Term used only in John’s Gospel to refer to a disciple for whom Jesus had deep feelings. He has been variously identified as Lazarus, an anonymous source or author of the Gospel, an idealized disciple, or John’s reference to himself without using his own name. Church tradition and interpretation of biblical evidence appear to point to John. Modestly he declined to put his name on his literary works. For this reason the one-time “son of thunder” referred to himself as the other disciple whom