The Bible is very interesting book that reveals as well as conceals. Any out-of-place or awkward passage in the bible always tend to reveal a bigger story when studied closely with an open mind.

Several times in the gospels there are mentions of "The disciple whom Jesus loved".

Uncharacteristically of the bible, this disciple is never named and has remained a mystery.

For the bible, or should I say, the gospel writer, to go out of his way to reiterate and emphasize that there was a disciple whom Jesus loved, we have to accept that indeed there was something special about that love that must have been far different from the general love Jesus had for the rest of his disciples, his parents, his brothers, and the rest of humanity for whom he was said to have died for in order to save.

For Jesus, assumed to be god in flesh,to single out one disciple, one individual, to bestow a special kind of love is quite intriguing. Don't you agree?
So who was this disciple, was it a male or female disciple?
So what kind of love was this, was it romantic love,platonic love, or just a special fondness?

And most importantly, why does the bible not mention the name of this special disciple?

Is it remotely possible that the compilers of the gospel canons deliberately deleted the identity of this special disciple?

Thank God,if not a certain church I know would probably have exalted the person to the office of mediator and intercessor(afterall he is the one Christ Loved most)

I guess this disciple is John and that is why he is referred to as John "the beloved". I also think he is the one one who leaned on Jesus during the last supper.This is just a guess.But be it John or not, the only one who deserves our worship is God and we can only do this via His Son Jesus Christ.We should not in any way turn any man/woman into an idol irrespective of how godly they were in the Scriptures.

destinedtee: I guess this disciple is John and that is why he is referred to as John "the beloved". I also think he is the one one who leaned on Jesus during the last supper.This is just a guess.But be it John or not, the only one who deserves our worship is God and we can only do this via His Son Jesus Christ.We should not in any way turn any man/woman into an idol irrespective of how godly they were in the Scriptures.

I think its John too. I remember that Italian artist put him very close to Jesus on that 'last supper' art.

plaetton: The Bible is very interesting book that reveals as well as conceals. Any out-of-place or awkward passage in the bible always tend to reveal a bigger story when studied closely with an open mind.

Several times in the gospels there are mentions of "The disciple whom Jesus loved".

Uncharacteristically of the bible, this disciple is never named and has remained a mystery.

For the bible, or should I say, the gospel writer, to go out of his way to reiterate and emphasize that there was a disciple whom Jesus loved, we have to accept that indeed there was something special about that love that must have been far different from the general love Jesus had for the rest of his disciples, his parents, his brothers, and the rest of humanity for whom he was said to have died for in order to save.

For Jesus, assumed to be god in flesh,to single out one disciple, one individual, to bestow a special kind of love is quite intriguing. Don't you agree?
So who was this disciple, was it a male or female disciple?
So what kind of love was this, was it romantic love,platonic love, or just a special fondness?

And most importantly, why does the bible not mention the name of this special disciple?

Is it remotely possible that the compilers of the gospel canons deliberately deleted the identity of this special disciple?

Actually it was Mary Magdalene.

take a close look at the last super image, the 6th person 'counting from left' was a female.

in my research on the most loved disciple of jesus in 2010, i found this painting of a pregnant disciple from a website discussing about paintings in the Monastery of Sainte Marie de Oia Pontevedra. more paintings are there:-

Source: http://www.perillos.com/gimenez.html

destinedtee: I guess this disciple is John and that is why he is referred to as John "the beloved". I also think he is the one one who leaned on Jesus during the last supper.This is just a guess.But be it John or not, the only one who deserves our worship is God and we can only do this via His Son Jesus Christ.We should not in any way turn any man/woman into an idol irrespective of how godly they were in the Scriptures.

since you like guessing,guess which of the gospels refer to john as "the beloved".you guessed right:the gospel according to john.infact thats the only part of the bible that talks about one disciple that jesus loved above others.john simply wanted to outshine others.

the painting of the last supper is an invention of da vinci.

Delafruita:
since you like guessing,guess which of the gospels refer to john as "the beloved".you guessed right:the gospel according to john.infact thats the only part of the bible that talks about one disciple that jesus loved above others.john simply wanted to outshine others.

the painting of the last supper is an invention of da vinci.

Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' close companions. Jesus also cared especially for her by, for instance in one occasion, driving out 7 demons from her Luke 8:2.
Anyway, according to widely accepted early Christians' doctrines, Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene. He apparently had strong feelings toward her.
"Interest in Mary Magdalene grew following the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Gospels in 1945. The Gospel of Philip explicitly said Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene in the mouth, making the disciples jealous of her. Other gospels in the Nag Hammadi texts also spoke of the intimate relationship between her and Jesus, even referring to her as his "beloved." her importance was shown by her presence in major events of Jesus' life. She anointed his feet with a costly perfume, an act the disciples tried to stop but which Jesus allowed. Luke chapter 8, tells us that Mary was one of Jesus' followers and traveled with him.
Have you heard about the:
the gospel of philip
the gospel of mary magdaline
the gospel of thomas
the acts of peter, etc
None of these gospels was included in the Bible because the content didn't conform to Christian doctrine, and they're referred to as apocryphal. One of the documents discovered at Nag Hammadi in southern egypt is the Gospel of Philip, in which Mary Magdalene is a key figure. It has been the cause of one of the most controversial claims ever made about her.

@991 It is better to keep your arguments strictly based on the apocryphal scripts, at least they have some semblance of historical/scriptural reference(whether true or false), but to use the paintings of Da Vinci(based solely on his imaginations) as authoritative reference only serves to belittle any logic or sense you try to make.

Delafruita:
since you like guessing,guess which of the gospels refer to john as "the beloved".you guessed right:the gospel according to john.infact thats the only part of the bible that talks about one disciple that jesus loved above others.john simply wanted to outshine others.

the painting of the last supper is an invention of da vinci.

Thanks my bro...More grace upon u.But do u really think John wanted to outshine others?Personally i don't think so sir.

Delafruita:
since you like guessing,guess which of the gospels refer to john as "the beloved".you guessed right:the gospel according to john.infact thats the only part of the bible that talks about one disciple that jesus loved above others.john simply wanted to outshine others.

the painting of the last supper is an invention of da vinci.

There is no evidence that the disciple John ever wrote the gospel of John. The Gospels were written several generations after the facts by unknown scribes.

The real question remains: Why would or should Jesus have had a special love for one of his disciples? Does that not strike one as rather odd ,given that Jesus was thought to be God incarnate, that he would do something as grossly human as to have a special love for one individual among the multitude of humans whom he came to earth to save?.

John was known as the "Beloved Disciple" - John 21:20

k2039: Thank God,if not a certain church I know would probably have exalted the person to the office of mediator and intercessor(afterall he is the one Christ Loved most)

hahaha k2039, i think d church fathers agree on this. The disciple was john. And my friend not only john is considered an intercessor in the catholic church, even peter, paul, andrew...even me, im considered an intercessor. Wow! Gud to hear frm u again

Wow!

991:

Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' close companions. Jesus also cared especially for her by, for instance in one occasion, driving out 7 demons from her Luke 8:2.

what is d point? He cast demons from many people.

Anyway, according to widely accepted early Christians' doctrines, Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene. He apparently had strong feelings toward her.
"Interest in Mary Magdalene grew following the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic Gospels in 1945. The Gospel of Philip explicitly said Jesus kissed Mary Magdalene in the mouth, making the disciples jealous of her. Other gospels in the Nag Hammadi texts also spoke of the intimate relationship between her and Jesus, even referring to her as his "beloved." her importance was shown by her presence in major events of Jesus' life. She anointed his feet with a costly perfume, an act the disciples tried to stop but which Jesus allowed. Luke chapter 8, tells us that Mary was one of Jesus' followers and traveled with him.
Have you heard about the:
the gospel of philip
the gospel of mary magdaline
the gospel of thomas
the acts of peter, etc
None of these gospels was included in the Bible because the content didn't conform to Christian doctrine, and they're referred to as apocryphal. One of the documents discovered at Nag Hammadi in southern egypt is the Gospel of Philip, in which Mary Magdalene is a key figure. It has been the cause of one of the most controversial claims ever made about her.

hahaha! U defeated ur argument the moment u agreed that the text were gnostic, for those wu dont know, gnosticism was a heresy that existed in the early church, the heresy was condemned and the writtings werent by any of d apostles or immediate disciple. That fact and the heretical nature of d said text was more that enough reason why d church fathers excluded those book.

plaetton:

There is no evidence that the disciple John ever wrote the gospel of John. The Gospels were written several generations after the facts by unknown scribes.

The real question remains: Why would or should Jesus have had a special love for one of his disciples? Does that not strike one as rather odd ,given that Jesus was thought to be God incarnate, that he would do something as grossly human as to have a special love for one individual among the multitude of humans whom he came to earth to save?.

i think u are forget that Jesus was also human, there is nting wrong with having likenes 4 someone.

Good Girl: John was known as the "Beloved Disciple" - John 21:20

my dear you just quoted john as saying john was the beloved disciple.did you expect john to say phillip or thomas was the beloved disciple?

plaetton:

There is no evidence that the disciple John ever wrote the gospel of John. The Gospels were written several generations after the facts by unknown scribes.

The real question remains: Why would or should Jesus have had a special love for one of his disciples? Does that not strike one as rather odd ,given that Jesus was thought to be God incarnate, that he would do something as grossly human as to have a special love for one individual among the multitude of humans whom he came to earth to save?.

i believe you know my stand on religion.i was simply educating the folks on the thread who apparently have little knowledge of the bible

plaetton:

There is no evidence that the disciple John ever wrote the gospel of John. The Gospels were written several generations after the facts by unknown scribes.

The real question remains: Why would or should Jesus have had a special love for one of his disciples? Does that not strike one as rather odd ,given that Jesus was thought to be God incarnate, that he would do something as grossly human as to have a special love for one individual among the multitude of humans whom he came to earth to save?.

How is this something new? Right from Genesis we see The Father favouring individuals out of multitudes.

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Joseph, Moses, etc. Lots of individuals have attracted and won The Father's favour so there is nothing special about Jesus having a beloved disciple. What is important is that, that affection didn't hinder anything He did, either before or after He resurrected.

Ubenedictus: hahaha k2039, i think d church fathers agree on this. The disciple was john. And my friend not only john is considered an intercessor in the catholic church, even peter, paul, andrew...even me, im considered an intercessor. Wow! Gud to hear frm u again

LOL,I didnt mention a church o,I wrote 'a certain church'.

Come to think of it the phrase "The disciple whom Jesus loved" only appears in Johns acccount(Epistle of St John).Just wondering why Matthew,Mark and Luke didnt write it in theirs.

Ubenedictus: Wow! what is d point? He cast demons from many people.
hahaha! U defeated ur argument the moment u agreed that the text were gnostic, for those wu dont know, gnosticism was a heresy that existed in the early church, the heresy was condemned and the writtings werent by any of d apostles or immediate disciple. That fact and the heretical nature of d said text was more that enough reason why d church fathers excluded those book.

I always laugh when you guys say something is a heresy. Pls define heresy for us.
Condemned by whom? Another laugh.
And who were the church fathers?
Father Eusebius, for example?
The grandfather of pius fraud?
Or was it Father Iraneus, who wrote that Jesus lived to the ripe old age of 53?
Where these men not mere humans with their own faulty beliefs, prejudices and agendas?

How does the fact that something is disliked and condemned by your so-called church fathers prove that the thing in question was faulty, false or evil?
Is that a case of being both the prosecutor and the judge?

Lord_Reed:

How is this something new? Right from Genesis we see The Father favouring individuals out of multitudes.

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Joseph, Moses, etc. Lots of individuals have attracted and won The Father's favour so there is nothing special about Jesus having a beloved disciple. What is important is that, that affection didn't hinder anything He did, either before or after He resurrected.

I dont care how you rationalise it,if Jesus had 12 disciples and one among them is repeatedly refered to as the disciple whom Jesus loved, then something appears to be wrong with that picture. Which is probably why the name of the disciple is deliberately omitted.

And again, what type of love are we talking about here? Was it the love your neighbor as yourself type of love, or was it the type of love a parent has for his child, or was it romantic or fleshy type of love?

To rationalise that Jesus has the right to love, not like, one out of 12 disciples, would cast jesus as having the same human proclivities as all of us, and therefore, seem unbecoming of god in flesh.

k2039:
LOL,I didnt mention a church o,I wrote 'a certain church'.

Come to think of it the phrase "The disciple whom Jesus loved" only appears in Johns acccount(Epistle of St John).Just wondering why Matthew,Mark and Luke didnt write it in theirs.

u didnt name but u implied. Only d catholic and orthodox church blive in intercession and d last time i checked i could find any orthodox on nairaland. Do u doubt the testimony of John?

plaetton:

I always laugh when you guys say something is a heresy. Pls define heresy for us.
Condemned by whom? Another laugh.
And who were the church fathers?
Father Eusebius, for example?
The grandfather of pius fraud?
Or was it Father Iraneus, who wrote that Jesus lived to the ripe old age of 53?
Where these men not mere humans with their own faulty beliefs, prejudices and agendas?

How does the fact that something is disliked and condemned by your so-called church fathers prove that the thing in question was faulty, false or evil?
Is that a case of being both the prosecutor and the judge?

give me proof where he said jesus died at 53. Gnosticism was condemn both collectively and individually, both council and father. The church d pillar and bulwark of truth judged those topics

plaetton:

I dont care how you rationalise it,if Jesus had 12 disciples and one among them is repeatedly refered to as the disciple whom Jesus loved, then something appears to be wrong with that picture. Which is probably why the name of the disciple is deliberately omitted.

And again, what type of love are we talking about here? Was it the love your neighbor as yourself type of love, or was it the type of love a parent has for his child, or was it romantic or fleshy type of love?

To rationalise that Jesus has the right to love, not like, one out of 12 disciples, would cast jesus as having the same human proclivities as all of us, and therefore, seem unbecoming of god in flesh.

Do you now believe that Jesus is not human or what exactly are you on about?

plaetton:

I dont care how you rationalise it,if Jesus had 12 disciples and one among them is repeatedly refered to as the disciple whom Jesus loved, then something appears to be wrong with that picture. Which is probably why the name of the disciple is deliberately omitted.

And again, what type of love are we talking about here? Was it the love your neighbor as yourself type of love, or was it the type of love a parent has for his child, or was it romantic or fleshy type of love?

To rationalise that Jesus has the right to love, not like, one out of 12 disciples, would cast jesus as having the same human proclivities as all of us, and therefore, seem unbecoming of god in flesh.

it seems ur aim is to disprove scriptures, suite urself.

Ubenedictus: u didnt name but u implied. Only d catholic and orthodox church blive in intercession and d last time i checked i could find any orthodox on nairaland. Do u doubt the testimony of John ?

No,I beleive he was,I was just wondering why the other's didnt write it.

Ubenedictus: give me proof where he said jesus died at 53. Gnosticism was condemn both collectively and individually, both council and father. The church d pillar and bulwark of truth judged those topics

give me the proof that jesus christ existed

@topic.

I believe the disciple Jesus loved was John...that's why the bible referred to him as John the beloved.

As for the sex...I would go with male cos according to the bible, John is a male.

As for the category of love, I believe it was platonic love. Jesus never had sex with anyone in the bible...hence my decision to go with platonic love.

Ubenedictus: it seems ur aim is to disprove scriptures, suite urself.

Disprove of what? The letter of the scriptures is staring you in the face : It did not say" the disciple whom Jesus loved above others", no, it ephatically said "The disciple whom Jesus loved". Did that imply that Jesus did not love the other disciples, or that Jesus had a different kind of love for this particular disciple?

Ubenedictus: give me proof where he said jesus died at 53. Gnosticism was condemn both collectively and individually, both council and father. The church d pillar and bulwark of truth judged those topics

Here is a quote from father Iranaeus:

He says “ ...but from the fortieth and fiftieth year a man begins to decline towards old age, which our Lord possessed while He still fulfilled the office of a Teacher, even as the Gospel and all the elders testify; those who were conversant in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord, [affirming] that John conveyed to them that information. And he remained among them up to the times of Trajan. Some of them, moreover, saw not only John, but the other apostles also, and heard the very same account from them, and bear testimony as to the [validity of] the statement. Whom then should we rather believe? Whether such men as these, or Ptolemæus, who never saw the apostles, and who never even in his dreams attained to the slightest trace of an apostle?”


Gnosticism was condemned collectively and individually? Who were the individuals and who were the collective that had the devine perogative to choose what was truth and what was falsehood?
And by your logic, all the teachings of Jesus should also be condemned as heresy because the Senhadrin , the council of Jewish elders,declared him as such because they did not like what he preached. Do you agree?

That the church is bulwark of truth is laughable.
Which church and which truth?
The roman catholic church and the roman catholic truth?
The orhtodox church and the orthodox truth?
The coptic church and the coptic truth?
The calavnist church and the calvanist truth?
The anglican church and the anglican truth?
The white garment church and the white garment truth?
The Tb Joshua truth and the Tb Joshua truth?
And on and on and on........

Ohhhh Pls.
Spare me the laughter.

CrazyMan: @topic.

I believe the disciple Jesus loved was John...that's why the bible referred to him as John the beloved.

As for the sex...I would go with male cos according to the bible, John is a male.

As for the category of love, I believe it was platonic love. Jesus never had sex with anyone in the bible...hence my decision to go with platonic love.

Thanks for your honest opinion.

plaetton: Thanks for your honest opinion.

You're welcomed.