In the New Testament, Christian apostle and
evangelist, whose name is given to the second
Gospel. It was probably written AD 65-70, and
used by the authors of the first and third
Gospels. He is the patron saint of Venice,
and his emblem is a winged lion; feast day 25
Apr. His first name was John, and his mother,
Mary, was one of the first Christians in
Jerusalem. He was a cousin of Barnabas, and
accompanied Barnabas and Paul on their first
missionary journey. He was a fellow worker
with Paul in Rome, and later became Peter's
interpreter after Paul's death. According to
tradition he was the founder of the Christian
church in Alexandria, and St Jerome says that
he died and was buried there.