Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

Gospel of John. Since Domitian banished John to the island of Patmos because of his Gospel, John most 

likely wrote his Gospel during Domitian's reign. 

    Saint Jerome relates an ancient story about John the Gospel writer.  Tertullian, more over, relates that he 

was sent to Rome, and that having been plunged into a jar of boiling oil he came out fresher and more active 

than when he went in. 

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 The Church commemorates this event on May 6, under the title  St. John before the 

Latin Gate. 

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 John's miraculous preservation from the boiling oil is the reason that Domitian only banished 

him to an island, rather than putting him to death as many others had been put to death. 

    According to Jerome, John wrote his Gospel at the request of the bishops of Asia (modern day Turkey). 

 John the son of Zebedee and brother of James most recently of all the evangelists wrote a Gospel, at the 

request of the bishops of Asia . 

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 John lived at Ephesus, within the region known as Asia, for many years. 

Eusebius quotes Irenaeus as saying that John lived at Ephesus until the reign of the emperor Trajan.

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 Since 

John lived at Ephesus and wrote the Gospel at the request of the bishops of that area, John most likely wrote 

the Gospel at Ephesus. 

The Four Gospels 

    Matthew's Gospel was written during Gaius' reign. Mark's Gospel was written during Claudius' reign. 

Luke's Gospel was written during Nero's reign. John's Gospel was written during  Domitian's reign. Each 

Gospel was written during a different period of time and during a different political administration. 

    Matthew's Gospel was written in Judea. Mark's Gospel was written in Rome. Luke's Gospel was written in 

Boeotia within Achaia (modern day Greece). John's Gospel was written at Ephesus in Asia (modern day 

Turkey). Each Gospel was written in a different area of the world, in four different locations around the 

Mediterranean. 

    The four living creatures in the Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse) each represent one of the four 

Gospels. Those four creatures are presented in this order: a lion, an ox, the face of a man, a flying eagle. The 

usual interpretation is that Matthew's Gospel is symbolized by the man, Mark's Gospel is symbolized by the 

lion, Luke's Gospel is symbolized by the ox, and John's Gospel is symbolized by the eagle. But I am not 

convinced as to which symbol represents which Gospel. 

The Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse) 

     I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient 

endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.  

(Rev 1:9). 

    John goes on to say that he had a vision while on Patmos and that he was told to write down what he saw in 

the vision (Rev 1:10 11). Clearly the Book of Revelation was written on the island of Patmos. This small island 

is located about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) off the coast of modern day Turkey. According to Saint 

Victorinus, John  was  condemned to the labour of the mines by Caesar Domitian. 

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 Condemned persons 

were sent to this island to work in forced labor camps mining ore. 

    Saint Jerome places John's exile on the island of Patmos during the persecution of Christians under 

Domitian.  In the fourteenth year then after Nero, Domitian having raised a second persecution, he was 

banished to the island of Patmos, and wrote the Apocalypse . 

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 This persecution is called the second 

because it was the second major persecution of Christians approved of, and proceeding from, an emperor of 

Rome. The first such persecution occurred under Nero; the third occurred under Trajan. 

    The phrase  the fourteenth year then after Nero  seems refer to the beginning of the persecution under 

Domitian. Jerome believed that Domitian's reign began in the 14th year after Nero. His calculation goes as 

follows: about one year for the reigns of Galba, Otho, Vitellius put together, plus about ten years for the reign 

of Vespasian (as was generally believed), plus about 2 years for the reign of Titus, equals about 13 years, 

making the first year of Domitian the 14th year after Nero.

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 (Note that, in my revised chronology, the reign 

of Domitian began more than 14 years after the end of Nero's reign.) Apparently, Jerome associated the 

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