9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
At the Last Supper, John asks what lies behind the visible world—and where its darkness begins.
The Questions of John, also known as The Secret Supper, presents a private dialogue between the beloved disciple and Jesus. John asks about Satan’s fall, the shaping of humanity, and the end of time. This anonymous religious text places its hidden teaching at the supper table, apart from the crowd.
According to the text, the visible world belongs to Satan’s kingdom, while the Father’s kingdom is light. Its questions recast creation, suffering, and the coming of Christ through that divide. Scholars connect this work outside the Bible with the Bogomils of Bulgaria and the Cathars of France and Italy.
What you’ll discover
- Questions at the table Follow John’s direct questions as a private conversation opens onto the mysteries behind the world.
- The fall of Satan Explore the text’s account of heavenly glory, rebellion, and the origins of darkness.
- Creation read another way Encounter an unusual retelling that attributes the visible world and human bodies to Satan.
- Two kingdoms in conflict Trace the dialogue’s division between the Father’s light and the shadow of the visible world.
- Questions of final judgment Consider how the text approaches the world’s end, divine judgment, and the return of souls to light.
Is it for you?
This is for readers of early Christian writings, of the history of medieval dualist movements, and of how Genesis was retold in unusual ways. It may suit you less if you want a straight narrative or a text from the first centuries.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A private teaching at the Last Supper
- Satan falls from the heavens of the Father
- Satan fashions the visible world and the body
- Two kingdoms of light and shadow
- Christ comes and the old order is read anew
- The end of days and how the text survived
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: USD 0.14 a day, then USD 0.27 a day, never raised. Or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Questions of John in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
The Questions of John
by Attributed to John the Apostle· 1150
John asks Jesus about evil, creation, and the world's end.
Excellent
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A private teaching at the Last Supper
The text opens at the table of the Last Supper. John, called the beloved disciple, rests on the breast of Jesus, as the Gospel of John also describes. In that Gospel he is the one who asks who will betray the Lord. Here the author uses the same scene to give John a larger set of questions.
The form is a simple dialogue. John asks, and the Lord answers at length. The questions are about the beginning and the end of things. John wants to know how the devil fell, how the world came to be, and what will happen to souls. Because the setting is secret, the answers claim a special authority. They are meant for those who count themselves taught by the apostle himself.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about The Questions of John
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 5.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 5.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is the Questions of John about?
It is a dialogue in which John asks Jesus at the Last Supper about the fall of Satan, how the visible world was made, the two kingdoms of light and shadow, and the judgment at the end of time.
Is the Interrogatio Iohannis the same as the Secret Supper?
Yes. Interrogatio Iohannis is the Latin title and Secret Supper is the other name used for it. The names point to the private teaching given at the Last Supper.
Who wrote the Secret Supper and when?
The author is unknown. Scholars link it to the Bogomils of Bulgaria and place the original between the tenth and twelfth centuries. It survives in Latin versions used by the Cathars.
Popular in the lost books
See all
