Introduction

CONCERNING THE THIRD CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF THE HOLY APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN

The question concerning the authenticity and canonicity of the third epistle of the Apostle and evangelist John is entirely analogous and inseparably connected with the similar question about the authenticity of the second epistle of the same Apostle. Both by the external, historical testimony of the 3rd epistle of John in church tradition, and by the internal similarity of thoughts and expressions of this epistle with the 1st epistle of John and the Gospel of John, its authenticity cannot be subject to doubt. Who exactly Gaius was, to whom this epistle was written, is not known with certainty. In the apostolic writings there are known to be several people with this name (Acts 19:29; Rom 16:23; 1 Cor 1:14), and one of them, namely the Corinthian Gaius (Rom 16:23), was distinguished by hospitality, just as was the Gaius to whom the 3rd epistle of John is addressed. Nevertheless, the identity of these two people is doubtful: the original readers of both the first two epistles of St. John and also the 3rd apparently belonged to Christians of the churches of Asia Minor. No hierarchical position of Gaius in 3 John is mentioned; probably he was simply a pious genuine Christian of lay rank.

The third epistle was written, probably, simultaneously with the second and, of course, also from Ephesus.

Greeting to Gaius and praise of him (1–4). Concerning the virtue of hospitality (5–8). Exposure of Diotrephes and praise of Demetrius (9–12). News and greetings (13–15).

3 John 1:1. The Elder — to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 3 John 1:2. Beloved! I pray that you may be healthy and prosper in all things, as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:3. For I was very glad when brothers came and testified about your faithfulness, how you walk in truth. 3 John 1:4. For me there is no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. As common as are greetings of love and expressions of love in the writings of the great Apostle of love, yet apparently Gaius was a particularly beloved student of his, which might be indicated by the emphatic expression (v. 1): “whom I love in truth” and the repeated use of the address “beloved” (vv. 1, 2, 5, 11) to Gaius, to whom the Apostle above all sends his prayerful good wishes (2), and then indicates (vv. 3–4) the foundation or reason for his apostolic good wishes toward Gaius and his affection for him—namely, that he walks in the truth (v. 3), and this for the pastoral love of the Apostle toward his spiritual children is the highest joy (v. 4; see 2 John 1:4).

3 John 1:5. Beloved! you are conducting yourself faithfully in what you do for the brothers and for strangers. 3 John 1:6. They have testified before the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way, as is fitting for God, 3 John 1:7. For they went out for the sake of His name, taking nothing from the gentiles. 3 John 1:8. Therefore we ought to receive such, so that we become fellow workers with the truth. The Apostles in their writings repeatedly praise and command the believers in love of strangers, hospitality (for example, Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2 and others), as a high Christian virtue, which received especially high value and significance in those cases when hospitality was shown to preachers of the Gospel who labored without payment among the newly converted (cf. 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 11:7; 1 Thess 2:9). Such, apparently, was the hospitality also of the pious Gaius, concerning which the brothers reported to the Apostle, “who went out for the sake of God’s name, taking nothing from the Gentiles” (v. 7): such indeed were the true heralds of the Gospel (cf. 1 Cor 9:12 and others).

3 John 1:9. I wrote to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to have the first place among them, does not receive us. 3 John 1:10. Therefore, if I come, I will bring up the deeds which he does, slandering us with evil words; and not content with that, he himself does not receive the brothers, and forbids those who wish to, and casts them out of the church. 3 John 1:11. Beloved! do not imitate evil, but good. Whoever does good is of God; but whoever does evil has not seen God. 3 John 1:12. Concerning Demetrius, testimony has been given by all, even by the truth itself; we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true. Instead of: “I wrote,” ἔγραψα, the Sinai manuscript has: ἔγραψα ἂν – “I would have written.” This reading, which finds confirmation also in the Vulgate reading: scripsissem forsitan, I would perhaps have written,—more fully answers the sense of the text of vv. 9–10: otherwise it would be unclear how a letter written by the Apostle to the whole Church would be lost? With the proposed reading, however, the meaning comes out that if the Apostle had written a letter to the whole church, then the one who loves to put himself first among them (members of that local church) might misuse this letter, but now the Apostle hopes to rebuke him in person (v. 10). Who exactly Diotrephes was is not said directly in the text, but the epithet “one who loves to put himself first,” ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων (v. 9), applied to Diotrephes, in connection with the predicates: “and refuses to welcome the brothers and stops those who want to, and casts them out of the church” (v. 10), that is, deprives them of church communion, as heretics,—shows in him a leader of the Church unworthy, in the judgment of the Apostle, of this office. Likewise unknown is the church position of the Demetrius praised by the Apostle (v. 12); only in Dorotheus of Tyre is there a tradition recorded that this Demetrius was later bishop of the Philadelphian church, one of the seven churches of Asia Minor mentioned in the Apocalypse (Rev 3:7 and following).

3 John 1:13. I had much to write; but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink, 3 John 1:14. but I hope to see you soon, and we shall speak face to face. 3 John 1:15. Peace to you. Friends greet you; greet the friends by name. Amen. The conclusion of the 3rd epistle is closely reminiscent of the conclusion of the second epistle (vv. 12–13); there is only an additional mention of the “friends” (οἱ φίλοι) of the Apostle (cf. Acts 27:3), some of whom are with him, and some are greeted by him through the epistle.