1 John

The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

The First Epistle of John probably written in Ephesus between 95 and 110 AD. The author of the First Epistle is termed John the Evangelist, who many scholars believe is not the same as John the Apostle for a variety of reasons.

There is no consensus if this was also the author of the Gospel of John. Many, if not most, critical scholars conclude that John the Apostle did not write any of these works. None of this casts any doubt on the truth or logos of these writings or their consistency with the scriptures.

This epistle advises Christians on how to discern true teachers:

by their ethics^[1], a set of principles which are seen voice by Christ
their proclamation of Jesus in the flesh as the righteous teacher, and
by their love for one another in charity and hope.

The original text was written in Koine Greek. Unlike the Pauline letters it is written in a simple style makes frequent use of asyndeton, where related thoughts are placed next to one another without conjunctions.

The epistle is divided into five chapters.

It is the first of the Johannine epistles of the New Testament, and the fourth of the catholic epistles.^[2] There is little or no scholarly consensus as to the authorship of the Johannine works but many believe the three Johannine epistles have the same author.

Sources include the earliest surviving manuscripts include:

In Greek:

Codex Vaticanus (AD 300–325)
Codex Sinaiticus (330–360)
Codex Alexandrinus (400–440)
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450; fragmentary)
Papyrus 74 (7th century; fragmentary)

↑ The word "ethics" is derived from the Greek word ethos (character), often linked by comparison to Pathos and Logos, and from the Latin word mores (customs).
↑ The Johannine epistles, the Epistles of John, or the Letters of John are three of the catholic epistles of the New Testament, thought to have been written between 85 and 100 AD, but exactly who wrote them is often in debate.

[1] The word "ethics" is derived from the Greek word ethos (character), often linked by comparison to Pathos and Logos, and from the Latin word mores (customs).

[2] The Johannine epistles, the Epistles of John, or the Letters of John are three of the catholic epistles of the New Testament, thought to have been written between 85 and 100 AD, but exactly who wrote them is often in debate.

[1]

[2]

1 John

Navigation menu

Search