New Testament History

The persecutions of John

John was exiled several times.[1] One time he was exiled to Patmos when Paul was still alive,[2] thus before 29 June 68 AD. When John was preaching in Rome, he was plunged into boiling oil.[3] The Church commemorates this trial on 6 May.[4] John was already old but still vital.[5] He returned to Ephesus, baptised a child of about 2 years old, and proceeded to Patmos, where he had to suffer a lot.[6] John was in exile on Patmos in 89 AD since he was back in Ephesus in 98-99 AD (see below), 9 or 10 years later.[7] When the relevant child was 7 years old (i.e. 5 years after his baptism), a persecution broke out at Ephesus, and the Christians fled to Jerusalem.[8] This persecution occurred at the time Domitian was holding Olympic Games in Ephesus on 24-28 October 89 AD (and when he erected a temple there between 23 September 89 AD and the mid-summer of 90 AD).[9] John was exiled to Patmos in 89 AD, when the Christians of Ephesus had to flee. John had been persecuted in Rome shortly before the baptism and thus 5 years before the year 89 AD, on 6 May 84 AD = Thursday 11 Iyar.

John taught in Ephesus until Trajan’s second year (28 January 99 AD/27 January 100 AD) and then disappeared.[10] The liturgical feast of John is 27 December.[11] John died on Friday 27 December 99 AD = 26 Tevet. It was 63 (= 7 x 9) years after the martyrdom of Stephen on Wednesday 26 December 36 AD.

John wrote his Gospel near Cedar, 3 years before his death,[12] at the end of 96 AD. He had apparently been released from Patmos after Domitian had died in September 96 AD[13] and immediately started writing. He subsequently went to Chaldea, Jerusalem, Rome, and Ephesus.[14] It must have been the year 98 AD by then. John died after all the other Apostles.[15] He was translated with his body to the Mount of the Prophets.[16]