3. Whom Did Jesus Love Most? Beloved Disciples In John And Other Gospels

Abstract

While the text of the Gospel of John certainly raises a number of questions about the figure of the Beloved Disciple - the disciple whom Jesus loved - in the gospel narrative, the traditional understanding has been that the Beloved Disciple may be none other than John son of Zebedee, taken to be the author of the Gospel of John. This chapter surveys the figures who are singled out in early Christian literature - much of which may be dated to the first two centuries CE or may contain traditions deriving from the first centuries - as those favored beyond others among the disciples of Jesus. Beyond the Gospel of John and the other New Testament texts, the figure of Mary Magdalene occupies a significant place as a disciple and follower of Jesus, and she is designated as a disciple whom Jesus loved more than the other women or the other disciples in a number of texts. Keywords: Beloved Disciple; Gospel of John; Jesus; Judas Thomas; Mary Magdalene; Secret Gospel of Mark