1 John 2:12-14

12–14. THREEFOLD STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR WRITING

“Hitherto St John has stated briefly the main scope of his Epistle. He has shewn what is the great problem of life, and how the Gospel meets it with an answer and a law complete and progressive, old and new. He now pauses, as it were to contemplate those whom he is addressing more distinctly and directly, and to gather up in a more definite form the charge which is at once the foundation and the end of all he writes” (Westcott).
These verses have given rise to much discussion (1) as to the different classes addressed, (2) as to the meaning of the change of tense, from γράφω, I write, to ἔγραψα, I wrote or have written. In the true text each of these forms occurs thrice. We have to deal with a change from a triplet with γράφω to a triplet with ἔγραψα. This arrangement is of importance in discussing the two difficulties. (1) The question as to the classes addressed is much the easier of the two. It will be observed that in each triplet we have ‘little children’ followed by ‘fathers’ and ‘young men’; the sole difference being the use of τεκνία in the first case and παιδία in the second. But this need not make us give a different interpretation in each case. ‘Little children’ throughout the Epistle, whether expressed as in 1 John 2:14; 1 John 2:18 (παιδία), or as in 1 John 2:1; 1 John 2:12; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:7; 1 John 3:18; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:21 (τεκνία), probably means the Apostle’s readers generally, and has nothing to do with age or with standing in the Christian community. It indicates neither those who are of tender years, nor those who are young in the faith. It is a term of affection for all the Apostle’s ‘dear children.’ But this is not the case with either ‘fathers’ or ‘young men.’ These terms are probably in each triplet to be understood of the older and younger men among the Christians addressed. This fully accounts for the order in each triplet; first the whole community, then the old, then the young. If ‘little children’ had reference to age, we should have had either ‘children, youths, fathers,’ or ‘fathers, youths, children.’ There is, however, something to be said for the view that all S. John’s readers are addressed in all three cases, the Christian life of all having analogies with youth, manhood, and age; with the innocence of childhood, the strength of prime, and the experience of full maturity. Thus S. Augustine says that Christians are filioli, quia baptismo neonati sunt; patres, quia Christum patrem et antiquum dierum agnoscunt; adolescentes, quia fortes sunt et validi. But the other interpretation is better. To make τεκνία refer to the whole body of readers, and παιδία to a subdivision coordinate with πατέρες and νεανίσκοι, violently dislocates the grouping: so strange an arrangement may safely be rejected.

(2) The question as to the change from γράφω to ἔγραψα is much more difficult and cannot be decided with confidence. It is much easier to shew that other explanations are unsatisfactory than to produce an explanation that is free from serious objection. The following interpretations of the change from the present to the aorist have been suggested. 1. ‘I write’ refers to the Epistle, ‘I wrote’ to the Gospel which it accompanies. The Apostle first gives reasons why he is writing this letter to the Church and to particular portions of it; and then gives reasons, partly the same and partly not, why he wrote the Gospel to which it makes such frequent allusions. On the whole this seems least unsatisfactory. It gives an intelligible meaning to each tense and accounts for the abrupt change. But it must be admitted that ἔγραψα in 1 John 2:21 cannot easily be referred to the Gospel: 1 John 2:26 is not parallel. 2. ‘I write’ refers to this Epistle; ‘I wrote’ to a former Epistle. But of any former Epistle we have no evidence whatever. 3. ‘I write’ refers to the whole Epistle; ‘I wrote’ to the first part down to 1 John 2:11. But would S. John have first said that he wrote the whole letter for certain reasons, and then said that he wrote a portion of it for much the same reasons? Had ‘I wrote’ preceded ‘I write,’ and had the reasons in each triplet been more different, this explanation would have been more satisfactory. 4. ‘I write’ refers to what follows, ‘I wrote’ to what precedes. This is a construction louche indeed! The objection urged against the preceding explanation applies still more strongly. 5. ‘I write’ is written from the writer’s point of view, ‘I wrote’ from the reader’s point of view: the latter is the epistolary aorist, like scripsi or scribebam in Latin (comp. Philippians 2:25; Philippians 2:28; Philemon 1:12, and especially 19 and 21). But is it likely that S. John would make three statements from his own stand-point, and then repeat them from his readers’ stand-point? And if so, why make any change in them? 6. The repetition is made for emphasis. This explains the repetition, but not the change of tense. Hence ὃ γέγραφα γέγραφα (John 19:22) and χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε. πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε (Philippians 4:4) are not analogous; for there the same tense is repeated. 7. S. John may have left off writing at the end of 1 John 2:13, and then on resuming may have partly repeated himself from the new point of time, saying ‘I wrote’ where he had previously said ‘I write.’ This is conceivable, but is a little fine-drawn.—Without, therefore, confidently affirming that it is the right explanation, we fall back upon the one first stated, as intelligible in itself and more satisfactory than the others. Commentators on the Vulgate are not confronted by the difficulty, both γράφω and ἔγραψα being rendered alike scribo, excepting by Jerome (Cod. Amiatinus) who omits one ἔγραψα and translates the last scripsi. Latin translators probably regarded ἔγραψα as an epistolary aorist.

A parallel arrangement will help the reader to consider the two questions for himself.

γράφω ὑμῖν, τεκνίο, ὄτι�.

ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, παιδία, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν πατέρα.

γραφω ὑμῖν, πατέρες, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν�ʼ ἀρχῆς.

ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, πατέρες, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν�ʼ ἀρχῆς.

γράφω ὑμῖν, νεανίσκοι, ὅτι νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν.

ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, νεανίσκοι, ὅτι ἰσχυροί ἐστε, καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν μένει, καὶ νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν.

τεκνία. As in 1 John 2:1 (τεκνία μου), 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:18; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:21, this address includes all his readers (in 1 John 3:7 the reading is disputable). Omnes suos auditores, quos ipse in Christo praecesserat, filiorum nomine glorificat (Bede). Some would render ὅτι�. αἱ ἁμαρτ. ‘that your sins are forgiven you’; and so in each of these six sentences substituting ‘that’ for ‘because.’ Of course this is possible grammatically, but otherwise is highly improbable. See on 1 John 2:21. The Vulgate has quoniam, Augustine quia, Luther denn. The verses are not quoted by Tertullian or Cyprian. S. John is evidently not telling his children what he is writing, but why he writes it. The very first condition of Christian morals is the forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:7); therefore he reminds all of them of this first. Ἀφέωνται (Luke 5:20; Luke 5:23; Luke 7:47; and perhaps John 20:23) is now commonly admitted to be a perfect indicative (= ἀφεῖνται) of Doric origin but used sometimes by Attic writers: Winer, 96, 97; Veitch, 104. The remittuntur of the Vulgate is therefore inadequate: not ‘are being forgiven,’ but ‘have been forgiven and remain so.’

διὰ τὸ ὄν. αὐτοῦ. Here, as in 1 John 1:5, it is obvious that αὐτοῦ refers to Jesus Christ and not to the Father. It was by believing on His Name that they acquired the right to become children of God (John 1:12). ‘The Name of Jesus Christ’ is not a mere periphrasis for Jesus Christ. Names in Scripture are constantly given as marks of character possessed or of functions to be performed. This is the case with all the Divine Names. The Name of Jesus Christ indicates His attributes and His relations to man and to God. It is through these that the sins of S. John’s dear children have been forgiven. Comp. 1 John 3:23; 1 John 5:13; 3 John 1:7. For διὰ τὸ ὄνομα comp. Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17; John 15:21; Revelation 2:3.