This book reimagines the origins of three biblical books: the Epistles of 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. Across its pages, I argue that these works were not written by a single pen, as tradition claims, nor were they written in a single community setting, as many scholars presently suppose. Instead, these three works are a chain of falsely authored texts written by three authors with different extractions and projects. In the earlier chapters of the book, I meticulously lay out the evidence for this view, and in later chapters, I reinterpret these texts in light of it, developing novel interpretations of each.
I began drafting this manuscript during a year-long research leave from UNC (2021–22). The first semester represented my junior development leave; the second, however, was an extraordinary gift – one made possible by UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities, where I had the privilege of being a Borden Faculty Fellow. I look back with deep gratitude for my IAH fellowship – for the precious, focused time it offered to develop my manuscript, for the warm and supportive cohort that commented on my writing, and for the institute’s flexibility in allowing me to complete part of that fellowship out of state to care for my son. That latter accommodation is rarely offered to young parents in residential fellowships. That I was offered such an accommodation speaks volumes of the generosity of the IAH’s excellent director, Patricia Parker, and her commitment to equity and accessibility.
As critical as that initial fellowship experience was, however, my manuscript only truly came into its own through a second and completely unexpected opportunity: a Summer Residency at the National Humanities Center (2023). My research thrived in the unique (quasi-monastic!) atmosphere of the NHC, and it was there that I completed the initial draft of this book. For this privilege, I thank Elizabeth Engelhardt, Senior Associate Dean for Fine Arts and Humanities at UNC, who nominated me for that residency. And, of course, I have nothing but immense gratitude for the friendship of other residents and staff during the most productive and memorable summer of my professional career.
Two publication grants also contributed to the final production of this book. The first was a generous gift from the Catholic Biblical Association. The second was an Arts and Humanities Publication Grant awarded by UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities.
Through the period supported by the above fellowships and grants, I continued to develop this manuscript in other contexts. A few come to mind as especially formative for this work due to the feedback I received at them – specifically, invited talks at Duke University and Stanford University, an invited talk for the Australian Catholic University’s BECS Global Seminar, an invitation to deliver the annual Freedman lecture at the University of Michigan, several presentations at Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature and Catholic Biblical Association, as well as workshops through the UNC-Duke Christianity in Antiquity reading group and the Atlanta New Testament Colloquium. Among all these venues and others, there are too many individual names to thank. Still, I can single out Harold Attridge, Stephen Carlson, Jeremiah Coogan, Wayne Coppins, Mitchell Esswein, Mark Goodacre, Alicia Myers, Michael Penn, Adele Reinhartz, Christopher Skinner, and Jason Staples for their constructive comments. I am grateful to my editor, Beatrice Rehl, and the anonymous reviewers of this text for their helpful feedback on the project. Above all, I owe this book, and everything else, to my loving family – my parents, Hugo and Ida, my pride and joy, Roman, and my brothers, Pedro and Ruben – as well as to so many friends.
Of all the people I could thank, however, one stands without peer: my colleague, mentor, and friend, Bart Ehrman. Bart is a “teacher of teachers” – a figure who has shaped an entire generation of New Testament scholars and challenged untold numbers of readers through his textbooks, academic books, and trade books. In many ways, his scholarship is the foundation of this project; his 2012 study Forgery and Counterforgery was the initial catalyst for my rethinking of the Gospel and Epistles of John. More broadly, there is no part of my professional life that has not been shaped by Bart’s mentorship, tireless encouragement, and constructive criticism. We have trained students together, we have authored a book together, and it is my highest privilege in this field to be his colleague and friend. If this study is anything, I hope it is a tribute to his legacy in our field and in my life.
Ultimately, however, I have dedicated this book to my brilliant and loving partner, Divya Mallampati. Divya has been my companion throughout the many days, weeks, months, and years I spent writing this text. And nestled between its many pages are as many travels, memories, laughs, and quiet moments we have spent together. May we share a lifetime more.
This book was inspired by my 2020 article “Did the Johannine Community Exist?” and elaborates text from that piece in its first four chapters. It was also developed alongside another book of mine, The Gospel of John: A New History, fleshing out the views of that book’s fifth chapter into a full-length study. To avoid the appearance of idiosyncrasy in translation, I generally utilize easily accessible English translations of ancient works. Quotations of biblical texts are adapted from the RSV and NRSVue. Finally, to keep the manuscript efficient and reader-friendly, I have been selective in the number and kinds of sources I cite, balancing multiple factors.
