The Third Epistle of John , the full title of “The Third Cathedral Epistle of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian” ( dr. Greek Γ΄ Ἐπιστολή Ἰωάννου , lat. Epistula III Ioannis ) is a book of the New Testament .
The Epistle of James , Jude , the two epistles of Peter and the three of John are called the epistles, as they, unlike the epistles of the Apostle Paul, are addressed not to specific communities and people, but to wide circles of Christians.
History
Most biblical scholars believe that all three epistles from John belong to one person, the author of the fourth Gospel, who is traditionally identified with the apostle John the Theologian .
In the second and third letters, the author calls himself an old man. Also the second and third messages are related by their style and small length. They were most likely written in the 90s of the 1st century .
The third epistle was little known in the ancient Church. Eusebius of Caesarea does not mention him among the books of the New Testament known to him. In the canon, it appeared from the time of the Laodicean Cathedral ( 363 year ).
Key topics
Compared to the second message, raising general questions, the third is more private. It is addressed to the "beloved Gaius", and also condemns a certain Diotrephes.
- Greetings to Gaius ( 1: 1 )
- Praise for Faithfulness to Truth ( 1: 2 - 4 )
- About hospitality ( 1: 5 - 8 )
- Reprimand of Diotrephes ( 1: 9 - 11 )
- Conclusion ( 1:12 - 15 )