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The Third Epistle General of John
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The Third Epistle General of John
Edna Lister’s Rembrandt Edition Bible
Letters of John, three New Testament writings, all composed sometime around 100 ce and traditionally attributed to St. John the Apostle, son of Zebedee and disciple of Jesus. The author of the first letter is not identified, but the writer of the second and third calls himself “presbyter” (elder). Though the question of authorship has been much discussed, the language and contents of the three letters suggest a common source.
The three Letters of John, together with the Letter of James, the two Letters of Peter, and the Letter of Jude, are part of the seven so-called Catholic Letters. As the history of the New Testament canon shows, the Catholic Letters were among the last of the literature to be settled on as canonical before the agreement of East and West in 367. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries, only 1 John and 1 Peter were universally recognized. Although their order in the Bible has varied, the three Letters of John typically are the 23rd, 24th, and 25th books of the New Testament.
The second and third letters are closely akin to the first in language and ideas. The Third Letter of John is addressed to a certain Gaius and complains that “Diotrephes, who lies to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority”—a hint that gnostic teachings were severely disrupting the community. The writer is concerned about and has responsibility as presbyter for the missionaries of the church. It is somewhat of a short note concerned with church discipline, encouraging hospitality to true missionaries, and thus is not unconnected with true doctrine and the command of love.-Encyclopedia Britannica
References
Britannica Editors. "Letters of John". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/letters-of-John.
The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).
