by Daniel E. Schmelzer (Author)
"St. John the Apostle" is a book of Biblical historical fiction. John lived longer than any of the other 12 disciples and dies in Ephesus at the end of the first century. He lived to experience not only the ministry of Jesus but also the expansion of the Kingdom to Antioch, Asia Minor and beyond. He endured the persecution of the Jews in the Sanhedrin as well as Roman persecution under Emperors Nero and later Domitian. Some scholars believe John spent the last 40 years of his life in Ephesus along with Jesus' mother Mary.
John grew up in Bethsaida, the son of Salome and Zebedee, brother of James and cousin to Jesus. He was the youngest of the 12 disciples and refers to himself in his Gospel as the "one Jesus loved." Jesus refers to John and James as the "sons of thunder" for their response to a Samaritan town's rejection of Jesus. This book recounts the life of John during the turbulent times of the first century and the growth of the church.