Bible Question

Factual Questions
1

In the Gospel of John, references are made to “disciple whom Jesus loved” and “the other disciple whom Jesus loved”. Who exactly are being referred to?

I take the language means that Jesus loved these guys like brothers. But more modern ears probably wonder “the disciple whom Jesus (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) loved”.

2

The Young’s Literal Bible has a more wink, wink, nudge, nudge translation of John 20:2: “[Mary Magdalene] runneth, therefore, and cometh unto Simon Peter, and unto the other disciple whom Jesus was loving, and saith to them, ‘They took away the Lord out of the tomb, and we have not known where they laid him.’”

3

I have always heard that the disciple being mentioned is John the apostle, an interpretation at least partially supported by the following excerpts from The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, at the entry “Beloved Disciple”:

I find it difficult to believe that any homosexual overtones where ever intended. After all, is it not a commonly-held belief among a great many people that Christianity is one of the religions most hostile to homosexuality?

4

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by KneadToKnow *

should be “beloved disciple”

should be “were ever intended”

Sorry.

5

My impression was always that it was John, the son of Zebedee. It was he whom Jesus addressed from the cross, “There is your mother”.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saints/johnapostle.html

6

I have always understood this to be a self-effacing (?)reference to the author of the Gospel.

Having said that, I don’t recall the refererence to “the other disciple” that JC loved - but I would guess that it was his brother James, who along with John and Peter made up the “inner circle” of friends. It was those three that accompanied Jesus while he prayed in the garden of Gethsemene before his crucifixion…

pG

7

That it’s a commonly-held belief doesn’t make it true. :slight_smile: It’s interesting to note that while there are anti-homosexual verses in the OT and in the letters of Paul, there is nothing in the Gospels to indicate that Jesus was concerned in any way with homosexuality, positive or negative. I think I’ll leave it at that-any deeper discussion of that issue probably belongs in GD or the Pit.

8

It’s a trick of wording that makes it sound like a 2nd person when taken out of context.

Oh, and SCSimmons, I agree with you entirely.