_CHAPTER I_

_A Home in the Blest Land, by the Sacred Sea_

"Blest land of Judæa! Thrice hallowed in song,
Where the holiest of memories pilgrim like throng,
In the shade of thy palms, by the shores of thy sea,
On the hills of the beauty, my heart is with thee."
--_Whittier_.


A Galilean boy, a fisherman, a follower of Jesus, one of the twelve
Apostles, one of the favored three, the beloved one, the Apostle of
love, the Apostle of childhood, the one of all men who gave to mankind
the clearest view of Jesus Christ--such was St John.

For young people he is a fitting study. To aid such is the purpose of
this volume.

Let us first glance at the land where he lived, surrounded by influences
that directed his life, and moulded his character.

Palestine was called by God Himself "The Glory of All Lands." He made it
the home of His people the Jews, who long waited for the promised time
when it should have greater glory by becoming the home of the Messiah,
the Son of God. Before He was born the Jews were conquered by the