Greco-Christian stream·New Testament·General Epistles·3 John
3 John — to Gaius; against Diotrephes
The shortest book in the NT. From the elder to Gaius, commending him for hospitality to travelling teachers; warning against Diotrephes 'who loves to be first' and refuses to receive the elder's missives. A glimpse of late first-century church politics.
Source context
- Theme
- personal commendation, hospitality, and ecclesial authority in early Christian community
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Stoic-Roman epistolary traditionThe practice of commendatory letters (litterae commendaticiae) grounding travel and community trust in named personal virtue offers a structural parallel to 3 John's commendation of Gaius and censure of Diotrephes.
- Rabbinic haskamah traditionThe rabbinic letter of approbation, issued by recognized authority to vouch for a teacher's reliability, parallels the elder's written validation of itinerant missionaries in 3 John.
3 John
ASV (American Standard Version, 1901)
3 John 1
1:1The elder unto Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth.
1:2Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
1:3For I rejoiced greatly, when brethren came and bare witness unto thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth.
1:4Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
1:5Beloved, thou doest a faithful work in whatsoever thou doest toward them that are brethren and strangers withal;
1:6who bare witness to thy love before the church: whom thou wilt do well to set forward on their journey worthily of God:
1:7because that for the sake of the Name they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
1:8We therefore ought to welcome such, that we may be fellow-workers for the truth.
1:9I wrote somewhat unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
1:10Therefore, if I come, I will bring to remembrance his works which he doeth, prating against us with wicked words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and them that would he forbiddeth and casteth them out of the church.
1:11Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
1:12Demetrius hath the witness of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, we also bear witness; and thou knowest that our witness is true.
1:13I had many things to write unto thee, but I am unwilling to write them to thee with ink and pen:
1:14but I hope shortly to see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be unto thee. The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.
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