John and Stephen

The Apostle John

John is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yohanan. He is the brother of James and the son of Zebedee. Matthew 25:56 and Mark 15:40 suggest their mother was Salome. Salome was Mary’s sister making James and John’s cousin to Jesus. James and John were the first called to follow Jesus according to Matthew 4:21-22 and Mark 1:19-20. John was a fisherman by trade on the Sea of Galilee. Luke 5:10 states James and John were partners with Simon (Peter). John is listed in the first four of the twelve in Matthew 10:2, Mark 3:17, Luke 6:14, and Acts 1:13. He is also seen as the inner three from Mark 5:37, Mark 9:2, and Mark 14:32-33. James and John were known as “sons of thunder” in Mark 3:17. John helped prepare the Passover Meal in Luke 22:8.  Peter and John are together in Acts 1:13, Acts 3:1-11, Acts 4:13-20, and Acts 8:14. There are five letters attributed to him. It was believed he died in Ephesus.[1] 

Stephen

Stephen is a personal name meaning crown. He is the first Christian martyr. (Acts 6:1-7, 10) He died a victor’s death.[2]

Bibliography

Culpepper, R. Alan. “John,” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 910-911. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

Fisher, Fred L. “Stephen,” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1506. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

[1] R. Alan Culpepper, “John,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 910-911.

[2] Fred L. Fisher, “Stephen,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1506.