The sixth-century basilica in Ephesus was built where Church tradition locates the tomb of Jesus’ disciple John. Along with the apostles Peter and James, John had belonged to Jesus’ inmost circle.

The Basilica of St John dates back to the reign of the Emperor Justinian (AD527–565). Built in the shape of a cross, it was covered with six domes. John’s grave was beneath the central dome. 

A century later, people began to build a wall around the church to protect it against potential invaders. Eventually, the Turks converted the basilica into a mosque, before an earthquake damaged it beyond repair.

Church tradition maintains that John was the author of the fourth Gospel. Scholars debate whether he also penned the three New Testament letters of John, and whether he wrote the Book of Revelation while being exiled on the Greek island of Patmos. 

In the Eagle and Child, a pub in Oxford, a group of writers called the Inklings gathered regularly to discuss their works. Members included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien; there they shared and discussed unfinished masterpieces such as The Lord of Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Today visitors can imagine the discussions that inspired these literary classics.

Visit Ephesus and you’ll enter an ancient city with a great literary heritage. There Paul penned 1 Corinthians and possibly other letters, and Jesus’ disciple John wrote his account of Jesus’ life. Ephesus birthed writings whose effects are felt today. 

John ends his gospel by stating its trustworthiness. New Testament scholar Peter Williams concludes that, because the gospels contain a high level of geographical detail that ‘either the Gospel writers themselves or people they interacted with at length were able to describe the locations of Jesus’s activities in detail.’*

Examine the evidence and you’ll find you can read the Gospel of John with confidence that the author of this literary gem was also there with Jesus himself. 

*Williams, Peter J.. Can We Trust the Gospels? (p. 62). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Read on, to find out more about Paul’s teachings on Christian love and service.

• John’s famous prologue John 1.1–18
• First-hand witness for Jesus John 21.20–24