To this period of his life, are referred those stories of his miracles
and actions, with which the ancient fictitious apostolic narratives are
so crowded,――John being the subject of more ancient traditions than any
other apostle. Some of those are so respectable and reasonable in their
character, as to deserve a place here, although none of them are of
such antiquity as to deserve any confidence, on points where fiction
has often been so busy. The first which follows, is altogether the most
ancient of all apostolic stories, which are not in the New Testament;
and even if it is a work of fiction, it has such merits as a mere tale,
that it would be injustice to the readers of this book, not to give
them the whole story, from the most ancient and best authorized record.
It is related that John, after returning from banishment, was often
called to the neighboring churches to organize them, or to heal
divisions, and to ordain elders. On one occasion, after ordaining a
bishop, he committed to his particular care and instruction a fine
young man, whom he saw in the congregation, charging the bishop, before
the whole church, to be faithful to him. The bishop accordingly took
the young man into his house, watched over him, and instructed him,
and at length baptized him. After this, viewing the young man as a
confirmed Christian, the bishop relaxed his watchfulness, and allowed
the youth greater liberties. He soon got into bad company, in which
his talents made him conspicuous, and proceeding from one step to
another, he finally became the leader of a band of robbers. In this
state of things, John came to visit the church, and presently called
upon the bishop to bring forward his charge. The bishop replied that
he was dead,――dead to God;――and was now in the mountains, a captain
of banditti. John ordered a horse to be brought immediately to the
church door, and a guide to attend him; and mounting, he rode full
speed in search of the gang. He soon fell in with some of them, who
seized him, to be carried to their head quarters. John told them that
this was just what he wanted, for he came on purpose to see their
captain. As they drew near, the captain stood ready to receive them;
but on seeing John, he drew back, and began to make off. John pursued
with all the speed his aged limbs would permit, crying out, “My son,
why do you run from your own father, who is unarmed and aged? Pity
me, my son, and do not fear. There is yet hope of your life. I will
intercede for you; and, if necessary, will cheerfully suffer death
for you, as the Lord did for us. Stop,――believe what I say; Christ
hath sent me.” The young man stopped, looked on the ground, and then
throwing down his arms, came trembling, and with sobs and tears, begged
for pardon. The apostle assured him of the forgiveness of Christ; and
conducting him back to the church, there fasted and prayed with him,
and at length procured his absolution.
Another story, far less probable, is related in the ancient
martyrologies, and by the counterfeit Abdias. Craton, a philosopher, to
make a display of contempt for riches, had persuaded two wealthy young
men, his followers, to invest all their property in two very costly
pearls; and then, in the presence of a multitude, to break them, and
pound them to dust. John happening to pass by, at the close of the
transaction, censured this destruction of property, which might better
have been given in alms to the poor. Craton told him, if he thought so,
he might miraculously restore the dust to solid pearls again, and have
them for charitable purposes. The apostle gathered up the particles,
and holding them in his hand, prayed fervently, that they might become
solid pearls, and when the people said “Amen,” it took place. By this
miracle, Craton, and all his followers, were converted to Christianity;
and the two young men took back the pearls, sold them, and then
distributed the avails in charity. Influenced by this example, two
other young men of distinction, Atticus and Eugenius, sold their
estates, and distributed the avails among the poor. For a time, they
followed the apostle, and possessed the power of working miracles. But,
one day, being at Pergamus, and seeing some well-dressed young men,
glittering in their costly array, they began to regret that they had
sold all their property, and deprived themselves of the means of making
a figure in the world. John read in their countenances and behavior
the state of their minds; and after drawing from them an avowal of
their regret, he bid them bring him each a bundle of straight rods,
and a parcel of smooth stones from the sea shore. They did so,――and
the apostle, after converting the rods into gold, and the stones into
pearls, bid them take them, and sell them, and redeem their alienated
estates, if they chose. At the same time, he plainly warned them,
that the consequence would be the eternal loss of their souls. While
he continued his long and pungent discourse, a funeral procession
came along. John now prayed, and raised the dead man to life. The
resuscitated person began to describe the invisible world, and so
graphically painted to Atticus and Eugenius the greatness of their
loss, that they were melted into contrition. The apostle ordered them
to do penance thirty days,――till the golden rods should become wood,
and the pearls become stones. They did so, and were afterwards very
distinguished saints.
Another story, of about equal merit, is told by the same authority.
While John continued his successful ministry at Ephesus, the idolaters
there, in a tumult, dragged him to the temple of Diana, and insisted on
his sacrificing to the idol. He warned all to come out of the temple,
and then, by prayer, caused it to fall to the ground, and become a heap
of ruins. Then, addressing the pagans on the spot, he converted twelve
thousand of them in one day. But Aristodemus, the pagan high priest,
could not be convinced, till John had drunken poison without harm,
by which two malefactors were killed instantly, and also raised the
malefactors to life. This resuscitation he rendered the more convincing
to Aristodemus, by making him the instrument of it. The apostle pulled
off his tunic, and gave it to Aristodemus. “And what is this for?” said
the high priest. “To cure you of your infidelity,” was the reply. “But
how is your tunic to cure me of infidelity?” “Go,” said the apostle,
“and spread it upon the dead bodies, and say: ‘The apostle of our Lord
Jesus Christ hath sent me to resuscitate you, in his name, that all may
know, that life and death are the servants of Jesus Christ, my Lord.’”
By this miracle the high priest was fully convinced; and afterwards
convinced the proconsul. Both of them were baptized,――and persecution,
from that time, ceased. They also built the church dedicated to St.
John, at Ephesus.
For this series of fables I am indebted again to the kindness
of Dr. Murdock, in whose manuscript lectures they are so well
translated from the original romances, as to make it unnecessary
for me to repeat the labor of making a new version from the
Latin. The sight of the results of abler efforts directly before
me, offers a temptation to exonerate myself from a tedious and
unsatisfactory effort, which is too great to be resisted, while
researches into historical _truth_ have a much more urgent claim
for time and exertion.
The only one of all these fables that occurs in the writings of
the Fathers, is the first, which may be pronounced a tolerably
respectable and ancient story. It is narrated by Clemens
Alexandrinus, (about A. D. 200.) The story is copied from
Clemens Alexandrinus by Eusebius, from whom we receive it,
the original work of Clemens being now lost. Chrysostom also
gives an abridgement of the tale. (I. Paraenes ad Theodosius)
Anastasius Sinaita, Simeon Metaphrastes, Nicephorus Callistus,
the Pseudo-Abdias, and the whole herd of monkish liars, give
the story almost verbatim from Clemens; for it is so full in
his account as to need no embellishment to make it a good story.
Indeed its completeness in all these interesting details, is
one of the most suspicious circumstances about it; in short,
it is almost too good a story to be true. Those who wish to
see all the evidence for and against its authenticity, may find
it thoroughly examined in Lampe’s Prolegomena to a Johannine
Theology (I. v. 4‒10.) It is, on the whole, the best authorized
of all the stories about the apostles, which are given by
the Fathers, and may reasonably be considered to have been
true in the essential parts, though the minute details of the
conversations, &c., are probably embellishments worked in by
Clemens Alexandrinus, or his informants.
The rest of these stories are, most unquestionably, all
unmitigated falsehoods; nor does any body pretend to find the
slightest authority for a solitary particular of them. They
are found no where but in the novels of the Pseudo-Abdias, and
the martyrologies. (Abdiae Babyloniae episcopi et Apostolorum
discipuli de Historia, lib. V., St. John.)