Who was the book of 3 john written to

The third epistle of john, often referred to as third john and written 3 john or iii john, is the thirdtolast book of the new testament and the christian bible as a whole, and attributed to john the evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the gospel of john and the other two epistles of john. As with the other new testament gospels, john was originally anonymous, so we are not constrained to looking for a date of authorship within the plausible lifespan of an apostle. John the baptist wasnt the author of the gospel of john. The gospel of john is the fourth of the canonical gospels. As he probably wrote the gospel in the second hals of the first century, some think that he wrote this account to help correct some wrong teachings about jesus that had begun to creep their way into the. See introductions to 1 john and the gospel of john. Overview of the book of 3 john reformed answers to bible. In christian tradition, john s gospel has always been referred to as the fourth gospel, meaning it was composed after the other three. Both 2 john and 3 john appear to have the same author and are believed to have been written in the first quarter of the second century ce. There have been occasional doubts raised by those who thought it possible that this was written by another disciple of the lord named john, but all the evidence points to the author as john the beloved disciple who also wrote the gospel.

The third epistle of john is a private letter composed to a man named gaius. Therefore the purpose of johns gospel is to confirm and secure christians in the. Contained in the new testament are the epistles of. The book is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its traditions, and reached its final form around ad 90110.

Wallace, john 5, 2 and the date of the fourth gospel. Early writers such as irenaeus and tertullian say that john wrote this gospel, and all other evidence agrees see introduction to 1 john. Outline of 3 john we know very little about the book of third john, except that its linkage to second john and the close association in theological content with john s writings leads us to believe that john wrote the epistle. When was the book of revelation written by the apostle john. It is written by the discipleapostle john around 8595 a. The third epistle of john, often referred to as third john and written 3 john or iii john, is the third to last book of the new testament and the christian bible as a whole, and attributed to john the evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the gospel of john and the other two epistles of john. It is probably older than 1 john, but its relationship to 2 john remains an open question. The third letter by john, was closely akin to a personal letter.

It is usually in the form of an elegant and formal didactic letter. Rather, the letters are the work of a later community. Book of first john overview insight for living ministries. John is therefore sending demetrius to the church v. The main message, of i john is that jesus was god come in the flesh to save humanity. Even if these two letters were not written on the same occasion, there is nothing in 3 john to require a great time interval between it and 2 john. Johns language and tone emphasizes the focus of his book. There have been occasional doubts raised by those who thought it possible that this was written by another disciple of the lord named john, but all the evidence points to the author as john the beloved disciple who also wrote the. The key personalities of this book are jesus christ, his twelve disciples, mary magdalene, john the baptist, lazarus, his sisters mary and martha, jewish religious leaders.

The book of john stands apart from the other three gospels. John 3, third letter, gaius, diotrephes, demetrius, apostles. When i discovered michael lister john jordan i enjoyed the first book and went online to find the series. The first 3 books should hook you on the entire series.

Words such as believe, life, love, truth, eternal and grace are used more in the book of john than in the other. The gospel of john has many touches that appear to reflect the recollections of an eyewitness such as the house at bethany being filled with the fragrance of the broken perfume jar see 12. The book of 3 john does not directly name its author. Sep 20, 2007 according to the notes in my version of the bible they were written by john, son of zebedee, disciple of jesus.

During his time at ephesus, at some point under the reign of domitian 8196 a. Therefore the purpose of john s gospel is to confirm and secure christians in the faith. John is also traditionally credited with writing 1, 2, and 3rd john as well as the book of revelation. It is similar to 2 john in that he addresses the ideas of hospitality. Other gaius in the new testament are from corinth romans 16. The letter is likely written by the same person or people responsible for the gospel of john. The three books share the same writing style, however, and so are likely from the same hand. According to the notes in my version of the bible they were written by john, son of zebedee, disciple of jesus. Book of john overview insight for living ministries. This summary of the book of 3 john provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 3 john. Johns purpose in writing this third epistle is threefold. He wrote from ephesus in presentday western turkey, perhaps to churches like those mentioned in rev. Like the other gospels it is anonymous, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its traditions. The first commentary on the book of revelation to be preserved, written by victorinus, regards john the apostle as the author.

Listen to chuck swindolls overview of first john in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. May 15, 2012 john is also traditionally credited with writing 1, 2, and 3rd john as well as the book of revelation. False teachers had infiltrated the church denying the divinity of jesus christ. The key personalities in this book are the apostle john, gaius, diotrephes, and demetrius. All books of the new testament refer to events that happened in the first century, such as the life of jesus, the spread of the gospel, and issues that arose in the infant churches.

It is the third in a series of 3 epistles that bear the apostle johns name. It is not possible to determine whether 3 john preceded or followed 2 john in spite of 3 john 9 which could or could not refer to 2 john. There is no clear evidence when the book was written or where it was written from. Polycarp, a secondcentury christian martyr who knew john personally, told irenaeus that john had written the book during the apostles time serving the church in ephesus. Didactic is a term that refers to the method by which the letter was written and means that the intent or purpose of the letter was for teaching andor instruction. The book of 3 john would most likely have been written at about the same time as johns other letters, 1 and 2 john, between a. Written nearly 30 years after matthew, mark and luke, the purpose of john is dramatically evangelistic.

Intro to 3 john biblica the international bible society. He descipled all four regularly, although neither mark nor luke were one of the first 12 apostles named by jesus. In one of his letters he wrote, we proclaim to you what we. The apostle john identified himself in 3 john only as the elder 3 john 1. In the first verses of both 2 john and 3 john the author identifies himself as. In one of his letters he wrote, we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard 1 john 1. It is written to someone named gaius, who we know nothing more about.

The books of 2 and 3 john are believed to be written by the same author and most scholars believe the author is john the evangelist. He was one of jesus 12 disciples, and therefore was an eyewitness to the events he recorded. Eusebius says near the end of his reign, john was temporarily banished to the isle of patmos, where he wrote the book of revelation rev 1. Therefore, 3 john may have been written earlier than either 1 or 2 john and before this controversy rose, possibly between a. One idea is that both 2 and 3 john were written at the same time, one to the church at large 2 john and one to a.

Brown says, in an introduction to the new testament. The study is available as a free email bible study, or as an ebook or paperback book at a modest cost. It reached its final form around ad 90110, most likely within a johannine community, but the reconstruction of this community, and therefore the social, religious and historical context of the. There is no trace in 3 john of the conflict over the person and work of christ that looms large in 1 and 2 john. The tradition from the earliest days of the church has been that the apostle john is the author. The book of john, also known as the gospel of john, was written by an anonymous author some time early in the second century ce. In the first verses of both 2 john and 3 john the author identifies himself as the elder. Peter walker, in his important book jesus and the holy city eerdmans, 1996, p.

Traditionally, the authorship of 1, 2, and 3 john has been ascribed to the apostle, john son of zebedee, who also was understood to be the author of the gospel of john and revelation. Book of third john overview insight for living ministries. Linguistically there is evidence that 2 and 3 john are similar to the other johannine works by the apostle john. John had written to the church about diotrephes, but he either did not allow the letter to get read publicly or repudiated johns authority. Matthew, mark, luke, and john, all 4 thrived during jesus life, ministry, death, resurrection and beyond. The gospel of john, the letters of 1, 2 and 3 john, and revelation saint john the evangelist on patmos by hans burgkmair the writings of john are often assigned the latest dates of all new testament literature, with some secular scholars placing them well into the second century a. John the son of zebedee probably wrote his three nt letters no later than the 90s a. The author of this epistle never identified himself by name, but christians since the beginning of the church have considered this letter authoritative, believing it was written by john the apostle.

As far as we know, no one else was suggested by the. Introduction to the gospel of john study resources. John 3, third letter, gaius, diotrephes, demetrius. John also wrote the fourth gospel and the book of revelation. How could john the baptist have written the gospel of john. As a result, if any of his readers felt bereft of the temple and of the spiritual focus provided by jerusalem, john would have encouraged them not to mourn the loss of the city, but rather to see what god had done for them in jesus. No other nt letter, not even phlm has so completely the form of a hellenistic private letter as ii and iii john. Unlike most nt letters, 1 john does not tell us who the author is.

It was written to gaius a possibly a member of johns congregation. The earliest identification of him comes from the church fathers. I am writing to gaius, my dear friend, whom i love in the truth. The author appears to have represented the views of a faction in a. This book is the shortest book in the new testament and was written to praise gaius and demetrius for their faithful service. It was written by the discipleapostle john around 8595 a. Euangelion kata ioannen is the fourth of the canonical gospels. The letter is brief because john hopes soon to see him facetoface. The new testament books were themselves written in the second half of that century. The book of john is a gospel that contains narrative history, sermons, parables, and a few prophetic oracles. As kummel states introduction to the new testament, p. The apostle john, towards the end of his life date.

At the writing of this, his final epistle, john was nearing the end of his life, a life that had changed dramatically some six decades before, when jesus had called john and his brother james out from their fishing boat. These three books are often referred to as letters, though only 1 and 2 john truly fit that description. This book is a personal letter from john, not an exchange between churches as ii john is. The book of 3 rd john is a general epistle apostolic letter. I have been reading the john jordan mysteries for just over a month and i am almost done with book 11. In addition to this one, john wrote two other new testament letters, a gospel, and possibly the prophetic book of revelation he was a leader in the early church, and he probably wrote his documents after most of the other new testament books were already written. The new testament books were themselves written in the second half of.

This summary of the book of 3 john provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 3 john. John s language and tone emphasizes the focus of his book. Many contemporary biblical scholars believe that the writer of the letters was not the author of the gospel. Michael lister does a great job of developing characters you want to get to know.