Paul N. Anderson - Commentary on 1-3 John: From The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary

Paul N. Anderson

Introduction

Date, Author, and Audience

The three epistles of John appear to have been written in the last decade and a half of the first century AD (8595), and they fit within the larger set of Johannine writings (Johannine means pertaining to John), which includes the Gospel of John (finalized around 100) and Revelation (finalized around 90).

The author of these epistles does not give his name directly in the text (unlike Revelation), but the author of 2 and 3 John calls himself the elder. Given the fact that 1 John is especially close to 2 John in style and content, and that 2 and 3 John were associated together traditionally, the author of all three Johannine Epistles may be called John the elder. Interestingly, Irenaeus mentions the graves of two Christian leaders in Ephesus as those of John the elder and John the apostle. Some confusion of the two is apparent, in that both may have been disciples of the Lord and both may have been called an elder. Papias claims not to have known any of the Twelve but does claim to be a disciple of John the elder. Irenaeus claims to have been a disciple of Polycarp, who in turn claims to have sat at the feet of John the apostle. Least speculative is the likelihood of several Christian leaders in the Johannine situation between 70 and 100, of whom John the elder, the author of the epistles, is one.

While historical-critical scholars have argued that the first clear connecting of John the apostle with the Gospel bearing his name is Irenaeus (around 180), this is not the case. There is no second-century opinion as to who might be associated with the Johannine Gospel and Epistles other than the apostle and the elder, and one can understand their being referred to by their appellations (the beloved disciple and the elder) if indeed they had the same first name and were ministering within the same general context. An overlooked clue to Johns authorship, though, may be found in Acts 4:1920, where Luke attributes a Petrine saying to Peter (we must obey God rather than man; Acts 4:19; 5:29; 11:17) and a typically Johannine saying to John (we cannot help testifying to what we have seen and heard; John 3:32; Acts 4:20; 1 John 1:3). It may have been wrong or misguided, but Luke connects the apostle John with a Johannine saying a full century before Irenaeus .

The three epistles of John are uneven in length, and they also differ in terms of their audiences. First John, which is four times as long as the other two combined, is written as a circular to several churches in Asia Minor. Second John is written to the lady chosen by God and to her children, which is a reference to either a church or a female congregation leader and thus is addressed to a particular community and its leadership. Third John is written to a particular leader, Gaius, whose community members had been denied hospitality by Diotrephes.