The First Letter of Peter - Πéτρου Α - is the second of seven catholic or universal letters of the New Testament of the Bible, along with James, Second Peter, the First, Second, and Third Letters of John, and Jude.These letters are so called because they are addressed to the universal Church in general and not to a specific community such as, for example, the Philippians. The letter was written between Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston, who are the 15th great grandparents of Robert Edwards. From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798 Author Adams, John Recipient Massachusetts Militia Date 11 October 1798 Reference Cite as “From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov Robert and his family travelled down to the British Library, where the letter is on display until April 3rd as part of the Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices exhibition exploring the English language from Anglo-Saxon runes to modern day rap. Clearly, the prominence of "truth," in concert with "love," is the keynote of this letter. Like the gospel of John, the 3 letters of John were written to supply evidence essential for the building of credible faith. [13], Most scholars conclude that John the Apostle wrote none of these works. Chronologie der Altchristlichen Litteratur, I, 658). https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/The-First-Letter-of-John The earliest identification of him comes from the church fathers: Irenaeus (c. a.d. 140–203), Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–215), Tertullian (c. 155–222) and Origen (c. 185–253) all designated the writer as the apostle John. Whatever its relation to the gospel, 1 John may be dated toward the end of the first century. (emeritus) The Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, NC; [The Johannine Epistles, Pheme Perkins], with a foreword by His Eminence Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini, S.J. [17] Ernest DeWitt Burton found it likely that its audience was largely gentile rather than Jewish, since it contains few Old Testament quotations or distinctly Jewish forms of expression.[10]. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests that the three Johannine epistles "describe the fracturing of the Johannine community itself". Some have thought the Epistle written on purpose to accompany St. John's Gospel, in order to serve as its practical application and enforcement. The New Testament books of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation are sometimes called the Johannine literature and are traditionally assigned to John the son of Zebedee, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. You are here: Home / Sermon Resources / Theology / Apologetics / The Apostle John and the First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians. These features, its prologue, and its emphasis on doctrinal teaching make it more akin to a theological treatise than to most other New Testament letters. The epistle is divided into five chapters. [1] Thus, at the end of the 19th century scholar Ernest DeWitt Burton wrote that there could be "no reasonable doubt" that 1 John and the gospel were written by the same author. Although the author recognizes that Christian doctrine presents intangible mysteries of faith about Christ, he insists that the concrete Christian life brings to light the deeper realities of the gospel. In this scheme of writing the gospel has been put between 2 John and 1 John. However, in this letter, we learn that Truth "dwells in us and shall be with us forever" (v. 2). John Fine has written: 'Letter of Hon. You may know that this first letter of John is possibly the last of the New Testament to be written. [23] Bibles translated from his edition integrate the passage, including the King James Version (1611), which renders it as follows (in italics): 7For there are three that beare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. This would have been shortly after the apostle John died. The author of the First Epistle is termed John the Evangelist, who most scholars believe is not the same as John the Apostle. The letter is of particular value for its declaration of the humanity and divinity of Christ as an apostolic teaching and for its development of the intrinsic connection between Christian moral conduct and Christian doctrine. As far as we know all John's writings were written when he was a very elderly man and so this was written sixty to seventy years after John began to follow the Lord Jesus. [2][3] The author describes various tests by which readers may ascertain whether or not their communion with God is genuine, and teaches that the proof of spiritual regeneration is a life of active righteousness. Translations made since the 18th century and based on a critical edition do not include this text, or include it as a footnote. First of all, the author had to have been an eyewitness of the ministry of Jesus (1:14; 19:35; 21:24).He would have also had a decent familiarity with Palestine before the destruction of the temple in AD 70, and would have been familiar with the Jewish way of life. Unlike 2 and 3 John, it lacks in form the salutation and epistolary conclusion of a letter. The terminology and the presence or absence of certain theological ideas in 1 John suggest that it was written after the gospel; it may have been composed as a short treatise on ideas that were developed more fully in the fourth gospel. "How the First Letter Was Written". Nonetheless, John is clearly the author of all four documents. The structure and language of the letter are straightforward yet repetitious. It is believed the letter was originally written to all believers. [5] This is similar to the parallel structure of Hebrew poetry, in which the second verse of a couplet often carries the same meaning as the first, although in this epistle the frequent recapitulations of already expressed ideas serve also to add to what has previously been said. Though First John was clearly written to "dear friends" in Christ, it is not just a feel-good letter. Reader: Gaius, a common Roman name. The author of 1 John has the answers. Ignatius (35-107), Papius, Iraneus and Origin (185-254) assigned John the son of Zebedee as the author of the Gospel of John. 1 John 2:12-14 - I write this letter to you all, as my dear children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. 8And there are three that beare witnesse in earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood, and these three agree in one.[24]. The Apostle John and the First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians. The epistle's content, language and conceptual style are very similar to the Gospel of John, 2 John, and 3 John. Most scholars believe the three Johannine epistles have the same author, but there is no consensus if this was also the author of the Gospel of John. It is perhaps, therefore, the last word we have from the apostles. First John is the fourth of the General Epistles (or Catholic Letters), the writings of apostles to the church at large. To others, the evidence suggests that 1 John was written after the fourth gospel as part of a debate on the proper interpretation of that gospel. This page was last edited on 24 March 2021, at 23:56. (Who is this author? Unlike most NT letters, 1 John does not tell us who its author is. [18] Papyrus 9, dating from the 3rd century, has surviving parts of chapter 4, verses 11–12 and 14–17.[19]. Because John’s letter was about the basics of faith in Christ, it helped his readers reflect honestly on their faith. [7] In contrast to the linear style used in the Pauline epistles, biblical scholar Ernest DeWitt Burton suggests that John's thought "moves in circles", forming a slowly advancing sequence of thought. Analysis. I write to you who are now fathers, because you have known him who has always existed. Robert Dabney, "The Doctrinal Various Readings of the New Testament Greek", 1894: p. 32. It is possible that John used an amanuensis to write the Gospel and the first letter and wrote 2 and 3 John with his own hands. [1] The author advises Christians on how to discern true teachers: by their ethics, their proclamation of Jesus in the flesh, and by their love. That is the internal evidence of the book and the external testimony of early church fathers. The First Letter of St. John is similar in style and content as the Gospel of John, and reaffirms the theme of the Divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. The aim is evidently to warn his friend against certain false teachers. John’s next two letters, however, are written to specific audiences. The renowned commentator Westcott asserted that the Gospel affirms the Deity of Jesus, while 1 John affirms His humanity. However, Papius identifies a separate John as the writer of the letters of John and Revelation, so there is some variance in early tradition as to authorship of the Johannine letters. "It would perhaps be best to first establish the case that the same author is responsible for all the books associated with John. The English theologian and historian Bede, writing in the early eighth century a.d., said in the prologue to his exposition of the catholic epistles that the Greek bishop Athanasius of Alexander believed 1 John to have been written to the Parthians. Writer: The apostle John, towards the end of his life; Date: c AD90-100. John was the author of five books in Scripture, the Gospel of John, the three Epistles of John and the Revelation. "[9], The epistle is traditionally held to have been composed by John the Evangelist, at Ephesus,[10] when the writer was in advanced age. The Gospel has an evangelistic thrust, while 1 John is written for believers (i.e., discipleship). Plummer suggests that here, "as at the end of [John's] Gospel [26] and the Second Epistle,[27] 'Amen' is the addition of a copyist". Greeting, 1. [8] In summary, the epistle may be said to exhibit a paraenetic style which is "marked by personal appeal, contrasts of right and wrong, true and false, and an occasional rhetorical question". In the Gospel of John, Jesus is explicitly called all the following except. "The Truth" may be intended as a more personal title. John wrote this letter to set the record straight on some important issues, particularly concerning the identity of Jesus Christ. John A. Peck. There are two main approaches to understanding the overall purpose of the letter, tests of life (popularized by Robert Law) and tests of fellowship (popularized by John Mitchell and Zane Hodges). On balance, it is likely that John's first letter was written for the Ephesian church and that the Parthian label results from a misreading or misunderstanding. It undoubtedly comes from near the close of the first century, perhaps even the year 100 A.D., as some scholars tell us. I deliberately read from the J.N.Darby translation for its accuracy here. [14][15], "The Fourth Gospel addresses itself to the challenges posed by Judaism and others outside Johannine circles who have rejected the community's vision of Jesus as preexistent Son, sent by the Father." According to Some Modern Scholarship: Written by the author of the First Letter, or by another elder of the church in Ephesus. 10:2-4). There was some confusion about receiving certain evangelists. June 2, 2020 By Fr. A Trinitarian gloss (marginal note) known as the Johannine Comma, added to Latin translations of the epistle in the 4th century,[22] was interpolated (added to the main text) within 1 John 5:7-8 over the course of the Middle Ages. Certain linguistic features of the two texts support this view. The first commentary on the book of Revelation to be preserved, written by Victorinus, regards John the Apostle as the author. John Fine' -- subject(s): Politics and government What was the first letter written by Apostle Paul? The topic I intend to speak on this weekend is the life and writings of the apostle John. Authorship The Apostle John is usually credited with the authorship of the fourth Gospel. Prayer for his posterity, 2. While this theory, first propounded by Ernst von Dobschütz and Rudolf Bultmann, is not universally accepted, Amos Wilder writes that, "It is at least clear that there are considerable and sometimes continuous elements in the epistle whose style distinguishes them from that of the author both with respect to poetic structure and syntactic usage. a. He knows the truth, and so he writes a letter to help the church know how to tell the children of God from the impostors. The early church unanimously held that the gospel of Matthew was the first written gospel and was penned by the apostle of the same name (Matt. Scholars refer to the first eighteen verses of the Gospel of John as. Because the addition supports the doctrine of trinitarianism, it featured in Protestant and Catholic debates on this subject in the early modern period. [6] The author of the epistle also "uses the conditional sentence in a variety of rhetorical figures which are unknown to the gospel". The main themes of the epistle are love and fellowship with God. [6], Some scholars have proposed the idea that the epistle is really John's commentary on a selection of traditional parallel couplets. There is also some possible evidence from the Book of Acts as to the early date of the gospels. [16], The author wrote the epistle so that the joy of his audience would "be full" (1:4); that they would "not practice sin" (2:1); that they would not be deceived by false teachers (2:26); and that "you who believe in the name of the Son of God... may continue to know that you have eternal life" (5:13). 2. [4] The Muratorian Fragment reveals that most of the New Testament books were already recognized and accepted in the early part of the second century (A.D. 100-150). Just So Stories (Lit2Go Edition). ", The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Edited by Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Union Theological Seminary, New York; NY, William J. Dalton, S. J.; Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm. And to you vigorous young men I am writing because you have been strong in defeating the evil one. Where written: Ephesus. [6] The epistle is written in a simple style, without syntactical flourishes,[6] and makes frequent use of asyndeton, where related thoughts are placed next to one another without conjunctions. But since full-blown Gnosticism didn't take hold until perhaps a century later (from about 150 to 300 AD), it is more accurate … The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John (Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8). Because of its resemblance to the fourth gospel in style, vocabulary, and ideas, it is generally agreed that both works are the product of the same school of Johannine Christianity. The church has debated this for centuries, but traditionally it’s attributed to John, the son of Zebedee. F. John writes in black and white (dualistic) terms. The earliest written versions of the epistle have been lost; some of the earliest surviving manuscripts include: The Muratorian fragment, dated to AD 170, cites chapter 1, verses 1–3 within a discussion of the Gospel of John. He uses the word "love" four times. The specific heresy described in this letter cannot be identified exactly, but it is a form of docetism or gnosticism; the former doctrine denied the humanity of Christ to insure that his divinity was untainted, and the latter viewed the appearance of Christ as a mere stepping-stone to higher knowledge of God. 1 … (Three late Greek manuscripts of 2 John label it "to the Parthians".) Different versions of the Greek manuscript have different wording for some verses. Robert and his family travelled down to the British Library, where the letter is on display until April 3rd as part of the Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices exhibition exploring the English language from Anglo-Saxon runes to modern day rap. [4] It also distinguishes between the world (which is full of evil and under the dominion of Satan) and the children of God (who are set apart from the world). Where written: Ephesus, on the west coast of Asia Minor (to where Paul wrote his Letter to the Ephesians in c AD62) It also seems evident that John had a purpose to write that was negative in nature. The content, style, and vocabulary seem to warrant the conclusion that these three epistles were addressed to the same readers as the Gospel of John. He commends Gaius for his Christian hospitality and character. Here is an evident trace of I John, iv, 2-3; so evident that Harnack deems this witness of Polycarp conclusive proof that the first Epistle and, consequently, the Gospel of John were written toward the end of the reign of Trajan, i.e. The Apostle John and the First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians by David W. T. Brattston The Church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth, to them that are called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be multiplied. [22] Although no Greek manuscripts before the 15th century include the passage, Erasmus added it to later editions of his edition of the New Testament, beginning in 1522. Analysis. The result is not one of theological argument but one of intense religious conviction expressed in simple truths. Author: 1, 2, and 3 John have from earliest times been attributed to the apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel of John. This would make all four gospels written during the period when eyewitnesses, both friendly and unfriendly, were still alive. Rabbi b. the Word of God c. the Lamb of God d. the suffering servant. [5], The epistle is not written in the same form as the other biblical epistles, as it lacks an epistolary opening or conclusion. Thanksgiving, 4. The letter is difficult to date with precision, but factors such as (1) evidence from early Christian writers (Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria), (2) the early form of Gnosticism reflected in the denunciations of the letter and (3) indications of the advanced age of John suggest the end of the first century. 3. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary suggests that the three Johannine epistles "describe the fracturing of the Johannine community itself". 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 This tradition, however, is known only from Latin sources. Around 730, Bede wrote that Athanasius of Alexandria had also believed in a Parthian destination for 1 John. These books go together! The fullness of Christian life as fellowship with the Father must be based on true belief and result in charitable living; knowledge of God and love for one another are inseparable, and error in one area inevitably affects the other. To others, the evidence suggests that 1 John was written after the fourth gospel as part of a debate on the proper interpretation of that gospel. John uses the word "Truth" five times in the first four verses. Early Christian tradition identified this work as a letter of John the apostle. Some former members (1 Jn 2:19) of the community refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ (1 Jn 2:22) and denied that he was a true man (1 Jn 4:2). Date of Writing: The Book of 1 John was likely written between A.D. 85-95. He is followed by Cassiodrus (early sixth century a.d.). Scholars have long considered the Gospel of John to be one of the latest written texts in the New Testament. [11], Beginning in the 20th century, however, critical scholars like Heinrich Julius Holtzmann and C. H. Dodd identified the Gospel of John and 1 John as works of different authors. The Gospel of John was probably written in. It is written from the perspective of the city of Jerusalem still standing. THE FIRST LETTER OF JOHN. It is usually assumed that John was a young man, perhaps the youngest of the apostles when the Lord called him to follow Him. 1. [21] Anglican commentator Alfred Plummer notes that "the similarity to the opening of the Gospel is manifest", but with a significant difference, in that the gospel refers to the existence of the Ancient Greek: λόγος, lógos, word, before the creation, whereas here the point is that the word existed before the incarnation.[21]. These theological errors are rejected by an appeal to the reality and continuity of the apostolic witness to Jesus. The purpose of the letter is to combat certain false ideas, especially about Jesus, and to deepen the spiritual and social awareness of the Christian community (1 Jn 3:17). Christ Jesus is … Lately, the priority of Matthew as the first written gospel has come under suspicion with Mark being considered by many to be the first written gospel. No one disputes that the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, and clearly this was a momentous event with far-reaching consequences, and very few Johannine scholars question that John’s Gospel was written subsequent to A.D. 70 (most opt for the A.D. 80s or early 90s). ; Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1990, Textual variants in the First Epistle of John, 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198744733.001.0001, English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Epistle_of_John&oldid=1014063813, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2020, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. C. Augustine (fourth century a.d.) says it was written to the Parthians (Babylon). The debate is far from over. While Paul wrote to specific congregations and individuals, Peter, James, John, and Jude wrote to broader audiences scattered across the Roman empire. For instance, 1 John often uses a demonstrative pronoun at the beginning of a sentence, then a particle or conjunction, followed by an explanation or definition of the demonstrative at the end of the sentence—a stylistic technique which is not used in the gospel. not later than A.D. 117 (cf. The author sets forth the striking contrasts between light and darkness, Christians and the world, and truth and error to illustrate the threats and responsibilities of Christian life. Verses 1-4 of the first chapter constitute a prologue or introduction concerning the Incarnate Word. The same is true with the Gospel of John. " (John 1:14-18). Because of its resemblance to the fourth gospel in style, vocabulary, and ideas, it is generally agreed that both works are the product of the same school of Johannine Christianity. It is written with the clear intent to both stop heretical teaching and strengthen his readers towards a faithful and fruitful discipleship of Jesus Christ. Whereas the Gospel of John was written for unbelievers (John 20:31), this epistle was written to those who were already believers (5:13). Date: c AD90-100. This probably came from the confusion of the phrase "the elect lady," 2 John 1, and the phrase, "she who is in Babylon," 1 Peter 5:13. Scholars have argued extensively about exactly who were the false teachers in the Johannine churches. An earlier generation saw them as Gnostics. Writer: The apostle John, towards the end of his life. "The Fourth Gospel addresses itself to the challenges posed by Judaism and others outside Johannine circles who have rejected the community's vision of Jesus as preexistent Son, sent by the Father." This indicates, at the very least, the linguistic characteristics changed over time. Unlike 2 and 3 John, it lacks in form the salutation and epistolary conclusion of a letter. The author affirms that authentic Christian love, ethics, and faith take place only within the historical revelation and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. [1] The original text was written in Koine Greek. It is a friendly, personal letter, written some time after the first letter, to the "elect lady" who, as I think, was John's friend, and not a church or some nation as has sometimes been argued. It may well have been written after the Gospel of John. Date: Since one can align the documents attributed to John while also noting that the apostle ministered in Ephesus while living to 98 AD, the Gospel and letters can confidently be pegged to the mid-80s to the mid-90s. Early Christian tradition identified this work as a letter of John the apostle. 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