Apostle John (St. John the Evangelist, circa 6 — 104) — author of one of the Gospels of Jesus Christ and Revelation. John was the son of Zebedee and Solomiah, daughter of the holy betrothed Joseph.
He was called by Jesus Christ among His disciples on Lake Genisaret: leaving his father Zebedee in the boat, he, along with his brother Jacob, followed Christ. The Apostle John was especially loved by the Lord for his complete wickedness and virgin purity.
After his calling, Saint John did not part with the Savior and was one of the three disciples whom the Lord brought especially close to Himself. On the Cross, Jesus instructed John to take care of the Virgin Mary.
In the Revelation of John the Theologian (Rev. 4:6-8) it is written about four animals that are at the throne of God in heaven and constantly praise the Lord. These animals look like a lion, a bull, an eagle, and the fourth has a face like a human. In accordance with this, each of the four Evangelists received in the Christian tradition their own symbol, which is often depicted in paintings. The symbol of the Evangelist John is the eagle.
The day of this Evangelist, as well as the other three authors of the Gospels, is celebrated in Orthodox and Lutheran, as well as in some Protestant Churches.