- thority, that he survived to the beginning of the reign of Trajan.
This noblest of the successors of Julius, began his splendid reign in A. D. 98, according to the most approved chronology; so that if John did not outlive even the first year of Trajan, his death is brought very near the close of the first century; and from what has been reasonably conjectured about his age, compared with that of his Lord, it may be supposed that he attained upwards of eighty years,—a supposition which agrees well enough with the statement of some of the Fathers, that he died worn out with old age.
Jerome has a great deal to say also, about the age of John at the time when he was
called, arguing that he must have been a mere boy at the time, because tradition asserts
that he lived till the reign of Trajan. Lampe very justly objects, however, that
this proof amounts to nothing, if we accept another common tradition, that he lived
to the age of 100 years; which, if we count back a century from the reign of Trajan,
would require him to have attained mature age at the time of the call. Neither tradition
however, is worth much. Our old friend Baronius, too, comes in to enlighten
the investigation of John's age, by what he considers indubitable evidence. He says
that John was in his twenty-second year when he was called, and passing three years
with Christ, must have been twenty-five years old at the time of the crucifixion; "because,"
says the sagacious Baronius, "he was then initiated into the priesthood." An
assertion which Lampe with indignant surprise stigmatizes as showing "remarkable
boldness," (insignis audacia,) because it contains two very gross errors,—first in pretending
that John was ever made a priest, (sacerdos,) and secondly in confounding
the age required of the Levites with that of the priests when initiated. For Baronius's
argument resting wholly on the very strange and unfounded notion, that John
was made a priest, is furthermore supported on the idea that the prescribed age for
entering the priesthood was twenty-five years; but in reality, the age thus required
was thirty years, so that if the other part of this idle story was true, this would be
enough to overthrow the conclusion. Lampe also alludes to the absurd idea of the
painters, in representing John as a young man, even while writing his gospel; while
in reality all writers agree that that work was written by him in his old age. This
idea of his perpetual youth, once led into a blunder some foolish Benedictine monks,
who found in Constantinople an antique agate intaglio, representing a young man
with a cornucopia, and an eagle, and with a figure of victory placing a crown on his
head. This struck their monkish fancies at once, as an unquestionable portrait of
John, sent to their hands by a miraculous preservation. Examination however, has
shown it to be a representation of the apotheosis of Germanicus.
But even here, the monkish inventors have found room for new
fables; and though the great weight of all ancient testimony deprives
them of the opportunity to enter into the horrible details
of a bloody and agonizing death, they can not refuse themselves
the pleasure of some tedious absurdities, about the manner of his
death and burial, which are barely worth a partial sketch, to show
how determined the apostolic novelists are to follow their heroes
to the very last, with the glories of a fancifully miraculous departure.
The circumstances of his death are described in the martyrologies, and by Abdias, in this manner. He had a vision acquainting him with his approaching exit, five days before it happened.
