The Johannine Letters 978-0800660475

Table of contents :
Foreword
Preface
Reference Codes
1. Sources and Abbreviations
2. Short Titles of Commentaries, Studies, and
Articles Often Cited
Editor's Note
Introduction
1. Patristic Witnesses
2. The History of the Text
3. The Place of the Johannine Letters in the History
of the Canon
4. The Johannine School
5. Outline of 1 John
Introduction: Exegesis of 1 John
1:1-4 Prelude: What We Have Seen, We
Declare to You
Excursus: Zw~
Excursus: Kowwvla
Excursus: Xapa
I. 1:5-2:17 Communion with God Must Be Realized in
Freedom from Sin and in Mutual Love
General Comment
1:5-10 Johannine Dualism (Light and
Darkness, Truth and Falsehood) and
the Problem of Sin
Excursus: Light and Darkness
2:1-6 Indicative and Imperative
Excursus: Mtvuv
2:7-11 Old and New Commandment
Excursus: 'EvToA~
2:12-17 Concrete Ethical Demands
11.2:18-27 False Teaching
Excursus: Xp'iup.a
Excursus: The False Teachers in
1 John (Docetism)
Ill. 2:28-3:24 Whoever Keeps God's Commandments Has a
Well-Founded Hope
General Comment
2:28- 29 Justice before the Second Coming
Excursus: Tiapp7Jcrla
Excursus: Being Born of God
XI


3:1-3 Hope for the Revelation of the
Children of God Leads to Renewal 86
3:4-10 Anyone Who Is from God Does Not Sin 93
3:11-18 Love of the Brothers and Sisters 107
3:19-24
IV. 4:1-6
V. 4:7-5:4a
4:7-10
4:11-16
4:17-21
5:1-4a
VI. 5:4b-12
VII. 5:13-21
1-3
4-6
7-11
12-13
Confidence in God Is Founded on
Keeping God's Commandments and on
the Gift of the Spirit 120
On Discernment of Spirits (Truth and Error) 131
The Love of God Revealed in the Son Obliges Us
to Love Our Brothers and Sisters 142
General Comment 142
Love of the Brothers and Sisters and
Love of God 143
Excursus: 'Aycbr71 144
Love of God and Love of the Brothers
and Sisters 155
Eschatological Reservation and Present
Perfection in Agape 162
The Actions of Those Who Are Born
of God: Loving God's Children and
Keeping the Commandments 174
Faith Founded on the Testimony oJWater,
Blood, and Spirit 181
Excursus: Maprvpt:"iv 186
Excursus: The Textual Tradition of
the "Commajohanneum"
The Power of Prayer
Excursus: Second Repentance
Introduction: Exegesis of 2 John
Beginning of the Letter
Excursus: rLVO>cTICt:LV
Admonition to Mutual Love
Excursus: The Commandment of
Mutual Love
Warning against Deceivers
Excursus: The Antichrist
Excursus: Early Catholicism
Conclusion of the Letter
Introduction: Exegesis of 3 John
Beginning of the Letter
Praise of Gaius
Warning against Diotrephes
Excursus: Diotrephes and the
Presbyter
Recommendation for Demetrius
Conclusion of the Letter
1. Commentaries
2. Studies
Indices
1. Passages
2. Greek Words
3. Subjects
Designer's Notes

Citation preview

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The Johannine Letters

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Hermeneia-

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A Critical

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Historical

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Commentary

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Bible

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"It is impossible to exaggerate the significance of the new series of biblical commentaries wh1ch Fortress Press is produc1ng under the title Hermeneia. Th1s series will surely constitute a milestone 1n Amencan publishing ." W . D. Davies. The Divinity School. Duke University " Hermeneia promises to surpass any biblical commentary series thus far produced . The international and interconfessional character of the contributors will enable this commentary to provide a w1de and healthy perspective in bibl1ca l interpretation ." Roland E. Murphy, 0 . Carm .. Duke Univers1ty "The authors represent not only the best scholarsh ip of our period but they also have the kind of interpretive energy and creativeness that will influence significantly the whole field of biblical studies and the study of religion in this country and elsewhere." Amos N. Wilder. The Divinity School. Harvard University, Ementus "We have for too long been lacking a commentary series with adequate historical. critical and history of religions material. The undertaking of the project of fil ling this need is in itself a genuine accomplishment ." Gerhard Friedrich. Kiel University and editor. Theologisches Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament "I endorse Hermeneia enthusiastically. Once again a momentous commentary in the English language is in production ." Claus Westermann, Heidelberg University "Hermeneia ... wi ll bring to senous students of the Old and New Testaments. as well as to pastors and ministers. the critical guide needed for their biblical work ." Joseph A. Fitzmyer. S. S. Catholic University of Amenca " . . . naturally I am enthusiastic." Raymond E. Brown Union Theological Seminary

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The Johannine Letters

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Hermeneia -A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible

Old Testament Editorial Board Frank Moore Cross, Harvard University, chairman Klaus Baltzer, University of Munich Paul D. Hanson, Harvard University S. Dean McBride, Jr., Union Theological Seminary in Virginia Peter Machinist, Harvard University Susan Niditch, Amherst College Christopher R. Seitz, Yale University Roland E. Murphy, 0. Carm., emeritus New Testament Editorial Board Helmut Koester, Harvard University, chairman Harold W. Attridge, University of Notre Dame Adela Yarbro Collins, University of Chicago Eldon jay Epp, Case Western Reserve University James M. Robinson, Claremont Graduate School

The Johannine Letters

A Commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John

by Georg StreckerTranslation by Linda M. Maloney Edited by Harold Attridge

Fortress Press

Minneapolis

The Johannine Letters A Commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John Copyright® 1996 Augsburg Fortress This book is a translation of Die johannesbriefe ubersetzt und erkltirt, Meyers Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar Ober das Neue Testament, published 1989 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Gottingen. Copyright © 1989 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. English translation copyright © 1995 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write to: Permissions, Augsburg Fortress, 426 S. Fifth St. , Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440. Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. Cover and interior design: Kenneth Hiebert Production management by Publishers' WorkGroup Typesetting by Polebridge Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Strecker, Georg, 1929Uohannesbriefe. English] TheJohannine letters : a commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John / by Georg Strecker ; translation by Linda M. Maloney; edited by Harold Attridge. p. em. - (Hermeneia-a critical and historical commentary on the Bible) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-8006-6047-1 (alk. paper) 1. Bible. N.T . Epistles of john-Commentaries. I. Attridge, Harold W. II. Bible. N.T. Epistles of John. English. New Revised Standard. Ill. Title. IV. Series. BS2805.3.S75513 1996 227' .94077-dc20 95-36570 CIP The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984.

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BELOVED, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER, BECAUSE LOVE IS FROM GOD; EVERYONE WHO LOVES IS BORN OF GOD AND KNOWS GOD. - I JOHN 4:7

The Author

Georg Strecker (1929-1994) was Professor of New Testament at the University ofGottingen 1968-1994. He earned a doctorate at the University ofMarburg under Rudolf Bultmann. He was the author of a number of books, including Das judenchristentum in die Pseudoklementinen (1958), Der Weg der Gerechtigkeit: Untersuchung zur Theologie des Matthaus (1962), Die Bergpredigt. Ein exegetischer Kommentar (1984) translated into English as The Sermon on the Mount (Abingdon 1989), Konkordanz zu den Pseudoklementinen (1986/89), and Literaturgeschichte des Neuen Testaments (1992).

VI

Contents

Commentary • The First Epistle of John

Foreword XI Preface X111 Reference Codes XV 1. Sources and Abbreviations XV 2. Short Titles of Commentaries, Studies, and Articles Often Cited XXI Editor's Note XXV111 XXIX Introduction 1. Patristic Witnesses XXIX XXX 2. The History of the Text 3. The Place of the Johannine Letters in the History xxxii of the Canon 4. The Johannine School XXXV xlii 5. Outline of 1 John

1:1-4

Introduction: Exegesis of 1 John Prelude: What We Have Seen, We Declare to You Excursus: Zw~ Excursus: Kowwvla Excursus: Xapa

3 8 16 20 21

I. 1:5-2:17

Communion with God Must Be R ealized in Freedom from Sin and in Mutual Love General Comment 1:5-10 Johannine Dualism (Light and Darkness, Truth and Falsehood) and the Problem of Sin Excursus: Light and Darkness 2:1-6 Indicative and Imperative Excursus: Mtvuv 2:7-11 Old and New Commandment Excursus: 'EvToA~ 2:12-17 Concrete Ethical Demands

11.2:18-27

False T eaching Excursus: Xp'iup.a Excursus: The False Teachers in 1 John (Docetism)

23 23

25 26 35 44 47 48 54 61 65 69

Ill. 2:28-3:24

Whoever K eeps God's Commandments Has a Well-Founded Hope General Comment 2:28- 29 Justice before the Second Coming Excursus: Tiapp7Jcrla Excursus: Being Born of God

78 78 79 80 83

VII

3:1-3 3:4-10 3:11-18 3:19-24

Hope for the Revelation of the Children of God Leads to Renewal 86 Anyone Who Is from God Does Not Sin 93 Love of the Brothers and Sisters 107 Confidence in God Is Founded on Keeping God's Commandments and on the Gift of the Spirit 120 On Discernment of Spirits (Truth and Error)

IV. 4:1-6

The Love of God Revealed in the Son Obliges Us to Love Our Brothers and Sisters General Comment 4:7-10 Love of the Brothers and Sisters and Love of God Excursus: 'Aycbr71 4:11-16 Love of God and Love of the Brothers and Sisters 4:17-21 Eschatological Reservation and Present Perfection in Agape 5:1-4a The Actions of Those Who Are Born of God: Loving God's Children and Keeping the Commandments

131

V. 4:7-5:4a

VI. 5:4b-12

VII. 5:13-21

• The Second Epistle of John

1-3 4-6

7-11

12-13

VIII

Faith Founded on the Testimony oJWater, Blood, and Spirit Excursus: Maprvpt:"iv Excursus: The Textual Tradition of the "Commajohanneum" The Power of Prayer Excursus: Second Repentance

Introduction: Exegesis of 2 John Beginning of the Letter Excursus: rLVO>cTICt:LV Admonition to Mutual Love Excursus: The Commandment of Mutual Love Warning against Deceivers Excursus: The Antichrist Excursus: Early Catholicism Conclusion of the Letter

142 142 143 144 155 162

174

181 186 188 197 203

217 218 222 228 228 232 236 244 250

• The Third Epistle of John

1-2 3-8 9-10

11-12 13-15

Introduction: Exegesis of 3 John Beginning of the Letter Praise of Gaius Warning against Diotrephes Excursus: Diotrephes and the Presbyter Recommendation for Demetrius Conclusion of the Letter

253 255 258 261 261 265 267

Bibliography 1. Commentaries 2. Studies Indices 1. Passages 2. Greek Words 3. Subjects

271 271 276

Designer's Notes

318

285 312 314

IX

Foreword

The name Hermeneia, Greek Epp.7JvEla, has been chosen as the title of the commentary series to which this volume belongs. The word Hermeneia has a rich background in the history of biblical interpretation as a term used in the ancient Greek-speaking world for the detailed, systematic exposition of a scriptural work. It is hoped that the series, like its name, will carry forward this old and venerable tradition. A second, entirely practical reason for selecting the name lies in the desire to avoid a long descriptive title and its inevitable acronym, or worse, an unpronounceable abbreviation. The series is designed to be a critical and historical commentary to the Bible without arbitrary limits in size or scope. It will utilize the full range of philological and historical tools, including textual criticism (often slighted in modern commentaries), the methods of the history of tradition (including genre and prosodic analysis), and the history of religion. Hermeneia is designed for the serious student of the Bible. It will make full use of ancient Semitic and classical languages; at the same time, English translations of all comparative materials-Greek, Latin, Canaanite, or Akkadian-will be supplied alongside the citation of the source in its original language. Insofar as possible, the aim is to provide the student or scholar with full critical discussion of each problem of interpretation and with the primary data upon which the discussion is based. Hermeneia is designed to be international and interconfessional in the selection of authors; its editorial boards were formed with this end in view. Occasionally the series will offer translations of distinguished commentaries which originally appeared in languages other than English. Published volumes of the series will be revised continually, and eventually, new commentaries will replace older works in order to preserve the currency of the series. Commentaries are also being assigned for important literary works in the categories of apocryphal and pseudepigraphical works relating to the Old and New Testaments, including some ofEssene or Gnostic authorship. The editors of Hermeneia impose no systematic-theological perspective upon the series (directly, or indirectly by selection of authors). It is expected that authors will struggle to lay bare the ancient meaning of a biblical work or pericope. In this way the text's human relevance should become transparent, as is always the case in competent historical discourse. However, the series eschews for itself homiletical translation of the Bible. The editors are heavily indebted to Fortress Press for its energy and courage in taking up an expensive, long-term project, the rewards of which will accrue chiefly to the field of biblical scholarship. The editor responsible for this volume is Harold W. Attridge of the University of Notre Dame. Frank Moore Cross

Helmut Koester

For the Old Testament Editorial Board

For the New Testament Editorial Board XI

Preface

This new edition of the commentary on the Johannine Letters cannot be released without an acknowledgment of respect and gratitude to Rudolf Bultmann, my teacher at Marburg in 1949-1950. To him I owe the theological standards I apply to the exegesis of the New Testament. That will be clear from the following interpretation, which makes reference more often than is usually the case to the previous edition, the mature work of Rudolf Bultmann completed in 1967. My interpretation is made in a spirit both of critical acceptance and critical distance, and attempts to unfold the Johannine writings not so much by means of detailed literary-critical dissection as from a redaction-critical point of view, in order to remain aware of the vitality of the oral tradition as it is revealed in the Johannine "school," not least through the discussions that took place there. In my essays "Die Anfange der johanneischen Schule" ( 1986) and "Chiliasm and Docetism in the Johannine School" ( 1990), I presented a preliminary sketch of these matters. Above all, I seek critical readers who are open-minded enough to question traditional positions. It is true of this commentary on the J ohannine Letters, as it has been of all the volumes produced in the "Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar iiber das Neue Testament" since its founding, that its proper goal is not scholarly discussion, but the unity of theory and praxis in service of the church's preaching. In this connection, the description of the first letter of John by the reformer Martin Luther may not only receive acknowledgment, but may also find an expansive interpretation: that this "honest, apostolic epistle paints Christ for us in a beautiful and loving way; for it is a glorious treasure-house of many spiritual and heavenly truths." It is my pleasant duty at this point also to thank those whose advice aided me in the preparation of the German edition: Pastor Klaus Fricke, retired, in GottingenNikolausberg; and my former assistant, Friedrich Wilhelm Horn, Th.D., now Professor of New Testament at the University of Duisburg. My special thanks to Professor Linda Maloney, who took on the arduous task of preparing the English translation and exercised great care in bringing it to completion. She was kind enough also to incorporate necessary additions to the German edition, including the correction of typographical errors and inadvertent omissions, so that this American edition has been brought in line with the latest state of research to the fullest extent possible. Gottingen 15 January 1993

Georg Strecker

Xlll

Reference Codes

1 . Sources and Abbreviations

Gingrich, and F. W. Danker, A

Abbreviations for ancient sources follow, with minor modifications, the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. I (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964) xvi-xl. Abbreviations in textcritical notes follow the Nestle-Aiand, 26th edition (Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, Kurt Aland, et al., N1n1um Testamentum Graece (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1979]; abbreviated Nestle-Aiand26). The following abbreviations have also been used:

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch

AB

Anchor Bible

'Abot R. Nat. Act. Thom.

'Abot de Rabbi Nathan Acts of Thomas

Aeschylus A g. AGJU

AGLB AGWG.PH

AKG AnBib ANF

2Bar.

BAW BBB BBET BDF

the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago:

BDR

Agammemnon

Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antikenjudemums und des Urchristentums A us der Geschichte der lateinischen Bibel Abhandlungen der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen. Philologischhistorische Klasse Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte Analecta biblica Ante-Nicene Fathers

Bibliothek der Alten Welt Bonner biblische Beitrage Beitrage zur biblischen Exegese und Theologie F. Blass, A. Debrunner, and Robert W. Funk, A Grammar of

Ber.

BEThL BEvTh BFCTh

University of Chicago Press, 1961) F. Blass, A. Debrunner, and F. Rehkamp, Grammatik des neutestamentlichen G riechisch Berakot (tractate of Mishna and

Talmud) Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum Lovaniensium Beitrage zur evangelischen Theologie Beitrage zur Forderung christlicher Theologie

BGU

Agyptische Urkunden aus den Kgl. Museen zu Berlin

BHTh

Beitrage zur historischen Theologie

Bib

ANRW

Aufstieg und Niedergang der riimischm Welt

ANTT

Arbeiten zur neutestamentlichen Textforschung

BJRL

Biblica Bulletin of the john Rylands University Library ofManchester

Ap. Canst. Ap.john Apoc. Abr. Apoc. Mos. Apoc. Pet. Apoc. Zeph. 2 Apoc.Jas.

Apostolic Constitutions Apocryphon ofjohn (NHC 2, I) Apocalypse of Abraham Apocalypse ofMoses Apocalypse of Peter Apocalypse of Zephaniah Second Apocalypse ofjames (NHC

BJS BKV

Brown Judaic Studies Bibliothek der Kirchenvater

BSac BT BTB

Bibliotheca sacra The Bible Translator Biblical Theology Bulletin

5, 4)

BU

Biblische Untersuchungen

BZ

Biblische Zeitschrift Beihefte zur ZNW Catholic Biblical Quarterly

BZNW CBQ

Aristotle Nic. Eth. Rhet. Asc. /sa. As. Mos.

Nicomachean Ethics Rheta rica Ascension of Isaiah Assumption of Moses

ASNU

Acta seminarii neotestamentici upsaliensis

AsSeign

Assemblies du Seigneur

AThANT

Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten und Neuen Testaments

AUSS

Andrews University Seminary Studies

b. BAGD

Babylonian Talmud W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, F. W.

CBSC CChr CD

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Corpus Christianorum The Cairo (Geniza Text of the) Damascus (Document)

Chrysostom Hom . in joh. GIG I Clem. 2 Clem.

Homilies on John Corpus inscription urn graecarum The First Epistle of Clement The Second Epistle of Clement

Clement of Alexandria Div. Exc. Theod. Hyp.

Quis Dives Salvetur Excerpta ex Theodoto Hypotyposeis XV

Paed. Strom.

CNEB

Paedagogus Stromata

Con NT

Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible Commentaire du Nouveau Testament Coniectanea Neotestamentica

Corp. Herm.

Corpus Hermeticum

CR

Corpus reformatorum Corpus scriptorum christianorum orientalium Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum

CNT

csco CSEL CuBi DBM DBSup Did.

Cultura biblica

Freiburger Zeitschrift fiir Philosophie und Theologie

GCS

Griechische christliche Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte Grundkurs Theologie Grundrisse zum Neuen Testament Gospel of Philip (NHC 2, 3) Gospel of Thomas (NHC 2, 2) Gottinger Theologische Arbeiten

GThA Orationes

EB EdF

Echter Bibel Ertrage der Forschung Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, eds., Exegetical

EKL 1 Enoch Ep. Ep. Arist.

FZPhTh

Cos. Phil. Cos. Thom.

Vitae philosophorum Epistle to Diognetus Duwnside Review Divus Thomas

EKKNT

FThSt FTS

Dictionnaire de Ia Bible, Supplement Didache

Vit. phil. Diogn. DRev DT

EeV

fragment Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments Freiburger theologische Studien Frankfurter theologische Studien

GKT GNT

Diogenes Laertius

EDNT

Expository Times

frg. FRLANT

1:!...-Arlo B•.BA•K;;>V MtAtrwv

Dio Chrysostom Or.

ExpT

Dictionary of the Nnu Testament Esprit et Vie

Evangelisch-katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament Evangelisches Kirchenlexilwn Ethiopic Enoch E pistola(e) Epistle of Aristeas

GuL Herm. Man. Sim. Vis.

Geist und Leben Shepherd of Hennas Mandates Similitudes Visions

HeTr Hippolytus

Helps for Translators

Ref

Refutation of All Heresies

HKAW

Handbuch der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft Handkommentar zum euen Testament Handbuch zum Neuen Testament Harper's ew Testament Commentaries

HKNT HNT HNTC Homer fl.

Epictetus Diss.

Od. Dissertationes

HSNT

Epiphanius Pan. EstBib

Panarion Estudws biblicos

EtB

Etudes bibliques

EThL

Ephemerides theologicae lovanienses

HThKNT

HUT

Euripides Cycl. lph. T . Phoen.

Cyclops lphigeneia at Tauris Phoenician Women

Eusebius Dem. Ev. Hist. eccl. Praep. Ev. EvQ EvTh EWNT

Exp. XVI

Demons/ratio evangelica Historia ecclesiastica Praeparatw evangelica Evangelical Quarterly Evangelische Theologie

Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, eds., Exegetisches Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament The Expositor

Hyp. Arch.

Iliad Odyssey

Die Heilige Schrift des Neuen Testaments Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament Hermeneutische Untersuchungen zur Theologie Hypoatasis of the Archons (NHC 2, 4)

IB

Interpreter's Bible

ICC

International Critical Commentary

Ignatius Eph. Magn. Phld. Pol. Rom. Smym. Trail.

Letter to the Ephesians Letter to the Magnesians Letter to the Philadelphians Letter to Polycarp Letter to the Romans Letter to the Smymaeans Letter to the Trallians

ILS Int

Hermann Dessau , ed., I nscriptiones Iatinae selectae Interpretation

Irenaeus Adv. haer. ITQ

NGWG Adversus haereses (Against the Heresies) Irish Theological Quarterly

JBC

Jahrbuch fur Antike und Christentum Raymond E. Brown, et al., eds.,

JBL JEA j os. Asen.

The J erome Biblical Commentary j ournal of Biblical Literature j ournal of Egyptian Archeology j oseph and Aseneth

JAC

Josephus Ant. Ap. Bell. )PTh

Antiquities of the j ews Against Apion Bellum judaicwn (The j ewish War) Jahrbiicher fur protestantische Theologie

JSNTSup

J i.idische Schriften a us hellenistisch-romischer Zeit Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

JTS

journal of Theological Studies

JSHRZ

Justin I Apol. Dial. KD

First Apology Dialogue with Trypho Kerygma und Dogma

KEK

Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar i.iber das Neue Testament

KJV

King james Version

KIT KTA LSJ

Kleine Texte Kroners Taschenausgabe Liddell-Scott-Jones, GreekEnglish Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon, 1968)

NHC NHLE

Nag Hammadi Libra ry in English (3d ed.; San Francisco: Harper,

1988) NICNT

NovTSup

New International Commentary on the New Testament Neue kirchliche Zeitschrifl Novum Testamentum Novum Testamentum, Supple-

NRSV NRTh

New Revised Standard Version La nouvelle revue theologique

NTAbh

NTD OBO

Neutestamentliche Abhandlungen Edgar Hennecke and Wilhelm Schneemelcher, eds., Nw Testament Apocrypha (2 vols.; trans. A.J. B. Higgins, et al.; ed. R. MeL. Wilson; London: Lutterworth; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963-64) Wilhelm Schneemelcher, ed., New T estament Apocrypha (2 vols.; rev. ed.; trans. Ernest Best, et al.; ed. R. MeL. Wilson ; Louisville: Westminster / John Knox , 1991) Das Neue Testament Deutsch Orbis biblicus et oriental is

Odes Sol. Orig. World

Odes of Solomon On the Origin of the World ( HC

NKZ NovT

ments

NTApoc 1

NTApoc 2

2, 5) Origen C. Cels. Comm. in joh.

Lucian Hennot.

LXX m. Mart. Pol. Midr. Ps.

MNTC MT MThS MThS.H

H ermotimus

Septuagint Mishna

Comm. in Matt.

Martyrdom of Polycarp Mid rash on the Psalms

Comm. in R om.

Moffatt New Testament Commentary Masoretic Text Mi.inchener theologische Studien Mi.inchener theologische Studien. Historischt: Abteilung

Orat. Prine.

MThZ NCB NEB NedThT Neot

M ilnchener theologisclle Zeitschrifl New Century Bible New English Bible Nederlands theologisch tijdschrifl Neotesta.mentica

Nestle-Aland2 6

Eberhard Nestle, Kurt Aland, et

al., Novum Testamentum Graece (26th ed.; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1979) Nachrichten der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften in Gouingen Nag Hammadi Codex James M. Robinson , ed., The

OTK

OTP

P. P. Eger. P. Flor. P. Lond.

Contra Celsum Commentary on the Gospel According to john Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthw Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans De oratione De principiis

Okumenischer Taschenbuchkommentar zum Neuen Testament James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols.; Garden City: Doubleday, 1983-85) Papyrus Egerton Papyrus Florentini Papyrus London Papyrus XVII

P. Ox y. P. Ryl.

Oxyrhynchus Papyrus Rylands Papyrus

Porphry Abst. Ps-Clem. Ep.

Pass. Andr.

Passio Andreae

PETSE PC PGM

Papers of the Estonian Theological Society in Exile Migne, Patrologia graeca K. Preisenda nz, ed., Pap)wi

Ps.-Clem. H om. Ps.-Clem. R ec.

Ph

graecae magicae Philologus

Def Ps. Sol.

Deusimm. Ebr. Fla cc. Fug.

Gig. j os. Leg. all. Leg. Gaj. Migr. Abr. Mut . 110111. Op. mtm. Poster. C. Praem. poen. Q. Exod. Q.Gm. R er. div. her. Sacr. AC Sobr. Som. Spec. leg. Vir/. Vit. Mos.

De Abrahamo De agriwltura De cherubim De confusione lingua rum De deca logo Quod deterius potiori insidiari solei Quod Deus sit immutabilis De eb rietate I n Fla ccu m De fuga et inventione De gigantibus Dej osepho Legu.m allegoriae Lega tio ad Gajum De migratione Abrahami De mutatione nominum De opificio mwtdi De posteritale Caini De praemiis el poenis Quaestiones in Exodum Quaestiones in Genesim Quis rerum divinarum heres sit De sacrificiis Abe/is et Caini De sobrietale De somniis De specia libus legibus De v irtutibus De vita M osis

Pindar Nem . Pyth. PL

Nemean Odes Pythian Odes Migne, Patrologia latina

Plato Leg. Prot. R ep. Theaet. Tim.

Leges (Laws) Protagoras Republic Theaetetu s Timaeus

Plotinus Enn.

Ps.-Piato

Enneads

Adv. haer.

De Ei apud Delphos De /side et Osiride Quaestiones Romanae De Stoicorum repugnantiis

Polycarp Phil. XVIII

Leiter to the Philippians

Adversus omnes haereses

Qumran

Q IQH

Thanksgiving Hymns from

Qumran Cave I IQM

Mil/llimlih (War Scroll) from

IQpHab

Pesher on H abakkuk from

IQS

Manual of Discipline from

Qumran Cave I Qumran Cave I

IQSa 2QF1or 4QTestim QD RAC

RB RechBib RechSR RefR RevExp RGG

Qumran Cave I Appendix A to I QS Florilegium from Qumran Cave 2 Testimonia from Qumran Cave 4 Quaestiones disputatae Real/exikon fiir Antike und Christmtum R evue biblique

Recherches bibliques Recherches de science religieuse Reforma tion Review Review and Expositor Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwarl (2d ed.; TO bingen :

Mohr (Siebeck] , 1927-32; 3d ed., 1957-62) RHPhR RivB

Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses R ivista biblica

RNT

Regensburger

RQ

R omische Qua rtalschrift fiir christliche Alter/wnskunde und K irrhmgeschichte R evised Standard Version Revue thomiste

RSV RThom

RVV SANT SBEc SBFLA

Plutarch EiDelph. Is. et Os. Quaest. Rom. Stoic. rep.

Definitions Psalms ofSolomon

Ps.-Tertullian

Philo Abr. Agric. Cher. Conf. li•tg. Deca l. Del. pot. ins.

De abstinentia Pseudoclemen tine H om ilies, Introductory Epistle Pseudoclementine H omilies Pseudoclemm tine Recognitions

SBJ

SBLDS SB (PC)

eues Testament

Religionsgesch ichtliche Versuche und Vorarbeiten Studien zum Alten und euen Testament Studio biblica et ecclesiastica Studii biblici francisco ni tiber annuus La sainte bible de jirusa lem

SBL Dissertation Series La sainte bible. Published under the general direction of Louis Pi rot and continued by A. Clamer

SBS SBT

sc SCHNT

Stuttgarter Bibelstudien Studies in Biblical Theology Sources chretiennes Studia ad corpus hellenisticum Novi Testamenti

Seneca Ben. Ep. Prov.

De beneficiis Epistulae morales De providentia

Sextus Empiricus Adv.log. Adv. math. Sib. Or. Sipra Lev. Sipra Num . Sipre Deut. SjT

Adversus logicos Adversus mathematicos Sibylline Oracles Sipra on Levitiws Sipra on Numbers Sipre on Deuteronomy Scottish journal of Theology

SNT SNTSMS

Schriften des Neuen Testaments Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series

Sophocles Phil.

SPAW.PH

Philoctetes

StB

Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Philosophischhistorische Klasse Studia Biblica

StEv

Studia evangelica

TDOT

Dictionary of the Old Testament

Tertullian Ad mart. Adv. Marc. Adv. Prax. Bapt. Idol. Pud. Scorp. Tg.

Ad martyros Adversus Marcionem Adversus Praxean De baptismo De idololatria De pudicitia Scorpiace Targum

ThBi.i THBW

Theologische Bi.icherei Theologisch-homiletisches Bibelwerk Theophaneia

Theoph ThGl ThHKNT Thjb

Str-B

Ecloge Studia Patavina Studia Patristica

SVF

Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments Johannes von Arnim, Stoicorwn

SWjT T. 12 Pat. T. Benj. T. Da11 T. Iss. T.jud. T. Naph. T. Reub. T. Sim . T. Zeb.

veterwn fragmenta Southwestern journal of Theology Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs Testament of Benjamin T estament of Dan Testammt of Issachar Testament ofjudah Testammt of Naphtali Testament of Reuben Testament of Simeon Testament of Zebulon

SUNT

TBC TBLNT

Torch Bible Commentaries Lothar Coenen, et al., eds., Th eologisches Begriffslexikon zum Neuen Testament (ET: New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin

TDNT

Brown [3 vols. , Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-78)) G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament

Theologische jahrbilcher

ThLZ ThQ ThR ThSt ThStK ThWAT

Theologische Literaturzeitung Theologische Quartalschrift Theologische Rundschau Theologische Studien (Munich) Theologische Studien und K ritiken

ThWNT

G. Kittel and G . Friedrich, eds.,

G . J. Botterweck and H. Ringgren, eds., Theologisches Wiirterbuch zum Allen Testament Theologisches Wiirterbuch zum Neuen Testament

H. Strack and P. Billerbeck, Kommentar zwn Neuen T estament

Theologie ttnd Glaube

Theologischer Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament (Ti.ibingen)

Stobaeus Eel. SIP at StPatr

G.J. Bouerweck and H. Ringgren, eds., Theological

TNTC

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

TRE TS TThZ

Theologische Realenzyklopiidie Theological Studies Trierer theologische Zeitschrift

TU

Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur

TZ

Theologische Zeitschrift

UCB UNT

U rchristliche Botschaft Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

vc

Vigiliae christianae Verbum Domini Verkiindigwtg und Forschung

VD VF

VL

Vetus Latina

v.l.

varia lectio (variant reading)

VS

Verbum salutis

VT

Vetus Testamentum

WA WBC WMANT

M. Luther, Kritische Gesamtausgabe (="Weimar" edition) Word Biblical Commentary Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament

WTj

Westminster Theological journal XIX

WUNT

Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

Xenophon H ell. Mem. R esp. Lac.

y.

XX

H ellenica Memorabilia Socratis R espublica Lacadaemoniorum

ZBK

Talmud Yerushalmi,Jerusalem Talmud Zurcher Bibelkommentar

ZKG ZKTh

Zeitschrift fur Kirchengeschichte Zeitschrift fur katholische Th eologie

ZNW

Zeitschrift fur die neulestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der iilteren K i rche

ZP

Zauberpapyri

ZThK ZWTh

Zeitschrifl f ur Theologie und Kirche Zeitschrifl fiir wissenschaftliche Theologie

2.

Short Titles of Commentaries, Studies, and Articles Often Cited

Works mentioned more than twice are regularly cited by short title. In all cases full bibliographical information accompanies the first citation. Aland and Aland, Text Kurt and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New T estament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modem Textual Criticism (trans. Errol! F. Rhodes; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987; 2d ed., 1989); ET of Der T ext des Neuen T estaments: Einfilhrung in die wissenschaftlichen Ausgaben sawie in Theorie und Praxis der modemen T extkritik (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1982). Balz, "Johanneische Theologie" Horst R. Balz, "Johanneische Theologie und Ethik im Licht der 'letzten Stunde,'" in Wolfgang Schrage, ed., Studien zum T ext und zur Ethik des Neuen T estaments: Festschrift fur H. Greeven (BZNW 47; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1986) 35-56. Balz, "Johannesbriefe" Horst R. Balz, "DieJohannesbriefe," in Horst Balz and Wolfgang Schrage, Die "Katholischen" Briefe: Die Briefe des Jakobus, Petrus, Johann es und Judas (NTD I 0; 2d ed.; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1980) 156-222. Bauer, Orthodoxy and H eresy Walter Bauer, Orthodoxy and H eresy in Earliest Christianity (trans. by a team from the Philadelphia Seminar on Christian Origins; ed. Robert A. Kraft and Gerhard Krodel; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971 ); ET of Rechtgltiubigkeit und Ketzerei im iiltesten Christentum (ed. Georg Strecker; BHTh 10; 2d ed.; Tiibingen: Mohr (Siebeck), 1964). Bauernfeind , "Fiirbitte" Otto Bauernfeind, "Die Fiirbitte angesichts der 'Sunde zum Tode, '" in Von der Antike zum Christentum: Festgabe fur Victor Schultu (Stettin: Fischer & Schmidt, 1931) 43-54. Behm, "7raptlKA7J ro~ · Johannes Behm, "7raptlKA7Jro~." TDNT 5 ( 1967) 800-814. Betz, Paraklet Otto Betz, Der Paraklet: Fii rsprecher im hii retischen Sptitjudentum, im johannes-Evangelium und in neu gefundenen gnostischen Schriften (Leiden: Brill, 1963). Black, "Johannine Epistles" C. Clifton Black II , "TheJohannine Epistles and the Question of Early Catholicism," NovT 28 (1986) 131-58. Bocher, • Antichrist" Otto Bocher, • Antichrist II," TRE 3 ( 1978) 2124. Bannard, "La premiere epitre" Pierre Bannard, "La premiere epitre de Jean est-

ellejohannique?" in Marinus deJonge, ed., L'Evangile de j ean (BEThL 44; Gembloux: Duculot, 1977) 301-5. Bon nard , Les epitres johanniques Les epitres johanniques (CNT 2/ 13c; Geneva: Labor et Fides, 1983). Botterweck, .,.,,. G.J. Botterweck, "P.,'," TDOT 5.461-81. Bousset, Antichrist Wilhelm Bousset, The Antichrist L egend: A Chapter in Christian and jewish Folklore (trans. with prologue on the Babylonian dragon myth by A. H. Keene ; Satanism series; London: Hutchinson, 1896); ET of Der Antichrist in der Uberlieferung des Judentwns, des Neuen T estaments und der Alten Kirche (Gottingen : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1895). Boussel, Kyrios Christos Wilhelm Bousset, Kyrios Christos: A History of the Belief in Christ from the Beginnings of Christianity to Irenaeus (trans. John E. Steely; Nashville: Abingdon, 1970); ET of Kyrios Christos: Geschichte des Christusglaubens von den Anflingen des Christentums bis /renaeus (FRLANT 21; 6th ed.; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1967). Bousset, Offenbarungjohannis Wilhelm Bousset, Die Offenbarungjohannis (KEK 16; 1906; 6th ed.; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1966). Bousset and Gressmann, Die R eligion des judentums Wilhelm Bousset and Hugo Gressmann, Die R eligion des judentums im sptithellenistischen Zeitalter (HNT 21; 4th ed.; Tiibingen: Mohr, 1966). Braun , Gesammelte Studien Herbert Braun, Gesammelte Studien zum Neuen Testament und seiner Umwelt (3d ed.; Tiibingen: Mohr [Siebeck ], 1971 ). Braun, "Literar-Analyse" Herbert Braun, "Literar-Analyse und theologische Schichtung im erstenJohannesbrief," ZThK 48 (1951) 262-92, reprinted in idem, Gesammelte Studien zum Neuen Testament und seiner Umwelt (3d ed.; Tiibingen: Mohr (Siebeck ), I 97 I, 2 I 0-42). Brooke, Epistles Alan England Brooke, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the J ohannine Epistles (ICC 43; Edinburgh: Clark; New York: Scribner's, I 912; reprinted Edinburgh: Clark, 1957). Brown, Epistles Raymond E. Brown, The Epistles ofj ohn (AB 30; Garden City: Doubleday, 1982). Brown,john Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to john (2 vols.; AB 29, .29a; Garden City: Doubleday, 196670). Brox , "Doketismus," Norbert Brox, "Doketismus: Eine Problemanzeige," ZKG 95 (1984) 301-14.

xxi

Brox, Zeuge Norbert Brox, Zeuge und Miirtyrer: Untersuchungen wr friihchristlichen Zeugtlis-Tenninologie (SANT 5; Munich: Kosel, 1961 ). Bochsel ,johannesbriefe Friedrich Bochsel, Die j ohannesbriefe (ThHKNT

17; Leipzig: Deichert, 1933). Bochsel, "!Lovoy.."'B7Ju' y..wv D!L¥a as a reference to 2 John). 74 Cf.esp.on !John 1:1 -4;5: 13. Thus Robert T. Fortna tried to reconstruct a 75 christological source document underlying the Gospel ofJohn, which would have traced Jesus' way from the first miraculous signs to his death and resurrection (The Gospel of Signs [SNTSMS II ; London : Cambridge University Press, 1970]). Against this, Udo Schnelle (Antidocetic Christology in the Fourth Gospel (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992]) has critically examined the arguments advanced for the

presence of a "semeia source" and persuasively demonstrated the unity of"miracles and doxa" in the theology of the fourth evangelist, which also includes Jesus' "seme ia." (See pp. 144-50 of that work.) On this, see Georg Strecker, "Die Anfange der johanneischen Schule," N TS 32 ( 1986) 31-4 7. Polycarp Phil. 7 .I (I John 4:2-3; 2 John 7); see the Introduction , part I above. Irenaeus Adv. haer. 2.22.5: "as the Gospel and all the elders testify; those who were conversant in Asia with John, th e disciple of the Lord , [affirming] that John conveyed to them that information . And he remained among them up to the times ofTrajan" (ANF I :392); Adv. haer. 3.1.1: "Afterwards, John , the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia" (ANF I :4 14). Clement

Introduction

one of the churches of Asia Minor. Instead, one may well suppose that the Johannine school exercised its influence on a majority of the communities and cities in Asia Minor. This seems probable from the correspondence and missionary activity of the presbyter that are documented in 2 and 3 John. Regarding the time of composition, one should also keep in mind the citation in Polycarp. It indicates that I John existed in the first half of the second century. If one adds to this the testimony about John the presbyter, according to which he was personally known to Papias,

76

77 78

one may consider the probable time of writing of the two shorter Johannine Letters to have been around 100 or later. 76 For the writing of the Gospel of John, the witness of P 52 , especially if it is dated to the year 12 5, 77 or that of Papyrus Egerton appears to have great weight. Still, an opinion shared rather broadly among researchers is that these two papyri should be dated to the middle of the second century. Moreover, in recent years some new points have come to light that need to be evaluated in terms of a later dating. 78 In addition, great weight must

of Alexandria (Hyp. 6.8, in Eusebius Hist. eccl. 6.14. 7): "Last of all, aware that the physical facts had been recorded in the gospels, encouraged by his pupils and irresistibly moved by the Spirit, John wrote a spiritual gospel" (ET by Williamson). The terminus ante quem is set by Papias, who, according to broad consensus, wrote his "interpretations" around 130 (between 120 and 160), and who had had contact with John the presbyter (cf. Eusebius Hist. eccl. 3.39.4). Cf. Aland and Aland, Text, 85-87,99. P. Eger. 2 (P. Lond. Christ. I) delivers four fragments of Gospel pericopes, the first being of the Johannine type Qohn 5:39, 45-46; 9:29), while Synoptic overtones dominate the others. Although the papyrus is generally dated around the "middle of the second century" (Philip Vielhauer, Geschichte der urchristlichen Literatur: Einleitung in das Neue Testament, die Apokryphen und die Apostolischen Viiter

[2d rev. repr.; Berlin/ New York: de Gruyter, 1978) 636; thus also the first editors: Harold I. Bell and Theodore C. Skeat, Fragments of an Unknawn Gospel and Other Early Christian Papyri [2d ed.; London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1935)1; and Charles H. Dodd, • A New Gospel ," in idem, New Testament Studies [ 1953; 2d ed.; Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1954)12), Helmut Koester has suggested a date "into the beginning of the II CE," presuming that the papyrus reflects a stage of pre-Johannine and pre-Synoptic tradition (Introduction to the New Testament: History and Literature of Early Christianity [2 vols.; Philadelphia:

Fortress; New York/ Berlin: de Gruyter, 1982) 2: 182). In contrast, Franz Neirynck ("Papyrus Egerton 2 and the Healing of the Leper," EThL 61 [ 1985) 153-60) has attempted to establish the use of the Synoptic gospels as probable. Since the first fragment seems to presume the Gospel ofJohn, there are contacts with all four Gospels, whose material has been "reproduced from memory" (thus Joachim Jeremias and Wilhelm Schneemelcher, "Papyrus

Egerton 2, • in NTApoc 2 I :96). Since in any case it is a question of free quotations, a great degree of uncertainty remains in the identification of the underlying texts. According to recent research, the origin of the papyrus could be dated around the year 200 or in the third century (cf. M. Groenewald, "Unbekanntes Evangelium oder Evangelienharmonie," Abhandlungen der Rheinisch-Westfiilischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Sonderreihe Papyrologica Coloniensia 8 [Kolner Papyri VI; Opladen: West-

deutscher Verlag, 1987)136-37). In no event should the importance of P. Eger. 2 for an early dating of the Gospel of John be overestimated. The "family similarity" toP. Eger. 2 was an important argument for the editor, C. H. Roberts, in dating ~ 5 2 (P. Ryl. Greek 457), which is supposed to have been written in the first half of the second century (An Unpublished Fragment of the Fourth Gospel in the john Rylands Library [Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 1935)11). With the altered evaluation of P. Eger. 2, the early dating of~ 52 , which contains John 18:31-34, 37-38, becomes problematic, all the more so as the reasons given are certainly not adequate to establish the results desired. Thus the paleographic analysis leads to differing conclusions, since the absence of the iota adscript points rather to a later time, and the writing out of the nomina sacra can only be inferred, as no nomen sacrum appears in the text as it stands. It is indicative that the editor adduced only older papyri for the handwriting comparison, without verifying whether other manuscripts, dated near the end of the second or in the third century, might reveal similarities. There is urgent need for a new analysis of~ 52 that would objectively set out the pros and cons of a possible dating; it might reveal that the favored dating "around A. D. 125," unusually precise for such a papyrus (Aland and Aland, Text, 69), should be relegated to the realm of the creation of pious legends, especially since the reference to "general consensus" (Kurt Aland, "Der Text des Johannes-

xli

be accorded to internal criteria. From them one can infer that, at the beginning of the Johannine tradition, the presbyter wrote 2 and 3 John, and that the Johannine school tradition thereafter branched out into the writing of 1 John and the Gospel of John, independently of the earlier letters. The origins of the last two writings are to be placed in the first half of the second century.

5 . Outline of 1 John

The many attempts to establish a thematically oriented train of thought in 1 John have been recorded in a variety of proposed outlines of the letter. 79 In the schemata that are by far the most widely preferred, 1 John is divided into two 80 or three 81 units, excluding the prologue and conclusion. Beyond this, there has been no

evangeliums im 2.Jahrhundert," in Wolfgang Schrage, ed., Studien zum Text und zur Ethik des Neuen

Carl von Weizsiicker zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstage II . Deumber I89 2 gewidmet (Freiburg: Mohr [Siebeck ],

Testaments: Festschrift wm 80. Geburtstag von H einrich Greeven [BZNW 47; Berlin/ New York: de Gruyter,

I892) 171-200; P. R.Jones, • A Structural Analysis of I John," RevExp 67 (1970) 433-44; Ernst Lohmeyer, "Uber Aufbau und Gliederung des ersten Johannesbriefes," ZNW 27 (I 928) 225-63; Domenico Munoz Leon , "EI origen de las formulas ritmias antiteticas en Ia Primera Carta de Sanjuan," Misceldnea jose Zunzunegui (Vitoria: Editorial Eset, I975) 22 I -44; Erasmus Nagl, "Die Gliederung des erstenjohannesbriefes," BZ 16 (I924) 77-92; Wolfgang Nauck , Die Tradition und der Charakter des ersten J ohannesbriefes (WUNT 3; Tiibingen: Mohr, 1957); C. Clare Oke, "The Plan of the First Epistle of John ," ExpT 51 (I939-40) 347-50; Otto A. Piper, "I John and the Didache of the Primitive Church," JBL 66 (I 947) 437-45; R. Schwertschlager, "Der erste Johannesbrief in seinem Grundgedanken und Aufbau" (diss., Gregoriana; Coburg, 1935); Albin Skrinjar, "De divisione epistolae primae Joannis," VD 47 (I969) 31-40; idem, "De unitate epistolae I j ; VD 47 (I 969) 83-95; P.J. Thompson, "Psalm I I 9: A Possible Clue to the Structure of the First Epistle of John," StEv II (TU 87; Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, I 964) 487-92; Kozue Tarnai, "The Plan of the First Epistle of John ," ExpT 52 (I 940-4 I) I I 7-19; Arthur Westcott, "The Divisions of the First Epistle of St. John. Correspondence between Drs. Westcott and Hart," Exp. 7, series 3 (I 907) 48I-93. Thus Raymond E. Brown , The Epistles ofjohn (AB 30; Garden City: Doubleday, I982) I 23-29 (sections: prologue; I :5-2:28; 2:29-5: I2 ; epilogue); similarly Tarnai (sections: I :5-2:28; 2:29-5: 13). Francis divides between I :5-2:29 and 3: 1-5: 12; thus also Andre Feuillet, who also wishes to demonstrate such extensive parallels between the Gospel of John and I John that they reflect a common conception of the "structure of the Christian life," understood as community with "trinitarian life," with the emphases in both writings falling on faith and love ("Etude structurale de Ia premiere epitre de saint Jean") in Heinrich Baltensweider and B. Reicke, eds.,

1986]1) cannot stand without critical examination. Cf. also the tendencies in modern papyrological research that-without scholarly justification-have attracted wide respect: e.g., Anton Fackelmann, "Prasentation christlicher Urtexte aus dem ersten Jahrhundert geschrieben auf Papyrus. Vermutlich Notizschriften des Evangelisten Markus?" Anagennesis 4 (1986) 25-36; Carsten P. Thiede, Th e Earliest Gospel Manuscript? The Qumran Papyrus 705 and Its Significance for New Testament Studies [Exeter:

79

Paternoster, 1992]), together with the convincing criticism of this work by H. U. Rosenbaum, "Cave 7 Q! Gegen die erneute Inanspruchnahme des Qumran-Fragments 7 Q 5 als Bruchstiick der altesten Evangelien-Handschrift," BZ n .s. 31 ( 1987) 189-205. Literature: Herbert Braun, "Literar-Analyse und theologische Schichtung im ersten Johannesbrief," ZThK 48 (1951) 262-92, reprinted in idem, Gesammelte Studien zum Neuen T estament und seiner Umwelt (3d ed., Tubingen: Mohr [Siebeck], 1971,

210-42); Friedrich Buchsel, "Z u denjohannesbriefen ," ZNW 28 ( 1929) 235-41; Rudolf Bultmann, • Analyse des ersten Johannesbriefes," in Rudolf Bultmann and Hermann Freiherr von Soden, eds., Festgabe fiir A. Jiilicher zwn 70. Geburtstag (Tiibingen: Mohr, 1927) 138-58, reprinted in Erich Dinkier, ed., Exegetica: Aufsiitu zur Erforschung des Neuen T estaments (Tubingen: Mohr [Siebeck ], 1967) I 0523; Bultmann , "Die kirchliche Redaktion des ersten Johannesbriefes," in Werner Schmauch, ed., In Memoriam E. Lohmeyer (Stuttgart: Evangelisches Verlagswerk, I95I) I89-20 I, reprinted in Bultmann, Exegetica, 38I-93; Ernst von Dobschiitz, "Johanneische Studien 1," ZNW 8 ( 1907) I-8; Fred 0 . Francis, "The Form and Function of the Opening and Closing Paragraphs of james and !John," ZNW 61 ( 1970) II 0-26; Giorgio Giurisato, "Struttura della prima lettera di Giovanni," R ivB 2I / 4 (I973) 36I-81; Theodor Haring, "Gedankengang und Grundgedanke des erstenjohannesbriefs," in Adolf von Harnack, et al., eds., Theologische Abhandlungen:

xlii

80

Neues T estament und Geschichte: H istoriches Geschehen und Deutung im Neuen T estament: Oscar Cull mann zwn 70. Geburtstag [Zurich: Theologischer Verlag;

Tiibingen: Mohr (Siebeck), I972]307-27).

Introduction

shortage of original attempts at division. An effort has been made to show that this writing was produced according to the model of other literary forms, or in dependence on known texts. ThusJ. C. O'Neill attempted to distinguish twelve subunits that could have originated in a Jewish-sectarian collection of admonitory speeches. 82 Psalm II9 has also been proposed as a formative text behind I John. 83 Better known is the thesis of Ernst Lohmeyer, according to which the external form not only of I John but also of the Johannine Apocalypse and the Gospel of John is determined by the number seven. 84 Raymond E. Brown thinks he can demonstrate that the Gospel of John furnished the principle of division. 85 An attempt has also been made to divide I John according to a fixed progression of thought. Erasmus Nagl saw a "fixed outline" in the rhythmic succession of three theses: (I) God is light (I :5-2:28); (2) God is just (2:29-4:6); (3) God is love (4:7-5: I9). 86 But for the most part I John is seen as a relatively loose series of various trains of thought hung together on the basis of association. Many exegetes therefore regard their suggested outlines more as aids to the reader's understanding than as genuine 81

82 83 84 85 86

attempts to discover a clear-cut form within the letter. 87 Nonetheless, Theodor Haring has discovered a principle behind the succession of the individual units in I John: "after repeated readings, one cannot doubt that the two basic ideas, the signs by which one may recognize this community, resulting from the nature of their community with God ('faith in Christ,' and 'love of the brothers and sisters') are presented in a constant alternation; more precisely, in such a way that they first appear repeatedly one after the other, and then in their internal bondedness with one another. "88 Even if one does not follow Haring's suggested divisions in detail , one can discover in I John an alternating shift between parenetic and dogmatic sections. While Haring, in line with the liberal tradition, has especially regarded "the inseparable unity offaith and love," the emphasis on the "ethical character of our religion," 89 as the letter's unifying idea, in this book I must give greater stress to the polemical thrust of I John ; this is true for the outline as well. Moreover, the exegesis will show that the conflict with the opposing teachers is restricted mainly to the dogmatic sections, for I John, as a unified whole, is not

Thus very frequently , e.g., by Charles H. Dodd, The j oha nnine Epistles (2d ed.; London: Hodder & 87 Stoughton, 194 7) xxii (I :5-2:28; 2:29-4: 12; 4:13-5: 13); Huther, Handbu ch, 12 (I :5-2:28; 2:29-3:22; 3:23-5: 17); Schwertschlager, "Der erstejohannesbrief" (I :5-2:27; 2:28-4:6; 4:75: 17); Wengst, Brief, 28-29 (I :5-2: 17; 2: 18-3:24; 4: 1-5: 12); Edward Malatesta divides the letter into the three sections, I :5-2:28; 2:29-4:6; 4 :7-5:13 , each headed "Exposition of Criteria of New Covenant Communion with God," which, however, is not persuasive, since there is no covenant terminol88 ogy in I John (Interiority and Covenant: An Exegetical Study of Twv KVptaKwv ·~1/Y~..oyos appears only in John 1:1, 14. 2 0 Similarly, 1 John also lacks the terminology of "glory" (l)ota), as well as the statements about Christ's ascent and descent (ava- and KaTaj3a{VHV) and the termS UW(HV, UWT71p{a, Kp{ULS, vtovv, and 7TV£vp.a 1fywv. These examples show that the conceptual material is marked by differing christological 18

19 20

21

22

6

or ecclesiological tendencies. But the differences go beyond mere variety of expression or expressive intention. 21 Moreover, the common features of the two documents are not so extensive that one must posit a single author for both. 22 The terminological differences and agreements are explained, rather, when one presupposes that both documents originated as mutually independent writings of the Johannine school. Concerning the question ofliterary unity, one cannot deny that 1 John reveals a whole series of apparent leaps that could invite literary-critical division. Rudolf Bultmann went far in that direction: he wished to use his linguistic observations to isolate a source document used as a model by the author of 1 John. This document would have contained twenty-six antithetical couplets 23 and would have been closely related, in both form and content, to the "revelatory discourse source" Bultmann postulated for the Fourth Gospe1. 24 The linguistic observations on which Bultmann based his literarycritical conclusions remain of structural-analytical value even when one agrees with Ernst Haenchen that Bultmann's reconstruction is based on parallelisms that are too mechanically paired in their construction 25 and

On jewish unbelief, see john 5:10, 15-16, 18; 7:1, 13; 8:48, 52, 57; 9:18, 22; I 0 :24 , 31, 33; II :8; 18:12,14,31,36, 38; 19:7, 12,14, 31, 38; 20:19,as well as Rev 2:9; 3:9. The suggestion that the stereotypical opposition to the "world" or the "jews" may point to an older period and that the opposition to false teaching within the Christian community in I john belongs to a later period is not persuasive (Bultmann, Epistles, I). Compare the sharp conflict between the presbyter and the ,-Xavot ("deceivers") in 2John 7. 23 Compare this with the genitive expreSSion Xoyos Tfjs {wfis (I John I : I), or Xoyos Tov 6.iywv (2:4, 6, 9) and of £av ns wTos •a\ (wfis crvvicrT1)KEV o'TfaT~P Twv /l>.wv) , from which comes 'the human being.' -Well said: light and life, that is (the) god and father. From him came 'the human being.' And when you have learned that you are made up of life and light and that these are the elements of your being, then you will also enter into life." This reflects the gnostic myth according to which the fallen soul, the bearer of divine particles,

.118(s in the preceding verse had a predicative meaning (also in 2:27; 3 John 12), a>.1181VOV is construed attributively (also in 5:20). There is, however, no difference in content between the two; cf. Kilpatrick, "Two Johannine Idioms," 272. The personal pronoun .oyos (v. 7: the truth manifests itself in the word of proclamation). Obviously, in the author's way of thinking both references are possible, but the following TO Svop.a avrov and TOV a.,.· apxfis (vv. 1213) also suggest the christological interpretation. Cf. also Heinrich Julius Holtzmann, Evangelium, Briefe und Oifenbarung des j ohannes (HKNT 4; 1891; 3d ed. Tiibingen: Mohr (Siebeck ], 1908) 219: Katv~ means "not the commandment, but its characterization as new."

The particle lin is not recitative ("that"), but causal ("because"); what is intended here is not explication, but giving a reason for what precedes.

I. Communion with God

temporary, 22 and that, on the other hand, the power of light has already gained the victory. It is true that these two are still fighting one another, and the community is being drawn into the struggle. The two contending principles confront each other not only in a vertical, spatial dimension but also on a horizontal, temporal plane: The era of darkness will be dispelled by the era of light, and this eschatological reality is already discernible in the present time of the community. This kind of chronological thinking is also presumed by the fourth evangelist in the "light" terminology used in the Gospel, where it is said that with Jesus, light has come into the world, and that the light will be with the disciples as long as Jesus is in the world (8:12; 9:5; 12:35). While there the historical dimension of the Johannine opposition of "light and darkness" is stated retrospectively, here the view is toward the future. The author of 1 John articulates the apocalyptic hope that the era of darkness will be brought to an end once and for all, and that the victory of light will be fully accomplished. 23 The difference between the evangelist's conception and that of the author of 1 John is obvious. It is essentially to be traced to the difference between the christological accentuation of the Fourth 22

23

1 John 1 :5-2:17

Gospel and the ecclesiological emphasis in 1 John, but at the same time it indicates a divergence in the history of the Johannine school tradition. 24 • 9 Only from v. 9 onward is it clearly stated that the content of the old-and at the same time newcommandment is love of the brothers and sisters. There was an indication of this as early as vv. 5-6, in the concept of "love of God" (aya'1T1J Tov lhov), and it is further clarified in what follows. Only 1 John speaks expressly of "love for the brothers and sisters" (besides 2:9-11, also in 3:14 and 4:21; cf. 3:1 0). This term does not appear either in the Fourth Gospel or in 2 and 3 John. 25 Still, the reality that is described by the expression aya'1Tav TOV (or TOVS) aliEAcpov (-ovs) is thoroughly Johannine. The aliEAcpos is the fellow Christian, 26 and loving the brothers and sisters means the same thing as "loving one another" (1 John 4: 11-12;John 13:34;

The verb 1rapayalvalvpay/ta favors a parallel ordering of the three occurrences of the panicle, so that one may distinguish two possible interpretations: (I) iJn has an explanatory meaning ("that") in each case. Then the author wishes to assure the community that he knows they know the truth. In favor of this interpretation (adopted by Schnackenburg, Epistles, 144; Brown , Epistles, 350; Balz, "johannesbriefe," 175; Bultmann , Epistles, 38 ; de Ia Potterie, "L'onction," 41; and others) is that otherwise ;ypa>Jta would have no objective clause associated with it. But it would be easy to infer such an object (the author is, at this point, thinking of a previous writing). And is it really intended that the addressees should be assured of something they know anyway? Thus it is probable that here (as above, with regard to vv. 12-14), (2) iJn has a causal sense (thus

also Brooke, Epistles, 57;Johannes Schneider, Die Briefe des Jakobus, Petrus, judas und johannes: Die Katholischen Brief e [NTD I 0 ; 9th ed.; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1961]157; Marshall , Epistles, 14 7, 156; Friederich Hauck , Die K irchenbriefe: Die Briefe des Jakobus, Petrus, judas und J ohannes (NTO I 0; 8th ed .; Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1957]125). It thus follows easily after what has preceded it. The author recognizes the actual redeemed state of the community. Through the xiiup.a it has knowledge of the truth . That distinguishes it from the false teachers. This is the reason why the author, in turn, has written to the community, and his concern is only to strengthen it in the knowledge of the truth. Cf. the similar use of a,.' apxij~ in confrontation with opponents in 2:24; also 2John 5-6. There is unpolemical usage in I John 2 :7; 3:11. For the contrast between >/tfvao~ and a>.~liua , between human eschatological reality and nothingness, seen . 23 above (on 2:20). This opposition (found also in v. 27) is explicable in terms of Johannine dualism of decision , which has its own ontological foundation ; it corresponds to the contrasting of the "words of the devil," who tells lies and is called "the father of lies," and the words of the Revealer, who speaks the truth Qohn 8:44-45; the word ou1.f3o>.o~ does not occur elsewhere in the Johannine writings). The word >/tfiJUTTJ~ is more common: whoever asserts that he or she loves God and yet hates a brother or sister is a "liar" (2:4 , 22 ; 4:20); cf. also I : I 0; 5: I 0 ("(they] make (God] a liar").

67

community's credo 39 that is found in its positive form at the conclusion of the Fourth Gospel Qohn 20:31: "that Jesus is the Christ [or: Messiah], the Son of God"). Christ (or Messiah) is used as a title (as also in 1 John 5:1 and 2 John 9). Although this corresponds to the use of the name as a title of messianic honor, it is more common in the Johannine writings for Xpturos to be used as a proper name. 40 The title b Xpturos and the proper name 'l7juovs Xpturos often occur in association with the phrase "Son of God," which clarifies them. Thus in what follows the denial of Jesus as "the Christ" is equated with the denial of "the Son. "41 From the author's point of view the false prophets thus dispute not only the application of the title "Christ" to Jesus, but also the fact that Jesus is God's Son (cf. 5:5-6). Thereby they question Jesus' sending and thus the Father who sent him; for "there is, for the author, no such thing as faith in God apart from the historical revelation. "42 Verse 23a underscores this with a generalizing (1riis) negative thesis that is supported by a positive antithesis in v. 23b.43 To confess the Son is to "have" the Father, that is, to know and acknowledge the Father. 44 • 24 The placing of vp.EtS at the beginning of the verse (similar to the usage in v. 27) distinguishes the attitude of the community from that of the false teachers. The neuter C5 refers to the content of "what you have heard from the beginning. "45 This is vaguely described; the 39

40

4I 42 43 44 45 46

47

68

author could have spoken more clearly of the "word of life," or of the Christ-event that is the reason for the community's origin. 46 Abiding in this, the community's foundational tradition, guarantees its abiding in the Father and in the Son. This is expressed here both in the imperative (p.EvErw) and in the future (p.wii'rE). Holding fast to the tradition on which the community was established is not something that happens once for all time; it does not lead to a perfected completion of faith. The basis of the community is not some possession that has been entrusted to its administration. It must constantly recall this basis, and it requires admonition so that it will continually realize anew what has been promised to it. The Christian community is thus a historical entity inserted in time and place, subjected to changing, unforeseeable situations in which it must again and again defend itself while always remaining in harmony with its starting point. 47 • 25 This verse expresses openness to an eschatological future whose content cannot be anticipated. In that future, the (7TayyEA.{a will reach fulfillment. 48 What has been promised to the community 49 cannot be traced to the OT or to the Fourth Gospel, in the sense of the schema of "promise and fulfillment. " 50 Instead, its basis is "what you have heard from the beginning." The Christ-event has a promissory character, because it opens a redeemed future to those who believe. To that extent,

The negative particle OVK after b apvo6p.o{; v. 21: aya7T7JTOt}. Instead, these addresses represent the author's customary attention to the presumed Christian readers, similar to what one finds in the other sections that are marked by parenetical features. 2 According to Bultmann, the original document concluded with 2:27, since the parts that follow contain no new ideas, "but the same themes treated in 1:5-2:27 recur. "3 This tempts one to conjecture "that all these parts are sketches or meditations ... [or] reports from sessions of a seminar. "4 In fact, the basic elements of the following exposition (freedom from sin, love of the brothers and sisters, the existence of the community in the world) 5 already appeared in the first section, a fact

that confirms the meditative character of 1 John. One cannot really speak of a systematic development of ideas. Yet what follows is not simply an appendix to 1:5-2:27. Instead , it is significant that specific ideas from the preceding part are not taken up in this section: the figure of the Paraclete (2: 1) does not appear in what follows, nor does the distinction between the new and the old commandment (2:7), nor the contrast of light and darkness (1 :5-7; 2:8-11 ). Rather, this section introduces new words and ideas, such as the concept of "hope" (EA7TLS, 3:3), the opposition between God and the devil (3:7-1 0), the example of Cain and Abel (3: 11-12), the expression "to pass from death to life" (;ura(3a{vuv EK roil 6avarov ds r~v (w~v, 3: 14), and the ethical concept of "murderer" (av6pw7ToKn5vos, 3:15). All this contributes to the independent character of this part of the text. Even if the writing was not composed at one sitting, but if, instead, its individual parts reflect ongoing discussions within theJohannine school, nevertheless the examples presented allow one to infer even here that the author was inclined to make his writing increasingly concrete and specific.

Literature: V. Kerry Inman , "DistinctiveJohannine Vocabulary and the Interpretation of I John 3:9," WT} 40 (1977) 136-44; P. P. A. Kotze, "The meaning of I John 3:9 with reference to I John I :8 and I 0," Neot 13 (1979) 68-83; Sakae Kubo, "I John 3:9: Absolute or Habitual?" AUSS 7 (1969) 47-56; Stanislas Lyonnet, "De natura peccati quid doceat Novum Testamentum-de scriptis Ioanneis," VD 35 (1957) 271-78; Franz Mussner, "Eine neutestamentliche Kurzformel fur das Christentum," IThZ 79 (1970) 49-52 ; Erik Peterson, "Zur Bedeutungsgeschichte von 7rapp7Jrrla ," in Wilhelm Koepp , ed., Reinhold Seeberg Festschrift, vol. I: Zur Theorie des Christentums (Leipzig: Scholl, 1929) 283-97 ; Ignace de Ia Potterie, "L'impeccabilite du chretien d 'apn!s I Joh. 3,6-9," in M. E. Boismard, ed., L 'Evangile de j ean: Etude; et problemes (RechBib 3; Bruges: Desclee de Brouwer, 1958) 161-77 (ET: "The Impeccability of the Christian According to IJn 3, 6-9," in Stanislas Lyon net, The Christian Lives by the Spirit [trans. John Morriss; Staten Island: Alba House, 1971)175-96); Fran~oise Smyth-Fiorentin , "'Voyez

78

que I grand amour le Pere nous a donne,' I Jn 3.1-2," AsSeign 2/25 ( 1969) 32-38; Harry C. Swadling, "Sin and Sinlessness in I John ," SJT 35 (I 982) 205-11.

2

3 4 5

Cf. Schnackenburg, "[The address to the readers as T.avaw seldom describes a worldly error; its primary reference is to people's being led astray to serve idols (cf. Deut I3:6; 2 Kgs 21 :9;Jer 23:13, 32; Hos 8:6; Amos 2:4 , and frequently) . YHWH appears as the subject of this leading astray (cf. Isa 63: 17;Job 12:23-24 ; Ezek 14:9). In the extracanonical literature of ancient Judaism, leading astray is ascribed to demonic powers; in the process, OT monotheistic ideas are replaced by dualistic thinking (cf. I Enoch 6-II ; 15.3-12; I9.I;jub. 5.I-IO; I 0.5-II ; T . Reub. 4.6; 5.3, 5-7; T . Levi I 0.2; T. j os. I.I3, and frequently). The primary weight lies on warnings against idol worship and sexual immorality. According toT. Levi I 0.2; I6.I the end time will be characterized by ,.>.avav and ,.>.avau8at (cf. Otto Bacher, EDNT 3 [ 1993]99). The human activity that corresponds to God's will is

contrasted, in LXX , to G.vop.la: f:rrolTJCTfV O.voJJ.lav

~eaL

oV

atKaLOuvv,.,v (I sa 5:7). The concept of :-tp,x is

37

38

39 40

restricted in the rabbinic literature to such things as almsgiving and charity (cf. Matt 6: I v./.). Regarding 2 Sam 8: I5 ("So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and equity to all his people") it is said that David "used to acquit the guiltless and condemn the guilty; but when he saw that the condemned man was poor, he helped him out of his own purse [to pay the required sum], thus executing judgment and charity (:-tj',lo:)-justice to the one by awarding him his dues , and charity to the other by assisting him out of his own pocket" (Tosephta Sanhedrin 1.2ff.; see Str-B 3.2 10; cf. Gottlob Schrenk, "laKaLOuvv'l C: Righteousness in the Synagogue," TDNT 2 [ 1964]196-98). Cf. Plato Corgias 460b 8: b a!Kato~ oiKata ?TpaTT..os ("devil") is named only here and in v. 10 as God's opponent, 45 although the word nov.,.,pos (the

It is difficult, however, to derive even from the antiheretical and christological expositions in I John that the author was concerned "to put emphasis on the way Jesus lived and died" (Brown, Epistles, 404); no matter how much the incarnate Son of God is 43 confessed as ~iKato~ and , to that extent, the earthly facticity of the revelation of Jesus Christ is not neglected , the author has no thought of a life-of-Jesus theology; in this respect he also distinguishes himself 44 from the christological intent of the fourth evangelist. Cf., besides .or attempts to tempt human beings to sin (Apoc. Mos. 2 ;jub. I I .5, and elsewhere), accuses them before God (I Enoch 40.7;jub. 1.20; 48 . I 5, I 8; Apoc. Zeph. 4.2; 10.5 , and elsewhere), and tries to interfere in God's plan of salvation Uub. 48.2, I 0). In 51 the NT ~taf3o>.or appears 34 times with the meaning "adversary" (cf. LXX); 7 instances are in the Johannine literature (Gospel 3 times; I john 4 times), 5 in Revelation , 6 in Matthew , and 5 each in Luke and the Deutero-Pauline letters (cf. also Otto Bocher, "~ta{3o>.or," EDNT I [ 1990)297-98). jub. 15.26-32; T. Dan 4.7; Apoc. Abr. 13-14. See below on 2 John 7; I John 2:18, 22; also 4:3; excursus, "The Antichrist. " Cf. Act. Thorn. 143 (p. 250,15-16, ed. LipsiusBonnet) on the d.pxwv (Tov KOtl~evvcrt. l>f Kal TOV o{ in V . 13, TEKV{a in v. 18, and framed by 3:11-12 and 3:23-24). Ernst von Dobschtitz has a completely different solution ("Johanneische Studien I," ZNW 8 [ 1907] 1-8). He sees 2:28-3:12 as a unit intended to admonish to a

2

3

Christian moral life. On ;..,.• apxij~ ("from the beginning" [of the community]), cf. I : I; 2:7, 13-14, 24; 3:8; 2John 5-

6. Thus also in I :5; nowhere else in the NT. The variant (.,.a-y-y..ap.{3avop.€V ("we receive") expresses, even more strongly than the future (which is also a possible reading), the certainty that these prayers, the content of which is not restricted and which therefore can address the fulfillment of every possible kind of concrete wish, will find a hearing. This resumes the preceding 1rapp7Julav E'xop.€v : "boldness" and the certainty of being heard constitute the attitude of Christians who possess clear consciences (v. 21). The Hn clause should be understood in a causal sense. Thus confidence and the certainty of being heard do not arise (as might be inferred from the preceding context) from the indicative state of believers, founded on Christ, but from doing God's commandments. Does such reasoning mean that the author intends to enunciate a condition, saying more or less that only someone who observes God's commandments can have confidence and the certainty of being heard? In that case he could be accused of falling back into a kind of nomistic piety. 32 It would appear that 2:3 could be adduced in support of this. There a correct knowledge of God is associated with the condition of keeping the commandments {Eav Tas EVTo>..as avTov T7Jpwp.w ; cf. 2:24 and 5:2). Yet it is clear that the author is not rationalistically reflecting on the relationship between God and the human being. Rather, he begins with the union between the Father of Jesus Christ and believers, into which he wishes to incorporate

Cf. Josephus Ant. 2.52: 1r0A>.~v r~v chh rov uvvH~Vror, KaL 1rphr T~>V 8t0v wappTJcrlav ~eaL 1Tphs roVS' av8pw1rovr ("great boldness from a good conscience, both before God and before [other people]"); also Job 22:26; 27:9-10, and frequently . Wis 5: I. Cf. 1 Enoch 61.4; 62.16; 69.26; 4 Ezra 7 .98; however, the examples in the Jewish apocalyptic writings are not available in Greek, and the original versions are disputed . Consequently, inferences on that basis about the concept of 7rappTJcrla are questionable. See below, at 4:17. See above on KaraytvwcrKrov ("Whoever obeys the gods, to him they gladly hearken "); Plato Leg. 4.8; Iamblichus Vita Pythagori 1 I ; Philostratus Vita Apollonii 1. 12; Plautus Rudens Prologue 26: "Facilius si qui pius est a dis supplicans, quam qui scelestus inveniet veniam sibi" ("It is easier for a pious person who asks help from the gods to find forgiveness than for a criminal").

Ill. A Well-Founded Hope

his readers. Corresponding to the christological unity that exists in the Fourth Gospel between the Father and theSonQohn 8:29; 10:30; 17:11, 21-23), 1Johncan assert the existence of such a union between believers, the will of God, and the very being of God (2: 12-17; 3: 14), and yet at the same time he can emphasize that the Christian community is confronted with the demand to love God and other human beings (5: 1-2). The connection between faith and works, the indicative foundation of the ethical demand and the ethical imperative, may not be dissolved. 33 This connection can appropriately be described as "paradoxical, "34 for without any rationalizing equalization the author can still make such contrary statements as: God is love, but also we can be put to shame by God (4:8, 16 and 2:28); we have passed from death to life, but also our conscience accuses us (3:14 and 20). Similarly, in what follows, 7TLCTT£1J£LV ("to believe") can appear as the content of the Evro.A~ ("command," v. 23), whereas according to john 6 :29 faith is an €pyov rov 8wv ("work of God"). If, then, such tensions are possible within the theological argumentation of 1 John , and in thejohannine writings as a whole, and if it is precisely such things that characterize the unique , post-Pauline shape ofjohannine thought, one should not overlook the real situation in which these words are addressed to the community. It is not primarily a polemic context, in which the necessity of 33

34 35 36

37

1 John 2:28-3:24

fulfilling the commandments would be asserted against particular (gnostic) teachers; 35 instead, the author here addresses problems within the community as well. As in the broader context, the parenetic intention is of decisive importance for the interpretation. The community is admonished-and this does not require any sidelong glance at gnostic teaching-to comprehend what it fundamentally already has and is. What is demanded is unity between the certainty of faith and keeping the commandments, not as a demonstration for those outside, and not even as the expression of an "untrammeled Christian self-consciousness,"36 but as a warning to each individual Christian in order that the union between God and the community may become the reality that is already anticipated in Christ. That such a union is concretely imaginable is shown by the plural form of ras Evro.Aas ("the commandments"). These commandments are, of course, not defined, nor does the parallelism With the following TCt aptcrTa ("what pleases") make it any more obvious what they are. 37 Still,

Wengst (Brief, 160) differs. He places too one-sided an emphasis on the fact that the "confidence of fulfillment" is not founded on one's own action, but on the fact that human desire and prayer accord with what God wills and what pleases God. Thus Bultmann, Epistles, 59 n. 77; against Brown, Epistles, 481. Schnackenburg differs (Epistles, 188): "in contrast to the perverse attitude of the gnostics . . . . " Schnackenburg, Epistles, 188; however, he correctly states that "the indicative in v. 22 implies an imperative." Cf. also Brown, Epistles, 479 ("Beyond the general covenant love between God and His people, there is a special Christian family relationship as the Father responds in love to His children who live 'just as' His Son")-although nothing is said about a "covenant" either in the narrower or in the broader context; on the contrary, the idea of a divine covenant is something foreign to the Johannine writings. The word ap 6£1!>, cf. below at v. 20. Thus also BAGD 427 , with an alternative translation "be dependent on someone" (with reference to Sophocles Oedipus Rex 247-48; Polybius 6.15.6); less 53 likely is the translation "the whole world lies in malice," that is, it is thoroughly evil; this would be founded on K£tu6at €v = "be in a certain condition" (2 Mace 3: II; 4:31, 34; 3 Mace 5:26); but in that case the article ri!J would be superfluous. "HK£1 refers to Jesus' earthly existence; the verb is also used in this sense-corresponding to the "biographical" outline of the Fourth Gospel-in John

2:4; 4:47; 8:42; in the rest of the NT it refers especially to future (apocalyptic) events (Matt 8: II par.; Luke 19:43; Rev 3:9; 15:4, and frequently) , particularly the parousia of Christ (Matt 24:50 par. ; 2 Pet 3: I 0; Rev 2:25; 3:3), and also in quotations (Rom II :26; Heb 10:7, 37). The christological and kerygma tic aspect was expanded by Latin scribes: "et carnem induit nostri causa et passus est et resurrexit a mortuis adsumpsit nos" (t vgmss etc.). According to Adolf von Harnack, this formula goes back to Greek anti gnostic creedal traditions from the third or second century ("Zur Textkritik," 570-71; Brown, Epistles, 623). While the present 7jK£1 expresses "the situation arising from the action" (Kuhner-Gerth, Grammatik, 1.136), namely , the appearance of Jesus, the perfect a..7J8wo~ in the Fourth Gospel (John 7:28; 17:3), as elsewhere in the NT and its environment (I Thess I :9; I Clem. 43 .6) can refer to God. There is a more distant background for this usage in the OT, according to which God is regarded as faithful and true (Exod 34:6; cf. 2 Chr 15:3; Ps 86: I5). In addition, especially in the Jewish Hellenistic context, God is accorded the title "real," "genuine," as opposed to the false divinities of the gentile world. 55 It is true that the OT parallels are not the genetic point of origin for Johannine usage. 56 Greek religion also used a>..7J8wo~ as a divine predicate (e.g., Athenaeus Deipnosophistae 6.62.28, together with p.ovos B~:o~). However, the history of such attribution does not suggest that in this passage it is exclusively God who is called "the one who is true,"

A distinction must be drawn between the gift of ouivota and its goal and point of completion, which is YIVWCT«fiV: ouivota is not to be identified with yvwCTI~

and should therefore not be translated "knowledge." It means something like "power of thought" or "thinking consciousness" (cf. Johannes Behm, "otavota," TDNT 4 [ 1967]963; BAGD 187). This is confirmed by its negative use in the deutero-Pauline letters (Col I :21; Eph 4 : 18: the pre-Christian, pagan way of thinking is equated with a perverted otavota). This concept appears only here in the Johannine writings; for an understanding of its use in I John a look at the long Greek and Hellenistic history of the word is not without importance. Adolf Schlatter ("Herz und Gehirn in I Joh," in Studien zur Systematischen Theologie: Festschrift fiir Theodor von H aering zwn siebzigsten Geburtstag, ed. Friedrich

Traub [Tubingen: Mohr (Siebeck), 1918]) described the expression in this passage "as a somewhat hellenized formula" in comparison with the Semitic thinking of" tow«..cj>ijs uov rijs EICAftcTi/s ("children of your elect sister," v. 13) and therefore suggests a metaphorical sense. Again, because of the positioning of those greeted, over against the ao£>..cj>~ who greet them, this cannot be an address to "the whole church." Rather, one should think of a particular Christian community. Even if it is not possible to establish with certainty that the author has a "house-church" in mind (so Brown, Epistles, 654), the community addressed is, in any case, within the circle of influence of the presbyter and his school.

It is widely acknowledged that the presbyter was an outstanding personality of great imponance for the Johannine tradition. Brown , who does not wish to exclude the possibility of idemifying the author with John the presbyter in Papias's testimony , thinks that he may have been a pupil oflhe eyewimesses, more precisely "a disciple of the Beloved Disciple" (Epistles, 679); Schnackenburg considers him "the bearer of apostolic tradition, in which capacity ... all knew him . . .. who represents theJohannine tradition and upholds it" (Epistles, 272-73). Bultmann is also of the opinion that "[/i 1Tp.~8£La. 17 He thus distinguishes between a dualistic character given to this concept in the Fourth Gospel and I John and the usage in 2 and 3 John, which goes beyond a dualistic view. Similarly to the interpretation of the concept of 1riuns in the Pastorals, he finds that "truth" in the two

Cf. F. J. Dolger, "Domina Mater Ecclesia und die 'Herrin' im zweiten Johannesbrief," Antike und Christentum 5 (1936) 214. Cf. I Cor 4: 14; Gal4: 19; Werner Foerster, "•vpla," TDNT 3 (1965) 1095. Bergmeier, "Zum Verfasserproblem des II. und III. Johannesbriefes," ZNW 57 (1966) 93-100.

221

smaller Johannine writings refers to "teaching," and thus expresses the truth of what is taught. This interpretation seems to conform to the fact that "walking in the truth" (2 John 4; 3 John 4) is equated with "abiding in the teaching of Christ" (2 John 9). From this point of view the community becomes the refuge of truth against the false teachers, and the concept of truth in 2 and 3 John fits within the sphere of early Catholic thought. 18 The truth that marks the presbyter's aya1rav in relationship to the community can be "known," but not in a detached sense, as if one could step aside from it and examine it critically in order to decide whether one wishes to acknowledge it. lnstead,Johannine yLvwuKuv has in common with Hebrew P,, that knowledge and acknowledgment are one and the same. Knowledge of the truth is not taking in a particular quantity of information; it means instead that one places oneself at the service of the truth. Knowledge is possible only as a 18

19

surrender of the human being to the truth . This truth is, in the final analysis, not an uncovering of realities previously hidden, nor the making accessible of genuine facts that were formerly unknown . Instead, what the truth does is to uncover God's own reality for us.

The conclusion that, because of their different concepts of truth, 2 and 3 John have a different author from I John is shared by Vielhauer (Geschichte, 481). However, this is clear enough from the very fact of the different prescripts. In contrast, Rudolf Schnackenburg ("Zum Begriff der 'Wahrheit' in den heiden kleinen Johannesbriefen ," BZ n.s. I I [ 1967]253-58) has established that the concept of truth in 2 and 3 John is richer and more comprehensive than appears from Bergmeier, ZNW 57 (1966) 93-100. This eliminates the concept of "truth" as criterion for authorship. For further discussion, see the excursus on "Early Catholicism" below. LiteraLUre: Klaus Berger, "Gnosis/Gnostizismus 1," TRE 13 (1984) 519-35; Otto Betz, Offenbarung und Schriftforschung in der Qumransekte (WUNT 6; Tiibingen: Mohr (Siebeck], 1960); G. Johannes Botterweck, "Gotterkennen" im Sprachgebrauch des Allen Testaments (BBB 2; Bonn : Hanstein, 1951); idem, "P"l' ," TDOT 5 (1986) 461-81; Bousset, Kyrios Christos; Brown, Epistles, 277- 81; Bultmann, "y•vwuKuv," 689-719; Hans Jonas , Gnosis und spiitantiker Geist (2 vols.; 2d ed.; Giittingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1954); Friedrich Notscher, Zur theologischen Terminologie der QumranTexte (BBB I 0; Bonn: Hanstein, 1956); Norden, Agnostos Theos; John Painter, john: Witness and Theologian (London: SPCK, 1975); Ernst Percy, Untersuchungen iiber den Ursprung der joha.nneischen Theologie (Lund: Gleerup, 1939); Eugen Prucker, rvwu•~ 0£ov (Classiciacum 4; Wiirzburg: Rita, I 937); Walter Schmithals, Neues Testament und Gnosis (EdF

222

Excursus: f.IIov Els rov KOCTJLOV (= "they have come into the world"), as in~ K L P and others at 2 John 7, has a different import. It is , however , possible that this was influenced by the following Els (cf. a lso Schnackenburg, Epistles, 284). The word ~T1/S (uTl: "if he asks for money, he is a false prophet") and 11.10 (7ras 7rpo~T1/S OIOclUKWV T~V a>.~8(&av : "every (true] prophet teaches the truth"). The particle ol!v joins v. 8 to v. 7 and indicates the drawing of a conclusion. From the exemplary missionary activity of the sisters and brothers (v. 7) follows the Christian obligation (v. 8): ol!v occurs 194 times in the Fourth Gospel, but in theJohannine Letters only at 3 John 8 , and in the secondary readings in 1 John 2:24 and 4: 19; on this, see Smalley, 1, 2, 3 john, 352; BDR § 451 , l. Dodd questioned, on the basis of this very different attestation, whether the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Letters could have had the same author ("The First Epistle of John and the Fourth Gospel," BJRL 21 [ 1937]129-56). One can scarcely object that the Gospel is a narrative text and that this particle occurs most frequently in the "gospel" genre (so Brown, Epistles, 23), for ol!v is also common in the Pauline Letters (esp. Romans) , while it is rare in the Gospel of Mark. Verse Sb: Yva UVVfpyol )IIVWJJ-.(IV (cf. also 1 John 2:6). For the expression UVVfpyol Tfi a>.1/8fl'!- cf. Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17 .19. 7 (Tfi a)\118•{'!- uvv•pyfjm&). The word a>.~8(1a describes the revealed reality of God in which the human being can share, or in which he or she can exist (cf. uov in v. 3). When the presbyter tells the addressee, Gaius , that he "loves (him) in (the) truth," their mutual relationship is determined by God's reality (v. 1). Verse 12 shows that the concept can be personified. This can also be inferred in v. 8, and translated: "so that we may become coworkers with the truth " (the dative corresponds to the preceding uvv[fpyol]). For locating the presbyter historically it is not without importance that Papias, in his report on the presbyter tradition in Asia Minor, also uses the concept of truth in a personified sense (parallel to Kvplov) : see Eusebius Hist. eccl. 3.39.3: a7r' ahfjs 7rapay&VOJJ-EVas [ EVTo>.as1Tfjs a)l1/8flas: "[the commandments] coming to us from truth [her]self." "Truth" is not identical with Christian preaching, even though the context might suggest that interpretation. Instead, the language allows one to infer a personal character. One need not decide whether the author is thinking of God, Christ, or the Spirit (thus Brown, Epistles, 715; de Ia Potterie, La verite, "spirit of truth"), since in any case it is a question of commitment on behalf of God's reality, which is understood as "truth ."

3John 9-10

Warning against Diotrephes

9

I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 1 0 / So if [or: when] I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the brothers and sisters [NRSV: friends], and even prevents t hose who want to do so and expels them from the church.

• 9 The assertion that Christians are obligated to work

together introduces a transition to the description of the conflict that has broken out between the presbyter and his emissaries on the one side, and the community in which Diotrephes 1 works on the other.

Excursus: Diotrephes and the Presbyter The conflict between Diotrephes and the presbyter is not merely an episode occurring at the margins of the church's history. It is representative of a fundamental controversy in the earliest period of the church, corresponding to the struggle between Spirit and office, church order and the independent charismatic life. Walter Bauer's groundbreaking work 2 rescued 3 John from the shadowy status to which research had long relegated it and sought particularly within its context to establish the thesis that, contrary to later church opinion, "orthodoxy" did not represent the theology of the earliest times. Instead, "heresy" existed from the beginnings of church history in many communities and provincial churches. Hence what the patristic authors asserted in their polemic writings was incorrect: namely, that heresy was nothing but the product of "corruption" of the original, orthodox teaching, or a "deviation from the genuine." On the contrary, what later appeared as correct, as the teaching of the orthodox great church, had first been forced to win out in a struggle against other theological views and other communities who, in turn,

2 3

"Diotrephes" occurs only here in the NT. The name ("child of Zeus") indicates Greek roots; it is frequently attested in ancient literature. cr. the examples in BAGD 199. Bauer, Orthodoxy and H eresy. Similarly, Wendt (johannesbriefe, 27) assigns Diotrephes "to the trend of gnostic innovators" whom the author condemned in 2 John 7 as "the

understood their own doctrine as orthodox. As is evident from the extensive tradition, surviving only in fragments but recoverable from the reports of the church fathers, the "heretics" were far more numerous than the "orthodox." The community in the imperial capital, Rome, was an essential factor influencing the outcome of these conflicts. From the beginning, Rome was the center and major source of strength for the "orthodox" movement within Christianity. What ultimately triumphed as orthodoxy was Roman Christianity. Walter Bauer attempted to demonstrate, on the basis of witnesses from various provincial churches (Syria, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Rome), that in many provinces of the church heresy was originally the primary, and orthodox Christianity the secondary, phenomenon. The demonstration was essentially based on documents outside the NT; an exception, however, was 2 and 3 John. Here Bauer believed he could demonstrate his thesis in the relationship between Diotrephes, who did not receive the presbyter's emissaries (3 John I 0), and the presbyter, who opposed false teaching (2 John 7). Thus Diotrephes is a heretical leader who knows he has the majority of community members behind him , 5 while the presbyter is the representative of orthodoxy who attempts to influence the community from outside and intends to assist the victory of orthodoxy. For Bauer, this makes 3 John "especially valuable and instructive for us in that it represents the attempt of an ecclesiastical leader to gain influence in other communities in order to give

deceiver and the antichrist."

261

assistance to like-minded persons within those communities, and if possible, to gain the upper hand. "4 Therefore, the situation in this letter reveals a stillunfinished stage in the course of church history. Orthodoxy is on the attack but has not yet conquered; the issue of the struggle is still entirely open. In his inaugural lecture at Gottingen in 1951, Ernst Kasemann adopted this position of his predecessor but with essential modifications. 5 According to him Diotrephes is not a heretical leader but a "monarchical bishop who sees himself opposing a false teacher and acts accordingly." He exercises "the power of church discipline against the presbyter and his adherents, including those in his own community." By contrast, the presbyter is an isolated figure who cannot appeal to status as a disciple ofthe Lord "or sacrosanct tradition, but has only the Spirit on his side." He is not only the author of the Johannine Letters but also of the Fourth Gospel, "a Christian Gnostic who has the unimaginable boldness to write a Gospel about the Christ of his own experience projected into the world of gnosis. • Both the presbyter's teaching and his Gospel, in which one sees "Christ bestriding the world in the brilliance of his 4

5 6

262

Bauer, Orthodoxy and Heresy, 93. Kasemann, "Ketzer und Zeuge"; citations from 17374 and 177-78. Cf. von Harnack,johannesbrief, 21, who suspects a controversy over church law: "it is the struggle of the old patriarchal and provincial missionary organization against the consolidating individual communities who, for the purpose of their consolidation and strict delimitation over against outsiders brought forth the monarchical episcopacy in their midst. • Cf. also Schnackenburg, Epistles, 272 ("practical discipline"); Haenchen, "Neuere Literatur," 308. Brown takes a mediating stance (Epistles, 738): Diotrephes shared the presbyter's "anti-secessionist policy," as expressed in 2 John 10-11 , but pursued it farther. According to Smalley (1, 2, 3 J ohn, 356), the organizational conflict escalated into a dogmatic struggle. Lieu (Epistles, 154-55) denies the dogmatic aspect of the conflict, with reference to 2 John I 0 where the presbyter would otherwise have discussed his differences with Diotrephes. But 2 John I 0-11 refers to itinerant false teachers, while Diotrephes must be thought of as a resident community 7 functionary. In addition , when writing 2John the presbyter may not yet have anticipated a hostile reaction by Diotrephes; it is possible that it arose only as a result of 2 John. Abraham J. Malherbe ("The Inhospitality of Diotrephes,• in Jacob Jervell and Wayne A. Meeks, eds. , God's Christ and H is People: Studies in Honour of Nils Alstrup Dahl [Oslo, Bergen, and Troms¢: Universitetsforlaget, 1977)222-32) denies both a doctrinal and a church-legal back-

miracles and his heavenly majesty," are diagnosed as heretical, and the acceptance of the Fourth Gospel into the NT canon is to be regarded as contrary to the church position that was responsible for the establishment of a canon. The idea that a dogmatic controversy underlies the dissension between the presbyter and Diotrephes has certainly been contested. With some frequency the opinion is offered that the disagreement rests merely on a practical, disciplinary conflict. 6 However, on the basis of the common authorship of the two smaller Johannine letters, the sequence 2 John -+ 3 John , and the statement in 2 John 7 that, as a result, must be seen as a fundamental principle for both letters, a dogmatic background seems probable (even if no exclusive significance can be attached to it). 7 And Kasemann's question remains: Was the presbyter a heretic or a witness? 8 On the basis of what has been said about 2 John, the question whether the presbyter was more inclined to the heretics or the orthodox must be answered in favor of the former. The chiliastic features of his christology make him an outsider from the perspective of the ground for the conflict. It is not a question of church authority but of hospitality (228: "The subject with which 3 John deals is hospitality"), which Diotrephes refuses to extend (f.c{3a'A'A.~ena

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"You have a strong team, and the assurance of success lies just there ." Henry Chadwick, Regius Professor of Divinity and Dean of Christ Church, Oxford "I see the great importance of the plan for an edition of the biblical commentary, Hermeneia ." David Flusser, Hebrew University, Jerusalem . . the Hermeneia series has a strong claim on being a trailblazer for the Spirit. It is my hope that the series will be a vehicle of renewal in the life of the church and in our own lives." Krister Stendahl, Harvard University "Biblical studies should receive from this project significant encouragement and invigoration. It comes at a time when there is an increasing interest in the scholarly understanding of the Bible." Herbert G. May, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University, Emeritus "Our students are in desperate need for an up-to-date critical commentary." Glenn W . Barker, Gordan-Conwell Theological Seminary "I am impressed by the quality of the commentaries which this series proposes to make available in English." George Johnston, McGil l University "As I see our Swedish situation I am led to be eager for the writing and publication of this series." Lars Hartman, Uppsala University "I welcome the fact that the series will include commentaries on related extra-biblical writings." Jacob Jervell, Oslo University