3 John
The Third Epistle of John, usually referred to simply as Third
John and often written 3 John, is a book of the New Testament
attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be
the author of the Gospel of John and the other two epistles of
John. This Epistle is the shortest book in the Bible.
Indications within the letter suggest a genuine private
letter, composed to Gaius to commend a party of Christians led
by Demetrius, who were strangers to the place where he lived,
and who had gone on a mission to preach the gospel (verse 7).
The purpose of the letter is to encourage and strengthen
Gaius, and to warn him against the party headed by Diotrephes,
who refuses to cooperate with the presbyteros who is
writing...
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LITERATURE Among the 7 New Testament epistles which from
ancient times have been called "catholic" (universal) there
is a smaller group of three in which the style alike of
thought and language points to a common authorship, and
which are traditionally associated with the name of the
apostle John. Of these, again, the first differs widely from
the other two in respect not only of intrinsic importance,
but of its early reception in the church and unquestioned
canonicity. THE FIRST EPISTLE I. General Character. 1. A
True Letter: Not only is the Epistle an anonymous writing;
one of its unique features among the books of the New
Testament is that it does not contain a single proper name
(except our Lord's), or a single definite allusion,
personal, historical, or geographical. It is a composition,
however, which a person calling himself "I" sends to certain
other persons whom he calls "you," and is, in form at least,
a letter. The criticism which has denied that it is more
than formally so is unwarranted. It does not fall under
either of Deissmann's categories--the true letter, intended
only for the perusal of the person or persons to whom it is
addressed, and the epistle, written with literary art and
with an eye to the public. But it does possess that
character of the New Testament epistles in general which is
well described by Sir William Ramsay (Letters to the Seven
Churches of Asia, 24): "They spring from the heart of the
writer and speak direct to the heart of the readers. They
were often called forth by some special crisis in the
history of the persons addressed, so that they rise out of
the actual situation in which the writer conceives the
readers to be placed; they express the writer's keen and
living sympathy with and participation in the fortunes of
the whole class addressed, and are not affected by any
thought of a wider public. .... On the other hand, the
letters of this class express general principles of life and
conduct, religion and ethics, applicable to a wider range of
circumstances than those which called them forth; and they
appeal as emphatically and intimately to all Christians in
all time as they did to those addressed in the first
instance." The 1st Epistle of John could not be more exactly
characterized than by these words. Though its main features
are didactic and controversial, the personal note is
frequently struck, and with much tenderness and depth of
feeling. Under special stress of emotion, the writer's
paternal love, sympathy and solicitude break out in the
affectionate appellation, "little children," or, yet more
endearingly, "my little children." Elsewhere the prefatory
"beloved" shows how deeply he is stirred by the sublimity of
his theme and the sense of its supreme importance to his
readers. He shows himself intimately acquainted with their
religious environment (1 Jn 2:19; 4:1), dangers (1 Jn 2:26;
3:7; 5:21), attainments (1 Jn 2:12-14,21), achievements (1
Jn 4:4) and needs (1 Jn 3:19; 5:13). Further, the Epistle is
addressed primarily to the circle of those among whom the
author has habitually exercised his ministry as evangelist
and teacher. He has been wont to announce to them the things
concerning the Word of Life (1 Jn 1:1,2), that they might
have fellowship with him (1 Jn 1:3), and now, that his (or
their) joy may be full, he writes these things unto them (1
Jn 1:4). He writes as light shines. Love makes the task a
necessity, but also a delight...
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IV. Canonicity and Authorship. 1. Traditional View: As to
the reception of the Epistle in the church, it is needless
to cite any later witness than Eusebius (circa 325), who
classes it among the books (homologoumena) whose canonical
rank was undisputed. It is quoted by Dionysius, bishop of
Alexandria (247-265), by the Muratorian Canon, Cyprian,
Origen, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Irenaeus.
Papias (who is described by Irenaeus as a "hearer of John
and a companion of Polycarp") is stated by Eusebius to have
"used some testimonies from John's former epistle"; and
Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians (circa 115) contains
an almost verbal reproduction of 1 Jn 4:3. Reminiscences of
it are traced in Athenagoras (circa 180), the Epistle to
Diognetus, the Epistle of Barnabas, more distinctly in
Justin (Dial. 123) and in the Didache; but it is possible
that the earliest of these indicate the currency of
Johannine expressions in certain Christian circles rather
than acquaintance with the Epistle itself. The evidence,
however, is indisputable that this Epistle, one of the
latest of the New Testament books, took immediately and
permanently an unchallenged position as a writing of
inspired authority. It is no material qualification of this
statement to add that, in common with the other Johannine
writings, it was rejected, for dogmatic reasons, by Marcion
and the so-called Alogi; and that, like all the catholic
epistles, it was unknown to the Canon of the ancient Syrian
church, and is stated to have been "abrogated" by Theodore
(Bishop of Mopsuestia, 393-428 AD). 2. Critical Views: The
verdict of tradition is equally unanimous that the Fourth
Gospel and the First Epistle are both the legacy of the
apostle John in his old age to the church. All the Fathers
already mentioned as quoting the Epistle (excepting
Polycarp, but including Irenaeus) quote it as the work of
John; and, until the end of the 16th century, this opinion
was held as unquestionable. The first of modern scholars to
challenge it was Joseph Scaliger (1540-1609), who rejected
the entire trio of Johannine Epistles as unapostolic; and in
later times a dual authorship of the Gospel and the First
Epistle has been maintained by Baur, H.J. Holtzmann,
Pfleiderer, von Soden, and others; although on this
particular point other adherents of the critical school like
Julicher, Wrede and Wernle, accept the traditional view. 3.
Internal Evidence: Thus two questions are raised: first,
what light does the Epistle shed upon the personality of its
own author? And second, whether or not, the Gospel and the
Epistle are from the same hand. Now, while the Epistle
furnishes no clue by which we can identify the writer, it
enables us very distinctly to class him. His relation to his
readers, as we have seen, is intimate. The absence of
explicit reference to either writer or readers only shows
how intimate it was. For the writer to declare his identity
was superfluous. Thought, language, tone--all were too
familiar to be mistaken. The Epistle bore its author's
signature in every line. His position toward his readers
was, moreover, authoritative. As has already been said, the
natural interpretation of 1 Jn 1:2,3 is that the relation
between them was that of teacher and taught. (By this fact
we may account for the enigmatic brevity of such a passage
as that on the "three witnesses." The writer intended
only...
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The third epistle is addressed to Caius or Gaius. He was
probably a convert of St. John, Epist. 3Jo 1:4 and a layman of
wealth and distinction, Epits. 3Jo 1:5 in some city near
Ephesus. The object of St. John in writing the second epistle
was to warn the lady to whom he wrote against abetting the
teaching known as that of Basilides and his followers, by
perhaps an undue kindness displayed by her toward the
preachers of the false doctrine. The third epistle was written
for the purpose of commending to the kindness and hospitality
of Caius some Christians who were strangers in the place where
he lived. It is probably that these Christians carried this
letter with them to Caius as their introduction.
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is addressed to Caius, or Gaius, but whether to the Christian
of
that name in Macedonia (Acts 19: 29) or in Corinth
(Rom. 16:23)
or in Derbe (Acts 20:4) is uncertain. It was written
for the
purpose of commending to Gaius some Christians who
were
strangers in the place where he lived, and who had
gone thither
for the purpose of preaching the gospel (ver. 7).
The Second and Third Epistles were probably written
soon after
the First, and from Ephesus.
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