Beloved Disciple

proper noun

A figure in the Gospel of John whose identity is left implicit within the text; traditionally, John the Evangelist himself.

OriginEcclesiastical Latin discipulus dīlēctus →
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Meanings

proper nounthe Beloved Disciple
  1. biblicalA figure in the Gospel of John whose identity is left implicit within the text; traditionally, John the Evangelist himself.

    And the beloved Disciple fell down as dead at the appearance of Christ in his Glory.

    1674, William Bates, The Harmony of the Divine Attributes […], page 90
    2 more examples

    The idea of the almost immediate return of Christ to judgment still so far retains its force that the Beloved Disciple is represented as probably living to see it […]

    1872, Thomas Scott, The English Life of Jesus, page 328

    The question of the identification of the Beloved Disciple and that of the discovery of the author of the Gospel are not necessarily identical, for it is quite possible to argue, as we found Schmiedel doing just now, that the two were separate and distinct persons.

    1949, Harold Holloway, The Twilight of the Critics: Being Studies and Reflections on the Fourth Gospel, page 76

Origin

  1. Ecclesiastical Latindiscipulus dīlēctus
  2. EnglishBeloved Disciple

Calque of Ecclesiastical Latin discipulus dīlēctus, applied as an epithet of John the Evangelist. The term is a summary of the expressions found in the Gospel itself, such as ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς (ho mathētḕs hòn ēgápa ho Iēsoûs, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”).

More words from Ecclesiastical Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French disciple bien-aimé
  • disciple bien-aimébiblical figure
German Lieblingsjünger
  • Lieblingsjüngerbiblical figure
Hungarian szeretett tanítvány
  • szeretett tanítványbiblical figure
Portuguese Discípulo amado
  • Discípulo amadobiblical figure
Cite this entry
APA

Beloved Disciple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Beloved%20Disciple

MLA

“Beloved Disciple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Beloved%20Disciple. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Beloved Disciple,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Beloved%20Disciple.

Source: Beloved Disciple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.