1-3 John

These three letters are attributed to "John." Authorship is actually unknown, though biblical scholars generally agree that the author was neither the John who was one of Jesus' twelve disciples nor the same person who wrote the Gospel of John. There is no consensus that the author of 1 John also wrote the other two John letters. Dating these three letters is difficult, but there is a consensus that they were written later than the gospel of John. They were most likely written around the year 100. There is no way to know whether all three were written at about the same time

1 John
This is the most substantial of the three letters. It emphasizes love as its primary theme. It is only five chapters long, and the other two letters are even shorter.

1 John has been associated and compared with the Gospel of John ever since the second century. This is due to the many themes that they have in common, such as:
 * Light and darkness (1:5-7; 2:8-11)
 * Word and incarnation (1:1; 4:1-3; 5:6-8)
 * Abiding in Jesus, God, and the Spirit (2:6,14, 24; 3:23-24; 4:13-16)
 * Eternal Life (1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11-13, 20)
 * Those who are born of Jesus, God, the Spirit as children of God (2:29-3:2; 3:7-10; 5:4, 18)
 * "The world" as that which stands in opposition to God as known in Jesus (not the created world of nature, but "the world" as organized by humans) (2:15-16; 3:13; 4:4-5; 5:5)
 * "Love on another" and "God is love," the dominant theme of the letter (reaching its climax in 4:7-8, 16, 18-19)

Historical Context:

Conflict and division hit the community to which this letter was written, and this letter addresses that division. Those who left the community are called "antichrist," and the term does not appear in any other New Testament document. It simply means denying the divinity and Messiah status of Jesus, and does not carry the same stigma that it currently carries.

2 John
This letter, unlike 1 John, does contain the typical characteristics of a letter, such as naming the sender and recipient, continuing with a greeting and thanksgiving, moving on to the body of the letter, and concluding with a closing. This letter is just thirteen verses!

Themes (both are also echoed in 1 John):
 * Reminder of the commandment to "love one another."
 * Calls "deceivers" who "do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh" the "antichrist."

To Whom?

The author is writing to a woman who is the leader of an early Christian community. The closing greeting suggests another Christian community headed by a woman. This letter provides evidence for women in leadership roles in Johannine communities, as is supported by the true letters of Paul.

3 John
This letter is just fifteen verses! The recipient of this letter is a man named "Gaius" and there is no reason to believe this letter was sent to the same community as the one in 2 John.



Themes:

Commends Gaius and community for showing great hospitality to Christians, even though they were strangers (verses 3-8) Condemns an otherwise unknown Christian named Diotrephes" for refusing the elder's authority, spreading false charges, and not providing hospitality (verses 9-10) General exhortation, saying, "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does what is evil has not seen God." (verse 11). Concludes by commending Demetrius and telling them to trust him, echoing the end of 2 John.