crucifixion and the Last Supper. Many artists have given different interpretations of John 13:23–25, in which the beloved disciple is resting his head against Jesus' chest. 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. ...

Since the Beloved Disciple does not appear in any of the other New Testament gospels, it has been traditionally seen as a self-reference to John the Evangelist, and this remains the mainstream identification. An issue is the identification of the Evangelist with John the Apostle; that is, whether the apostle is the same man as the evangelist. This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... St John the Evangelist, imagined by Jacopo Pontormo, ca 1525 (Santa Felicita, Florence) John the Evangelist (d. ... El Grecos rendition of John the Apostle shows the traditional author of the Johannine works as a young man. ... John the Apostle (Greek Ιωάννης, see names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. ...

Historical references

Jesus and John at the Last Supper, by Valentin de Boulogne

Saint Aelred of Rievaulx referred to the relationship of Jesus and John as a "marriage".^[1] The view that the two were lovers, considered a blasphemy, evolved during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; it has been claimed that it was held by Francesco Calcagno, who was investigated on that account by the Venetian Inquisition in 1550. Christopher Marlowe was accused of it in 1593, as was Manuel Figueiredo in a Lisbon Inquisition trial of 1618, as well as many others.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Martyrdom of Martinian and Processus (1629) by Valentin de Boulogne Valentin de Boulogne (1591-1632) was a French painter. ... Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, hence also known as Ailred of Rievaulx (b. ... For the black metal band, see Blasphemy (band). ... Events February 7 - Julius III becomes Pope. ... This article is about the English dramatist. ... For a bill proposed in USA in 1998, see Bill 1618. ...

James I of England may have been relying on a pre-existing tradition when he defended his (supposedly homosexual) relationship with the young Duke of Buckingham: "I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had his son John, and I have my George."^[1] James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... The Duke of Buckingham by Rubens George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628) (IPA pronunciation: ) was one of the most rewarded royal courtiers in all history. ...

Others who have given voice to this interpretation of the relationship between Jesus and John have been the philosophers Denis Diderot and Jeremy Bentham.^[4] Portrait of Diderot by Louis-Michel van Loo, 1767 Denis Diderot (October 5, 1713 – July 31, 1784) was a French philosopher and writer. ... Jeremy Bentham (IPA: ) (26 February [O.S. 15 February 15] 1748) – June 6, 1832) was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. ...

The theme has been perennial, having recently been raised from within the Christian establishment by Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, who has discussed the possible homoerotic inclinations of Jesus in his relationship with John in a sermon in 2005.^[5] The Right Reverend Vicky Imogene Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. ... This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... Location of the Diocese of New Hampshire The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), covers the entire state of New Hampshire. ...

According to Robert Goss, assistant professor of comparative religion at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, in analyzing the interaction between Jesus and John, "What's being portrayed here is a pederastic relationship between an older man and a younger man. A Greek reader would understand."^[6] Pederasty or paederasty (literally boy-love, see Etymology below) refers to an intimate or erotic relationship between an adolescent boy and an adult male outside his immediate family. ... Pederastic courtship scene Athenian black-figure amphora, 5th c. ...

Reception

The homosexual reading of the scriptures has been viewed as an intentional misreading.^[7] In Greek, the original language of the book of John, there are four words for love - "agape" (spiritual, unconditional love), "storge" (familial love), "philia" (love between friends) and "eros" (erotic love). All of the references to "the disciple whom Jesus loved" use the word "agape".^[7] Agapē (IPA: or IPA: ) (Gk. ... A philia is the love or obsession with a particular thing or subject. ... Look up eros, Eros, EROS in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Some argue that, had the text intended to note an erotic love between Jesus and John, it would have used the word "eros". Others have argued, however, that these Greek terms do not comprise hard and fast boundaries between these forms of love.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Jesus' sexuality
• The Bible and homosexuality

The subject of Jesuss sexuality is much debated. ... A mediæval copy of the Bible. ...

Notes