CHAPTER 1 ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΚΑΘΟΛΙΚΗ ΤΡΙΤΗ [449] [449] ιωαννου γ̄ א; ιωανου γ̄ B; ιωαννου επιστολη γ̄ C, many minusc.; ιωαννου επιστολη καθολικη γ̄ 101, 106; επιστολη τριτη του αγιου αποστολου ιωαννου L; του αυτου αγιου ιωαννου του θεολογου επιστολη τριτη 95; επιστολη του αγιου αποστο... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁ πρεσβύτερος, see Introd. pp. 159 ff. ἐγώ, see note on 2 John 1:1 ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, see note on 2 John 1:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
Address and Commendation. “The Elder to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in Truth. Beloved, in all respects I pray that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I was exceedingly glad when brethren would come and testify to thy Truth, even as thou walkest in Truth. A grea... [ Continue Reading ]
_Cf._ Law, _Ser. Call_, chap. vii. “Flavia would be a miracle of piety, if she was but half as careful of her soul as she is of her body. The rising of a pimple on her face, the sting of a gnat, will make her keep her room for two or three days, and she thinks they are very rash people that do not t... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐχάρην, see note on 2 John 1:4. ἐρχομένων, repeatedly, not on one particular occasion (ἐλθόντων). The itinerant brethren (_die reisenden Brüder_) were always at work, going out from Ephesus on their missions and returning with their reports. _Cf._ 3 John 1:5-6. See Introd. p. 155.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Cf._ Senec. _Ep._ xxxiv.: “Si agricolam arbor ad fructum perducta delectat, si pastor ex fœtu gregis sui capit voluptatem, si alumnum suum nemo aliter intuetur quam adulescentiam illius suam judicet: quid evenire credis his qui ingenia educaverunt, et quæ tenera formaverunt adulta subito vident?” _... [ Continue Reading ]
The adjective πιστός is either act., “believing” (_cf._ John 20:27), or passive, “worthy to be believed,” “trustworthy” (_cf._ 2 Timothy 2:2). It is passive here, and it is well explained by Œcumenius as equivalent to ἄξιον πιστοῦ ἀνδρός. The peculiarity is that, by a sort of hypallage, the adjectiv... [ Continue Reading ]
The Duty of Entertaining Itinerant Preachers. “Beloved, it is a work of faith that thou art doing in thy treatment of the brethren, strangers withal. They testified to thy love before the Church; and thou wilt do well in speeding them on their way worthily of God. For it was for the sake of the Name... [ Continue Reading ]
On the anarthrous ἐκκλησίας, see note on 2 John 1:10. καλῶς ποιήσεις has the sense of “please” in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri; _e.g._, 300, 3 6: ἔπεμψά σοι διὰ τοῦ καμηλείτου Ταυρείνου τὸ πανάριον, περὶ οὗ καλῶς ποιήσεις ἀντιφωνήσασά μοι ὅτι ἐκομίσου, “I sent you the bread-basket by the cameleer Taurinus... [ Continue Reading ]
τοῦ Ὀνόματος, sc. of Jesus (_cf._ Acts 5:40-41). There is perhaps a reference to this verse in Ignat. _ad Eph._ 7:1: εἰώθασι γάρ τινες δόλῳ πονηρῷ τὸ ὄνομα περιφέρειν, ἄλλα τινὰ πράσσοντες ἀνάξια Θεοῦ. 3:1: δέδεμαι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι. ἐξῆλθαν, sc. from Ephesus, the seat of the Apostle and therefore the h... [ Continue Reading ]
ἡμεῖς, emphatic in contrast to the Gentiles. ὀφείλομεν, of moral obligation. See note on 1 John 2:6. ὑπολαμβάνειν, _suscipere_, “receive hospitably” (_cf._ ὑποδέχεσθαι), “take under one's protection”. Observe the _Wortspiel_ λαμβάνοντες, ὑπολαμβάνειν. συνεργοὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ : a division of labour. If w... [ Continue Reading ]
ἔγραψά τι, a brief letter of commendation, συστατικὴ ἐπιστολή (2 Corinthians 3:1), introducing and authorising a company of itinerant brethren, probably those referred to in 3 John 1:5. φιλοπρωτεύειν, “love to be first, to be chief” (ἅπαξ λεγόμενον). The noun is φιλοπρωτεία and the adj. φιλόπρωτος ... [ Continue Reading ]
Churlishness of Diotrephes. “I wrote something to the Church, but Diotrephes, who loveth pre-eminence over them, doth not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I shall call to remembrance his works which he doeth, prating about us with evil words; and, not content therewith, neither doth he himself rece... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐὰν ἔλθω : the aged Apostle with his failing strength can only “hope” (_cf._ 3 John 1:14) to undertake the journey. ὑπομνήσω αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, not “remind him of his works” (contrast the “work” of Gaius in 3 John 1:5), but “bring his works to remembrance,” by reciting them at a meeting of the Church. S... [ Continue Reading ]
A warning against evil example. The pres. participles ἀγαθοποιῶν, κακοποιῶν denote _continuance in and practice of_ good or bad. See note on 1 John 3:6. ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, “a child of God” (_cf._ 1 John 3:10). Observe the gentleness of the Apostle: the natural antithesis of ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ would be ἐκ τοῦ δια... [ Continue Reading ]
Testimony to Demetrius. “Beloved, do not imitate what is bad but what is good. He that doeth what is good is of God; he that doeth what is bad hath not seen God. To Demetrius testimony hath been borne by all and by the Truth itself; yea, and we testify, and thou knowest that our testimony is true.”... [ Continue Reading ]
Application of the warning against evil example: Do not imitate Diotrephes, but imitate Demetrius. Demetrius was probably the bearer (_Ueber-bringer_) of the epistle. There is no reason for identifying him with Demetrius the silversmith of Ephesus (Acts 19:24). B. Weiss (_Einleit_.), supporting the... [ Continue Reading ]
γράψαι, aor. of the complete composition in the Apostle's mind; γράφειν, pres. of the process of putting it on paper. κάλαμος (in full κάλαμος γραφεύς), a reed-pen, as distinguished from γραφεῖον, a sharp-pointed _stilus_ for writing on waxed tablets. Plutarch (_Dem._, 29, 3) says that Demosthenes,... [ Continue Reading ]
The Conclusion. “I had many things to write to thee, but I am not minded to be writing to thee by pen and ink. However, I hope presently to see thee, and we shall talk face to face. Peace to thee! The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.” _ Cf._ 2 John 1:12-13. The similarity of the con... [ Continue Reading ]
3John 1:15. εἰρήνη σοι, _pax tibi_, the Jewish greeting, שָׁלוֹם לְךָ (Judges 6:23; Judges 19:20), οἱ φίλοι, those at Ephesus; τοὺς φίλους, those with Gaius. St. John knew all “by name,” and would have named them had space permitted. He had the true shepherd's heart (_cf._ John 10:3, the only other... [ Continue Reading ]