John Paterson (1604–1679) was the Bishop of Ross in Scotland.

Paterson graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1624, and was appointed to the church of Foveran, Aberdeenshire, in 1632. He refused to sign the National Covenant of 1639, and fled to England to the king. In July of the following year, however, he recanted in a sermon before the general assembly and was restored to his church at Foveran.

Paterson was a member of the commission of the assembly in 1644, 1645, 1648 and 1649. In 1661 he was named a commissioner for the visitation of the university of Aberdeen. In 1649 he had left Foveran to become minister of Ellon in Aberdeenshire. He was among the benefactors contributing to the erection of a new building at King's College, Aberdeen, in 1658.^[1]

In 1659 Paterson was translated to the ministry of Aberdeen (the third charge). In 1662 he was appointed the Bishop of Ross, being consecrated on 7 May 1662 at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh. He was opposed to the preaching of the Covenanting Presbyterian John M'Gilligen.^[2] He died in January 1679.

Paterson was married to Elizabeth Ramsay, by whom he had six sons and a daughter. His children were John Paterson (Archbishop of Glasgow), George Paterson of Seafield (commissary); Sir William Paterson of Granton (barrister and clerk to the privy council); Thomas Paterson; Robert Paterson (principal of Marischal College, Aberdeen); James Paterson; and a daughter, Isabella, who married Kenneth Mackenzie of Suddie.^[3]