THE LETTERS OF JOHN · BESIDE THE GOSPEL · ECHOES · TWIN NOTES · THE CANON

Side by side, and how they were received

The letters beside the Gospel and beside each other, and how the church received them.

BESIDE THE GOSPEL

1 John and the Gospel of John

1 John beside the Gospel of John. Click a ribbon to keep it.

Twenty-six places where 1 John and John's Gospel share wording or ideas, each named by Westcott, Law, Brooke or Dionysius of Alexandria. Dionysius already observed in the third century that “the Gospel and Epistle agree with each other and begin in the same manner”; Westcott calls the two openings complementary rather than parallel. Pairs marked “wording” share a phrase or a rare word; the rest share an idea. 1 John 1:1–4 John 1:1–18 [13][1][5][2]

ECHOES

2 John's echoes of 1 John

2 John beside 1 John. Click a ribbon to keep it.

2 John repeats 1 John's teaching almost line for line. Law calls it in effect a summary of the first letter.[5][9]

TWIN NOTES

2 John and 3 John

2 John beside 3 John. Click a ribbon to keep it.

The two short letters open and close in the same words. Brooke sets them side by side and says the likeness points to one author writing at about the same time. They are almost exactly the same length, which Brooke thinks was probably set by the size of an ordinary papyrus sheet.[2][5]

THE CANON

How they were received

Witness by witness, when each letter was quoted, used and accepted.

WHERE THIS PAGE COMES FROM

  • B. F. Westcott, The Epistles of St John: the Greek Text with Notes and Essays (1883 (3rd ed. 1892 used)), Introduction pp. xxx–lvi; note on 1 John 5:7–8 pp. 202–209.
  • A. E. Brooke, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Johannine Epistles (International Critical Commentary) (1912), Introduction pp. i–xc; note on 5:7 pp. 154–158.
  • A. Plummer, The Epistles of S. John (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1886 (1890 reprint used)), Introduction pp. 9–70; Appendix D pp. 204–212.
  • Robert Law, The Tests of Life: A Study of the First Epistle of St. John (1909), Ch. I, pp. 1–24; synopsis pp. 21–24.
  • Robert Law, “John, the Epistles of”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr (1915), vol. III pp. 1711–1720.
  • Robert Law, “Elect Lady”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr (1915), vol. II.
  • F. H. A. Scrivener, A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, 4th ed., ed. Edward Miller (1894), vol. II pp. 401–407 (“1 John v. 7, 8”).
  • John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746–48), on 1 John 5:7.
  • M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (1897), “John, First/Second/Third Epistle of”, “Diotrephes”, “Elect lady”.
  • William Smith, Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863 (online text of 1901)), “John, The First Epistle General of”; “John, The Second and Third Epistles of”; “Gaius”; “Diotrephes”; “Demetrius”.
  • Eusebius, trans. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, Book 3 (c. 325 (trans. 1890)), 3.20, 3.24, 3.25, 3.39.
  • Eusebius, trans. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, Book 6 (c. 325 (trans. 1890)), 6.25.10 (Origen).
  • Eusebius, trans. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, Book 7 (c. 325 (trans. 1890)), 7.25 (Dionysius of Alexandria).
  • Irenaeus, trans. Roberts & Rambaut, Against Heresies, Book 1 (c. 180 (trans. 1885)), 1.26.1.
  • Irenaeus, trans. Roberts & Rambaut, Against Heresies, Book 3 (c. 180 (trans. 1885)), 3.1.1.
  • Irenaeus, trans. Roberts & Rambaut, Against Heresies, Book 3 (c. 180 (trans. 1885)), 3.3.4.
  • Irenaeus, trans. Roberts & Rambaut, Against Heresies, Book 3 (c. 180 (trans. 1885)), 3.11.1.
  • Irenaeus, trans. Roberts & Rambaut, Against Heresies, Book 3 (c. 180 (trans. 1885)), 3.16.5, 3.16.8.
  • Jerome, trans. E. C. Richardson, Lives of Illustrious Men (392 (trans. 1892)), chs. 9 and 18.
  • Clement of Alexandria, trans. W. Wilson, Fragments: Comments on the Second Epistle of John (c. 200 (trans. 1885)).
  • Clement of Alexandria, Stromata (c. 200 (trans. 1885)), 2.15.
  • Polycarp, trans. Roberts & Donaldson, To the Philippians (c. 110–115 (trans. 1885)), ch. 7.
  • Ignatius, To the Smyrnaeans (c. 110 (trans. 1885)), ch. 2.
  • trans. J. Donaldson, Apostolic Constitutions (4th century (trans. 1886)), 7.46.
  • Athanasius, trans. R. Payne-Smith, Festal Letter 39 (367 (trans. 1892)).
  • Unknown (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5), The Muratorian Fragment (Canon Muratorianus) (late 2nd century (trans. 1886)), lines 26–31 and 68–69.

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