The Johannine Epistles, like the letters of Ignatius discussed in the next chapter, reflect a conflict between two groups within the church, one Proto-Orthodox and one docetic. In these letters we hear only one side of the dispute, the Proto-Orthodox perspective.
AUTHOR AND DATE
The three letters designated 1, 2, and 3 John have such similar style and content that they must come from the same author. Tradition attributes them, along with the Fourth Gospel, to John the apostle, the son of Zebedee. In the letters themselves, however, the author does not identify himself, calling himself simply “the Elder” (2 John 1; 3 John 1). Because the second-century bishop Papias speaks of a leader at Ephesus called “the Elder John,” whom he distinguished from John the apostle, some scholars believe that the Elder John wrote the letters.
Whoever the author may have been, the letters are clearly related to the Fourth Gospel in both style and content. Many of the same themes occur in both (see box, p. 454). These similarities show that, at the very least, “the Elder” of the letters must have belonged to the same community from which the Fourth Gospel came. His mind was saturated with the ideas expressed in that Gospel. He may even have played a role in its composition.
Most scholars believe that the Gospel of John came first, followed by the letters of John sometime between 90 and 110 ce.
Review the options below to login to check your access.
Log in with your Cambridge Aspire website account to check access.
There are no purchase options available for this title.
If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.