27 December - John is the son of Zebedee, as mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. He worked as a fisherman on Lake Tiberias, a former disciple of John the Baptist and later a disciple of Jesus, his beloved Master.

In the Synoptic Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles, he is always mentioned among the first four names when it comes to listing the names of the twelve apostles. In the Gospel bearing his name, John is called "the other disciple" or "the beloved disciple of Jesus".

John is considered to be one of Jesus' most beloved disciples, and he was constantly present at every important event in Jesus' life. For example during the miraculous fishing, he himself being a fisherman; likewise during the multiplication of the loaves and fishes; he was also present at the transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, this time with Peter and Jacob. When Jesus was dying in the garden of Gethsemane, he was present; when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus and healed Peter's mother-in-law, John was present.

John played a special role during the Last Supper and throughout the passion of the Lord. It was to him that Peter entrusted Peter with the mission of asking Jesus to reveal the name of the one who was going to betray him, as indicated in the Gospel of St. John 13, 23-25: "The disciple therefore bent down over Jesus' breast and said to him, 'Lord, who is this? He is the only disciple who never left Jesus until the crucifixion, he remained until the end, at the foot of the cross. After the Ascension, it is said that John lived in Ephesus, and he helped Peter to lead and organise the Church. He was then exiled to Patmos, where he wrote the book of Revelation. He died, very old, in Ephesus between the years 98 and 117, during the reign of Emperor Trajan. In addition to the Fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelation, John also wrote three canonical epistles. It should be noted that he was the patron saint of writers, theologians, artists, booksellers and typographers.