Someone please bring a sledgehammer for the cement of JS logic crammed in the4re!! No. more of this tupidity!! You obviously can only see what JS thi8nks and are unable to think for yourself so --no more. This is just going around and around the same thi9ngs that have been said over and over and over. The LDS hammster wheel.
John is dead and buruied and you can not produce him--we,on the other hand have about 3 tombs.
Little is known about the Basilica of St. John, with its only source being from a small description
[3] provided by
Procopius in one of his works,
Buildings, whereupon he writes:
There chanced to be a certain place before the city of
Ephesus, lying on a steep slope hilly and bare of soil and incapable of producing crops, even should one attempt to cultivate them, but altogether hard and rough. On that site the natives had set up a church in early times to the Apostle John; this Apostle has been named “the Theologian,” because the nature of God was described by him in a manner beyond the unaided power of man. This church, which was small and in a ruined condition because of its great age, the Emperor Justinian tore down to the ground and replaced by a church so large and beautiful, that, to speak briefly, it resembles very closely in all respects, and is a rival to, the shrine which is dedicated to all the
Apostles in the imperial city...
[4]
Construction of the church began by 548 and was completed by 565.
[3] The building of this church was presided over by the bishop,
Hypatius of Ephesus. As the leading ecclesiastical theoretician and writer of his day, it was possible that he gained the influence of Justinian and had the tomb of St. John reconstructed, as major construction in the Asia Minor was rare.
[5] After its completion, it was regarded as one of the holiest churches of its time and was held in great honor as Procopius makes mention of this in his
Secret History:
...to the sanctuary of the Apostle John, which was the most holy one there and held in very high honour...
[6]
Despite its popularity after the 9th century it was no longer mentioned, possibly due to a new church built in honor of St. John,
Church of John the Theologian.
[7]
he interior of the vault within the church was covered in mosaic while the walls and pillars were covered in marble plates and decorated in different colors. The floors were also covered in mosaics. Numerous parts of the Basilica were of different arrangement which gave the impression of a large quantity of beautiful enormous oriental carpets
[8] covering the entire church “in a fairy-like manner”.
[8] Directly beneath the altar laid a crypt with several rooms and of those, the tomb of St. John itself.
[13] On the altar itself, the inscription of the 14th verse of the 132nd Psalm can be read where St. John states:
This is my resting place forever, here will I dwell.
[8]
The church inside would have also been covered in frescoes. The Ephesus bishop, Hypatius, was known for his advocation in the use of images
[5] in the church. After the completion of the St. John's church, the interior was covered by images, representations of saints and scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
[5] Paintings would have included those of Christ raising Lazarus from the dead and Christ crowning Justinian and Theodora. Aside from these, other possible epigrams would have appeared inside the church one of which would have been the first book of the Greek Anthology and also paintings that reflect the origins of the church as an imperial commission.
[5]
It is believed that the Apostle John traveled from Jerusalem to the city of Ephesus where he remained for the rest of his life. It was during his time there that Emperor Domitian exiled him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote Revelation (the Apocalypse). When Nerva became emperor John was pardoned and returned to Ephesus, where he lived the remainder of his days.
Legends and miracles[edit]
During his time and until his death in Ephesus, St John preached about
Christianity. According to
legend, before he died, Christ, along with all the other
apostles, visited St John and said to him:
Come, my beloved one, and join me and all other brethren of thine at my table; the time has finally come to do so,...the Sunday next, thou wilt come to stay henceforth with me.
[14]
As the story unfolds, the following Sunday, St. John continued with his preaching of Christianity before finally informing his disciples of his time. Then he entered the cave of his church whereupon an intense light shone, preventing his disciples from entering farther. When the light dissipated, so did St. John.
[8] His legend was furthered when the opening of his tomb during
Constantine’s reign yielded no body or
relics.
[8] Another fact that continues to advance the legend of St. John's assumption into Heaven is the fact that while all the other Saints' body or relic has been claimed by at least one or more city/church, St. John (along with Mary, the Mother of Jesus) is the only Saint whose body is not claimed by anyone or anywhere.
[8]
It was also said that St. John was not dead in, but sleeping beneath his tomb.
[15] And each time he breathed, he would cause the dust around his altar to stir, which in turn, made them holy. Because of this, the dust, called manna, was said to be able to cure the sick.
[15]
At least these people were smart enough to say he was taken to heaven. No one but JS has ben dumb enough to say he just didn't die and is still roaming the earth. So if he is still around----by all means, point him out. I have a few questions for him. The first being---what has he been doing for 2500 years?? Only an LDS god would do such a thing to His beloved John.