The writer of this book identifies himself simply as the elder. Augustinea famous fourth century church fathercontributed no fewer than 124 tractates in his gospel of john commentary, while st. Not surprisingly, the gospel of john never provides the name of its author. The third epistle of john, often referred to as third john and written 3 john or iii john, is the thirdtolast book of the new testament and the christian bible as a whole, and attributed to john the evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the gospel of john and the other two epistles of john. He is also believed to be the only disciple who died of old age the others were allegedly martyred. John also wrote first, second, third john, and revelation. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of john in the bible king james version. An introduction to the book of 3 john related media a. John bible book with full chapters king james version. The content, style, and vocabulary seem to warrant the conclusion that these three epistles were addressed to the same readers as the gospel of john. John 1 3 new international version niv the word became flesh.
John, who wrote the gospel of john, wrote it exquisitely, for he was steeped in jewish tradition and heritage. That group of witnesses includes polycarp, an early secondcentury bishop who as a young man knew john personally. And, while some think it was written before jerusalem was destroyed ad 70, ad 8590 is a more accepted time for the writing of the gospel of john. There have been occasional doubts raised by those who thought it possible that this was written by another disciple of the lord named john, but all the evidence points to the author being john. In the net bible, the quotation marks end at john 3. Euangelion kata ioannen is the fourth of the canonical gospels.
John wrote his letter to gaius, a leader of one or more churches in asia minor. Therefore the origin of the gospel must in some way be connected to this personthe gospel of john may be a record of his eyewitness account of jesus life. Therefore the purpose of john s gospel is to confirm and secure christians in the faith. The third epistle of john, often referred to as third john and written 3 john or iii john, is the antepenultimate book of the new testament and attributed to john the evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the gospel of john and the other two epistles of john.
John niv the word became flesh in the bible gateway. John the apostle, there has been considerable discussion of the actual identity of the author. This onesentence summary of the gospel is the most famous portion of christian scripture, and probably the most oftenmemorized and oftenquoted portion of any holy text in human history. Thomas s gospel of john commentary of the th century is still highly regarded today by. The gospel of john is the fourth of the canonical gospels. He wrote the gospel according to john, first, second and third john, and he was the penman of the book of the revelation of jesus christ. Methodist writer joseph benson notes, with support, theologian daniel whitbys interpretation, that the pharisees and rulers knew christ to be a. This evidence is not as strong as that for 2 john, 1 yet its brevity of the letter and the unlikelihood of it being quoted may account for some of this as with 2 john 2. He had greeks in mind, as the gospel is evangelical in nature. In the book of john, that we do not see in the other gospels is the conversation of jesus with nicodemus, the conversation with the woman of samaria, and many more. Intro to john biblica the international bible society.
It appears that john may have been written in the mid80s to early 90s as he may have served as pastor of the church of ephesus. Discussing and sharing your insights with others is a rewarding, fun way to study the bible. In this article, we examine the evidence for the gospel of john. The epistles content, language and conceptual style are very similar to the gospel of john, 2 john, and 3 john. This summary of the book of 1 john provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 1 john. In connection with john s gospel all of this points to the apostle john as author of the epistle compare with notes on john s gospel. Then the lord said to moses, write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of joshua, that i will utterly blot out the remembrance of amalek from under heaven exodus 17. There may have been a single author for the gospel and the three epistles. Early writers such as irenaeus and tertullian say that john wrote this gospel. Book of third john overview insight for living ministries.
In these epistles john the apostle of love will share his concerns about those things that would threaten the welfare of the church at the end of the first century. Some modern higher critical scholars have raised the possibility that john the apostle, john the evangelist, and john of patmos were three separate individuals. It is possible that john used an amanuensis to write the gospel and the first letter and wrote 2 and 3 john with his own hands. Written by a christian named john, the contents of the book indicate quite clearly that the author was not the john who was one of the twelve disciples of jesus, for it contains no direct personal references of the type that. Gospel according to john, fourth of the four new testament gospels and the only account not considered among the synoptic gospels. The book went through two to three stages, or editions, before reaching its current form, at the latest, around ad 80100. John calls followers of jesus to share in gods own life and love by. Chapter 21 tells of jesus postresurrection appearance to his disciples in. Further, the beloved disciple texts occur only after lazarus is introduced in chapter 11. There are fourteen reasons that are given and we will cover each one in this series. Evidence suggests that john s gospel was the last to be written at some point after 70 ad.
John gives us the reasons he wrote these books of the bible but scatters them throughout 1, 2 and 3 john. John with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The gospel of john has many touches that appear to reflect the recollections of an eyewitnesssuch as the house at bethany being filled with the fragrance of the broken perfume jar see12. The epistle is traditionally held to have been composed by john the evangelist, at ephesus, when the writer was in advanced age. Read and study john, including book summary, with the versebyverse bible commentary.
Biblical studiesnew testament commentariesthe gospel of. This evidence is not as strong as that for 2 john,1 yet its brevity of the letter and the unlikelihood of it being quoted may account for some of this as with 2 john 2 1. John had written a letter, now lost, and perhaps destroyed by diotrephes, to the church to which diotrephes belonged. John is traditionally regarded as the author of five books of the bible. In chapter one verse six it says there was a man sent from god, whose. The author of this epistle never identified himself by name, but christians since the beginning of the church have considered this letter authoritative, believing it was written by john the apostle. And in 2009 tim tebow, then quarterback with the florida gators, painted john 3. Charles schultz wrote the reference into a peanuts comic strip. But since eusebius wished to attribute the book of revelation to a different john than the author of the gospel, his interpretation may not have been impartial. Each chapter begins with wrights own translation of a section of a chapter, followed by a few pages of explanation, illustration, and commentary.
John for everyone, part 1 the new testament for everyone. He is believed to have outlived the other apostles. Chapter 3 contains two of the most popular verses in the entire bible, john 3. He wrote some of it we have internal testimony from the pentateuch that moses wrote at least part of it. John 3 is the third chapter of the gospel of john in the new testament of the christian bible. John 3 now there was a man of the pharisees named nicodemus. The main debate centers on who authored the writings, and which of the writings, if any, can be ascribed to a common author. They typically cover a chapter of the book of john. Who loveth to have the preeminence among them to govern all things according to his own will.
The book of john is a gospel that contains narrative history, sermons, parables, and a few prophetic oracles. John s testimony is preserved while serving in ephesus in asia minor. Yet only onethe gospel of johnclaims to be an eyewitness account, the testimony of the unnamed disciple whom jesus loved. First, the book itself identifies the author as the disciple whom jesus loved. I wrote somewhat to the church reading, with the best authorities, probably means that st. Book of john overview insight for living ministries. For god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes unites with, loves, and obeys him should not perish, but have everlasting life. However, two significant factors point to the identification of john as the author.
The scribe has been tapped to pen the screenplay for the third installment of the action franchise, john wick. Various church fathers and theologians down through the ages have speculated as to the writer of the book of hebrews. Thomas s gospel of john commentary of the th century is still highly regarded today by modern scholars. All of his books were written later in life and after all the other books in the bible were recorded. In light of the strong ancient evidence, one can claim with confidence that john wrote the letters attributed to him in ephesus. This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true john 21. The key personalities of this book are jesus christ, his twelve disciples, mary magdalene, john the baptist, lazarus, his sisters mary and martha, jewish religious leaders. This summary of the book of 3 john provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 3 john. In the book of john, christ speaks of god as the father over 100 times. The author is the apostle john, the disciple whom jesus loved. Robertsons he was a great baptist greek scholar comments on john 3.
Book of first john overview insight for living ministries. The book of 2 nd john is a general epistle apostolic letter. The specific recipients are not clearly spelled out in the gospel. The gospel of john, the three johannine epistles, and the book of revelation, exhibit marked similarities, although more so between the gospel and the epistles especially the gospel and 1 john than between those and revelation. Intro to 1 john biblica the international bible society. The first epistle of john is the sixtysecond book in the christian bible, and the twentythird in the new testament this book is believed to a letter from john. First of all, the author had to have been an eyewitness of the ministry of jesus. Lazarus was the disciple whom jesus loved, as per john 11.
The gospel of john tells many of the stories of jesus life that are in the other three gospels, but also contains a lot of different information. For the past few weeks, we have investigated the authors of the gospels and the book of acts. It is usually accepted that john wrote them late in his life. The third epistle of john, often referred to as third john and written 3 john or iii john, is the thirdtolast book of the new testament and the christian bible as a. Lazarus is the only figure of whom it is said that jesus loved him john 11. John is also traditionally credited with writing 1, 2, and 3rd john as well as the book of revelation. First epistle of john simple english wikipedia, the free.
In the book of john, we find that jesus ministry altogether was approximately 3 12 years. Dec 11, 2016 watch our overview video on the letters of john, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Other translations leave the quotation marks until the end of chapter 3. Each of the 21 weekly lessons in this gospel of john bible study is designed to challenge you to learn the truths presented. He was prominent in the early church but is not mentioned by name in this gospel which would be natural if he wrote it, but hard to explain otherwise.
Discovery of certain papyrus fragments dated around ad 5 require the gospel of john to have been written, copied, and circulated before then. In the third chapter 1921 jesus states that the light has come into the world, but. In the book of john, that we do not see in the other gospels is the conversation of jesus with nicodemus, the conversation with the woman of. Feb 23, 2017 bible teaching from the book of john chapter 1 verses 1. Many contemporary biblical scholars believe that the writer of the letters was not the author of the gospel.
The new testament books were themselves written in the second half of. The major themes of 1, 2, and 3 john is first to assure christians of their salvation and secondly to refute the false teachers that are attempting to lead. Such identifications were not made in any of the other three biblical gospels either. It is the third in a series of 3 epistles that bear the apostle john s name.
Each paperback volume tackles a book of the bible, in this case a twovolume set for the book of john. The author calls himself an eyewitness of jesus life chapter 1. David guzik commentary on john 3, where jesus is approached by. Gospel of john simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The gospels, the first four books of the new testament, tell the story of the life of jesus. John wick 3 brings back writer derek kolstad exclusive. It is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom. John 3 nkjv the new birth there was a man of the bible. John lived a long life and was imprisoned on the island of patmos in his old age. It was written by the discipleapostle john around 8595 a. As is typical of the gospel of john, chapter three begins with an abrupt. As he probably wrote the gospel in the second hals of the first century, some think that he wrote this account to help correct some wrong teachings about jesus that had begun to creep their way into the. Book of 3 john read, study bible verses bible study tools. Since the author of 1 john seems to build on concepts and themes found in the fourth gospel see 1jn 2.
The tradition from the earliest days of the church has been that the apostle john is the author. Eusebius argued that john wrote in order to complement the synoptics where they were lacking, while the muratorian canon suggested that his fellow disciples in asia minor urged him to write an account. See introductions to 1 john and the gospel of john. Early writers such as irenaeus and tertullian say that john wrote this gospel, and all other evidence agrees see introduction to 1 john. Book of john read, study bible verses online bible study tools. There is some disagreement over whether the john who wrote the letters of john, the john who wrote the gospel of john, and the john who wrote the book of revelation are the same person. The book of 3 john does not directly name its author. Hello everyone, please join me as we study our way through the book of john in this series. It was written to encourage all christians not to lose focus of jesus christ and to warn against persistent heresy. In any case, the only other evidence for the existance for an elder john may be the introduction to 2 and 3 john, where the author calls himself this.
These scholars assert that john of patmos wrote revelation but neither the gospel of john nor the epistles of john. Polycarp, a secondcentury christian martyr who knew john personally, told irenaeus that john had written the book during the apostles time serving the church in ephesus. In the final analysis, it does not matter, because. Why would lazaruss name be mentioned in chapters 1112 but then left shrouded in subsequent accounts. Biblical students that john wrote these letters from ephesus, the place believed to be where he died. He also wrote the last book of the new testament, called the book of revelation.
Baptist preacher charles spurgeon said of this chapter that it is the chapter he would choose to read to a dying man who did not know the gospel, as the most suitable one for such an occasion. All books of the new testament refer to events that happened in the first century, such as the life of jesus, the spread of the gospel, and issues that arose in the infant churches. Thus, at the end of the 19th century scholar ernest dewitt burton wrote that there could be no reasonable doubt that 1 john and the gospel were written by the same author. It is the third in a series of 3 epistles that bear the apostle johns name. The letter was probably written about the same time as 1 and 2 john a. The gospel of john is the latest written of the four biographies of jesus that have been preserved in the new testament. While we cannot pinpoint the date with certainty due to the lack of specific information in the letter, 3 john was probably written around ad 90 from the island of. Introduction to the gospel of john study resources. It is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its. The authorship of the johannine worksthe gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelationhas been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. Presumably, the first readers knew who this was, and from the earliest times, christians have understood that this was the apostle john writing, the same john who wrote the gospel of john, 1 and 2 john, and the book of revelation.
In the first verses of both 2 john and 3 john the author identifies himself as. This chapter contains the most recognizable verse in the entire bible, john 3. It is written by the discipleapostle john around 8595 a. Traditionally, the authorship of 1, 2, and 3 john has been ascribed to the apostle, john son of zebedee, who also was understood to be the author of the gospel of john and revelation. John 20, new international version niv the bible app. It is believed that origen, an alexandrian christian scholar and theologian, wrote his gospel of john commentary while in alexandria at some point after 218 a. While we cannot pinpoint the date with certainty due to the lack of specific information in the letter, 3 john was probably written around ad 90 from the island of patmos, where john was exiled at the time. We may never know for certain who wrote the gospel of john, any more than we. The apostle john is usually credited with the authorship of the fourth gospel. Feb 06, 2019 john is traditionally regarded as the author of five books of the bible. Studies from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd john bible study guide. These factors suggest that john wrote the book between ad 85 and ad 95.