Who was the Beloved Disciple?

The Gospel of John features a mysterious “disciple whom Jesus loved.” He appears explicitly only in the second half of the Gospel, where he witnesses Jesus’ last supper, his crucifixion and his resurrection. Traditionally, he has been identified with John, son of Zebedee, and identified as the author of the Gospel, but the character is in fact as anonymous as he is enigmatic. Could he be Nathanael? Or Lazarus? Or Thomas? Or is he connected in some way with a different John known as “the Elder”? This talk will explore the story of the beloved disciple and how he functions in John’s Gospel, asking how he is related to the author of the Gospel and wondering whether there could indeed be a solution to this perplexing mystery.