1, 2, AND 3 JOHN

"THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN"

Who wrote it. — This epistle is quoted by two of the Fathers who had been disciples of the Apostle John, viz. Polycarp and Papias. It is also recognised, and quoted, as John's by Irenaeus, who had been a disciple of Polycarp. It is freely quoted by Clement o{ Alexandria and Tertullian; it is referred to in the Muratorian Fragment, and it is one of the books contained in the old Syriac Version.

Its internal character is such as to confirm us in the belief that it was written by the author of the fourth Gospel. Not only has it many verbal similarities,¹ but it is dominated by the same Christian idealism which refers all things in human life to the ultimate principles of light and darkness, truth and error, good and evil, love and hatred, life and death, God and the devil. So intimate is the connection between the two books that the epistle was regarded by the late Bishop Lightfoot as forming a postscript to the Gospel

To whom written. — In all probability it was addressed in the first instance to the Churches of Asia, among whom the Apostle John spent the latter part of his life. The exhortation in v. 21, "guard yourselves from idols," would have special significance in the neighbourhood of Ephesus, which was a great stronghold of idolatry; and the absence of allusions to the Old Testament bears out the supposition that the epistle was addressed to converts from heathenism Although there are no personal or historical allusions such as would have been likely to occur if it had been a letter addressed to an individual Church, yet the writer speaks in a quiet tone of authority as if he were well known to his readers and expected that his words would command respect.²

Where and when written. — It was probably written in the same city as tradition assigns to the Gospel, viz. Ephesus; and about the same time — 85 A.D., or a few years later. It takes the Gospel for granted, and in certain passages (e.g. ii. 1, etc, "my little children ") the tone of its language is such as would befit an aged apostle addressing men of a later generation.

Its Character and Contents.— In this epistle— probably the last inspired utterance of the New Testament excepting the two brief missives that follow it — we have the translation into the Christian life of those great truths, regarding the fellowship of God with man, that are found in the fourth Gospel in connection with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. That Gospel, as we have seen, is doctrinal as well as historical, but its doctrines are here applied to the lives of Christ's followers. The epistle is thus in advance of the Gospel, being designed to lead Christians to a conscious realisation of the new life to which they are called in fellowship with Christ (cf. v. 13 and i. 4 with John xx. 31).

Its thought springs mainly out of a twofold conception of the Divine Nature as "light" (i.-ii.), and as "love" (iv. 7-v.), united by a bond of righteousness (ii. 29-iv. 6). There is no laboured argument such as we find in some of Paul's epistles, but simply an appeal to first principles that are to be seen with the spiritual eye, not to be proved by means of logic.

Although lofty and spiritual, the teaching in the epistle is at the same time intensely practical. It was evidently intended to counteract the growing tendency to magnify knowledge at the expense of practice (i. 6-7; ii. 3-6; iii. 6-10; cf. ii. 18-19). One form of this incipient Gnosticism was associated with the name of Cerinthus, who lived at Ephesus in the time of the apostle. Cerin thus, like many others,³ denied the reality of Christ's humanity, maintaining, in particular, that the Divine Being only entered into the man Jesus at his Baptism and left him on the eve of his Passion. Hence the emphatic statement of the apostle (v. 6), " This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood," — that is to say, the Saviour fulfilled His divine mission in His death upon the cross as well as in His baptism. Again and again, in other passages, the apostle insists on the reality of the union between Jesus and the Christ, as an essential element of the Christian faith (ii. 22; iv. 2-3, 15; v. 1, 5; cf. i. 1-4).

While it gives no quarter to evil and falsehood, the epistle overflows with exhortations to the love of God and man (ii. 9-11; iii. 11-18; iv. 7-13, 16-21; v. 1-2). As we read the apostle's language here, we find it easy to believe the story told of him by Jerome, that when he was coo old to preach he used to be carried to church, simply to repeat in the hearing of the congregation, "Little children, love one another." And when some one asked him, " Master, why dost thou always speak thus? "he answered, "Because it is the Lord's command; and if only this be done, it is enough. "

Who wrote it. — The external evidence for the genuineness of this epistle is not so convincing as in the case of the one that we have just been considering; but this is easily accounted for by its brevity and its being less suitable for public reading in church. At the same time, it is expressly quoted by Irenæus and Clement of Alexandria, and is mentioned in the Muratorian Fragment. It appears also to have been acknowledged by Eusebius, although he placed it among the "disputed" books. With regard to internal evidence, it has all the appearance of being genuine. Like the third epistle it bears to be written by "the elder," a designation which Implies that the writer was a well-known personage in the Church. Papias applies the name of "elders" specially to the surviving disciples of the Lord, as men of a past generation, — so that there was a certain appropriateness in John so describing himself, as the last of the apostles.⁴ An imitator who wished to pass for John would have made his claim in more distinct terms; and the contents of the epistle are such that no reasonable motive can be assigned for forgery.

The genuineness of the epistle derives considerable support also from its strong resemblance to the first epistle, — no less than seven of its thirteen verses having something parallel in the other.⁵

To whom written. — "Unto the elect lady and her children." It is a question whether these words are to be taken literally, or in a figurative sense as the designation of a Church and its members. On the whole the latter seems the more probable, in view of the expressions used in verses i. 4, 3, 10, 13. Such language need not surprise us in the case of a writer so fond of symbolism as the author of the Apocalypse and the fourth Gospel.⁶ But which of the Churches in Asia is thus addressed we have no means of knowing.

Where and when written. — Probably from Ephesus, — subsequently to the first epistle.

Its Character and Contents.— While the epistle contains expressions of warm affection for the members of the Church in question (whom the apostle appears to have recently visited), its main object was evidently to warn them against the insidious and corrupting influence of certain heretical teachers who were going about denying the reality of Christ's humanity (ver. 7). The apostle urges an uncompromising opposition to all such teachers, in terms that remind us of the story told by Irenaeus on the authority of those who had received it from Polycarp, that finding Cerinthus in a public bath, the apostle rushed out at the sight of him, exclaiming, "Let us fly lest even the bath fall on us, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within," — a speech that betrays a lingering of the spirit that had once been rebuked by his Lord (Luke ix. 54). On the other hand, the blending of love⁷ with truth in the earlier part of the epistle is equally characteristic of the disciple "whom Jesus loved"; and it finds similar illustration in the beautiful story of "St John and the Robber."

"THE THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN"

Who wrote it. — If we admit the second epistle to he the work of John, we can have no difficulty in accepting this also as his. The two epistles have been aptly termed " twins";⁸ and the contents of this epistle are to peculiar in their bearing on the position and authority of the apostle, as to preclude the idea of forgery.

To whom written. — "Unto Gaius the beloved." The name Gaius occurs several times in the New Testament;⁹ but whether the receiver of this letter is to be identified with any of those who are elsewhere so called it is impossible to say, the name being a very common one. He is addressed as a faithful and liberal member of the Church (verses 1-6).

Where and when written. — Probably from Ephesus, — subsequently to the first epistle.

Its Character and Contents.— This epistle, like the second, gives us a momentary glimpse of Church life in Asia towards the close of the first century, While the second contains a warning against heresy, this relates rather to the evil of schism. It shows us the practical difficulties which even the Apostle John had to encounter in the government of the Church. In Gaius (the recipient of the letter) we have a sincere and charitable Christian whose influence and example John invokes in opposition to the factious and intolerant conduct of an ambitious ecclesiastic named Diotrephes, who has gone so far as to close his doors on "the brethren" who had come in the apostle's name, apparently bearing a letter from him — perhaps our second epistle (verses 9-10). The aged head of the Church in Asia feels that it will be necessary, the next time he visits the district, to hold a reckoning with the offender for his malice and presumption. Meanwhile he warns Gaius against being led astray by the example of Diotrephes; and in pleasing contrast he refers to one Demetrius — possibly the "silversmith" of Ephesus (Acts xix. 24), and apparently the bearer of this letter — who "hath the witness of all men, and of the truth itself" Finally the apostle pleads the same excuse for his brevity as he does in the case of the second epistle, viz. that he hopes soon to visit his readers, when they "shall speak face to face."

1) E.g. cf. i. 1, John i. 1, 14, xx. 27; i. 2, John iii. 11; i. 3, John xvii. 21,  i. 4, John xvi. 24; i. 5, 6, John i. 5, iii. 21, viii. 12; ii. 11, John xii. 35; iii. 14, John v. 24; iv. 9, John i. 14, iii. 16; iv. 14, John iv. 42; v. 6, John xix. 34.

2) Augustine and other Latin writers speak of the epistle as addressed to the Parthians, but this was probably a mistake occasioned by the Greek term parthenos ("virgin"), which was frequently applied to the Apostle John, in allusion to his supposed lifelong celibacy.

3) Called Docetæ from a Greek word meaning apparent, not real.

4) Cf. Peter's use of the expression "a fellow-elder," as applied to himself (1 Peter v. 1).

5) Cf. ver. 1 and 1 John iii. 18; ver. 4 and iv. 21; ver. 5 and ii. 7; ver. 6 and v. 3; ver. 7 and iv. 1-3; ver. 9 and ii. 23; ver. 12 and i. 4.

6) Some think that a similar metaphor is to be found in the First Epistle of Peter (v. 13), whom tradition associates in his later years with John.

7) The word "love" occurs four times in this short epistle, and " truth" five times.

8) For resemblances cf. ver. 1 and 2 John ver. 1; ver. 3-4 and John ver. 4; ver. 13 and 2 John ver. 12.

9) Acts xix. 29; xx. 4; Rom. xvi. 23; 2 Cor. i. 24.