NEW TESTAMENT
1-3 JOHN
AUTHORSHIP – 1 JOHN
§ External Evidence
§ Early church unanimous that the author of 1 John was John the
_______________, son of Zebedee
§ Problem with Papias’ Statement – _______________Johns?
§ Eusebius - commented on Papias’ statement suggesting the possibility of
two Johns, each of whom had a tomb in Ephesus, and that it was the
second John who authored Revelation (EH 3.39)
§ Jerome - believed 2-3 John to be written by this second ‘elder’ John while
1 John and the Gospel of John were written by the apostle John
§ Some scholars believe Papias was referring to _______________John
AUTHORSHIP – 1 JOHN
§ Internal Evidence – Connection with Gospel of John
§ Author claims to be an “_______________” of the earthly life of Jesus (1:1-4)
§ Author speaks with an air of _______________
§ Similar _______________and verbal _______________to the Gospel of John
§ Prologue to Gospel (1:1-18) and Introduction to 1 John (1:1-4)
§ Common _______________- life, truth, light, God’s Son, Father/Son
relationship, laying down life, salvation as “knowing God”, abiding, new
commandment, world as hostile
AUTHORSHIP – 2-3 JOHN
§ External Evidence - Not as strong as 1 John
§ Irenaeus alludes to 2 John and assumes _______________authorship
§ Muratorian Canon mentions only _______________letters of John
§ Origen recognized 2 & 3 John but noted they were _______________by some
§ Eusebius placed them in the “_______________” books and Jerome expressed
_______________about their authenticity
§ Syriac church _______________these letters until the 5th century
AUTHORSHIP – 2-3 JOHN
§ Internal Evidence - Connection of 2 John with 1 John
§ Same historical situation
§ False teachers branded as _______________ (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:
John 7)
§ Importance of the _______________command (1 John 2:10; 3:11; 4:7-21
/ 2 John 5-6)
§ Author’s joy in seeing his children walk/abide in the _______________of
the gospel (1 John 1:6-8; 2:4, 3:18-19; 4:6; 5: John 1, 3, 4)
AUTHORSHIP – 2-3 JOHN
, § Internal Evidence - Connection of 3 John with 2 John
§ Author’s self-designation as "the _______________" (2 John John 1)
§ Addressees are described as those whom the elder loves "in the
_______________"(2 John John 1)
§ Author expresses joy that children are _______________in the truth (2 John 4 /
3 John 3)
§ Both letters virtually _______________with the same words (2 John John
13-14)
AUTHORSHIP
§ Issues
§ Why does John not identify himself as the _______________?
§ Why did he not use the "_______________" designation in 1 John?
§ Why _______________canonization of 2 & 3 John?
§ Alternative Proposals
§ An _______________elder in the Johannine community
§ The legendary "_______________the elder" in Asia Minor
§ Conclusion - _______________connections (Gospel & 1 John; 1 & 2 John; 2 & 3 John)
suggest common authorship and most likely John the _______________
CANONIZATION – 2-3 JOHN
§ Explanations for Peculiar Textual History
§ Clearly not _______________side by side or _______________on the same level
as 1 John
§ 2 & 3 John are the _______________books in the NT and there would be little
occasion to cite them
§ 2 & 3 John describe the author as the "_______________" which led many to
judge that he was not the _______________to whom 1 John was attributed
DATE & PROVENANCE
§ Traditional – AD _______________from Ephesus
§ Relationship with the ____________________(ca. 90’s)
§ Development of the _______________with the Johannine Community
§ Heresy seems proto-gnostic – early form of 2d century Gnosticism
§ Church Father testimony placing John in Ephesus at the end of the 1st century
§ Polycrates called John one of the "_______________" buried in Ephesus
§ Irenaeus said John ministered in Ephesus until the time of
_______________
AUDIENCE
§ 1 John – General
§ Audience pictured throughout as the ____________________
§ _______________ groups addressed – “little children,” “fathers,” “young men,”
“brothers,” “beloved” (2:12-14; 4:1, 7)
§ Possibly sent to _______________Johannine churches in Asia Minor
1-3 JOHN
AUTHORSHIP – 1 JOHN
§ External Evidence
§ Early church unanimous that the author of 1 John was John the
_______________, son of Zebedee
§ Problem with Papias’ Statement – _______________Johns?
§ Eusebius - commented on Papias’ statement suggesting the possibility of
two Johns, each of whom had a tomb in Ephesus, and that it was the
second John who authored Revelation (EH 3.39)
§ Jerome - believed 2-3 John to be written by this second ‘elder’ John while
1 John and the Gospel of John were written by the apostle John
§ Some scholars believe Papias was referring to _______________John
AUTHORSHIP – 1 JOHN
§ Internal Evidence – Connection with Gospel of John
§ Author claims to be an “_______________” of the earthly life of Jesus (1:1-4)
§ Author speaks with an air of _______________
§ Similar _______________and verbal _______________to the Gospel of John
§ Prologue to Gospel (1:1-18) and Introduction to 1 John (1:1-4)
§ Common _______________- life, truth, light, God’s Son, Father/Son
relationship, laying down life, salvation as “knowing God”, abiding, new
commandment, world as hostile
AUTHORSHIP – 2-3 JOHN
§ External Evidence - Not as strong as 1 John
§ Irenaeus alludes to 2 John and assumes _______________authorship
§ Muratorian Canon mentions only _______________letters of John
§ Origen recognized 2 & 3 John but noted they were _______________by some
§ Eusebius placed them in the “_______________” books and Jerome expressed
_______________about their authenticity
§ Syriac church _______________these letters until the 5th century
AUTHORSHIP – 2-3 JOHN
§ Internal Evidence - Connection of 2 John with 1 John
§ Same historical situation
§ False teachers branded as _______________ (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:
John 7)
§ Importance of the _______________command (1 John 2:10; 3:11; 4:7-21
/ 2 John 5-6)
§ Author’s joy in seeing his children walk/abide in the _______________of
the gospel (1 John 1:6-8; 2:4, 3:18-19; 4:6; 5: John 1, 3, 4)
AUTHORSHIP – 2-3 JOHN
, § Internal Evidence - Connection of 3 John with 2 John
§ Author’s self-designation as "the _______________" (2 John John 1)
§ Addressees are described as those whom the elder loves "in the
_______________"(2 John John 1)
§ Author expresses joy that children are _______________in the truth (2 John 4 /
3 John 3)
§ Both letters virtually _______________with the same words (2 John John
13-14)
AUTHORSHIP
§ Issues
§ Why does John not identify himself as the _______________?
§ Why did he not use the "_______________" designation in 1 John?
§ Why _______________canonization of 2 & 3 John?
§ Alternative Proposals
§ An _______________elder in the Johannine community
§ The legendary "_______________the elder" in Asia Minor
§ Conclusion - _______________connections (Gospel & 1 John; 1 & 2 John; 2 & 3 John)
suggest common authorship and most likely John the _______________
CANONIZATION – 2-3 JOHN
§ Explanations for Peculiar Textual History
§ Clearly not _______________side by side or _______________on the same level
as 1 John
§ 2 & 3 John are the _______________books in the NT and there would be little
occasion to cite them
§ 2 & 3 John describe the author as the "_______________" which led many to
judge that he was not the _______________to whom 1 John was attributed
DATE & PROVENANCE
§ Traditional – AD _______________from Ephesus
§ Relationship with the ____________________(ca. 90’s)
§ Development of the _______________with the Johannine Community
§ Heresy seems proto-gnostic – early form of 2d century Gnosticism
§ Church Father testimony placing John in Ephesus at the end of the 1st century
§ Polycrates called John one of the "_______________" buried in Ephesus
§ Irenaeus said John ministered in Ephesus until the time of
_______________
AUDIENCE
§ 1 John – General
§ Audience pictured throughout as the ____________________
§ _______________ groups addressed – “little children,” “fathers,” “young men,”
“brothers,” “beloved” (2:12-14; 4:1, 7)
§ Possibly sent to _______________Johannine churches in Asia Minor
