John, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, was the son of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman (Matthew 4:21; Luke 5:10; John 21:2). His mother was Salome, sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. This can be verified by comparing the women who attended Our Lord’s crucifixion and those who were present at the empty tomb and mentioning her as “His mother’s sister” in John 19:25. As the chart below indicates:
He was the brother of the Apostle James, who suffered martyrdom, c.42 A.D. by the hand of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2). The Lord Jesus gave John and James the name “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17).
The Apostle John, the self-proclaimed “beloved” apostle (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) is the writer of this epistle. He is not identified as the author, but the similarity of vocabulary and writing style in the Gospel of John is evidence that he is the writer of the this and 2 shorter epistles along with the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, John's activity in the book of Acts is featured for only a short time. He is last mentioned having been sent to Samaria with Peter to minister to new believers (Acts 8:14f). There is very little in history to explain what John’s later ministry entailed. The only other mention of him in the New Testament is by Paul when he and James and Peter gave Paul the “right hand of fellowship” at the beginning of Paul’s ministry (Galatians 2:9).
It is believed that John relocated to Ephesus sometime after 63 A.D. and after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in order to “take charge of the orphan churches, exposed to serious dangers and trials.”1 This undoubtedly refers to the Gnostic heresy that the Apostle Paul forewarned in his address to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-38; cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-7.
The church historian, Philip Schaff, states that “according to the unanimous testimony of antiquity, he lived till the reign of Trajan, i.e., till after 98 [A.D.], he must have attained an age of over ninety years.”2
Date of Writing
John wrote his gospel account and epistles near the end of the 1st Century around 90 A.D. Irenӕus, bishop of Lyon c.180 A.D. stated that John wrote his Gospel and letters at Ephesus and Revelation at Pátmos and that he died in Ephesus.3 His writings were the final definitive statement of the truth of Jesus Christ pertaining to His life, death, resurrection and second coming, with the intention of presenting a defense against the apostasy of Gnosticism. J.B. Lightfoot determined that this apostasy “in its manifold and monstrous developments will disturb the peace of the Church for two centuries to come.”4
John’s animosity towards the Gnostic heresy and its advocate, Cerinthus, was documented by the 2nd Century church father, Irenӕus (c.130–c.202 A.D.), relating an incident “from the lips of Polycarp”5 a disciple of John’s:
There are also those who heard from him [Polycarp] that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.”6
Irenӕus further stated that John sought “by the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men.”7
Purpose For Writing
John has a three-fold purpose for writing this epistle: (1) to expose the false teachers who were attempting to deceive his readers, 2:26; 3:7; (2) to promote fellowship with the Godhead, 1:3 and with fellow believers, 1:5; (3) to provide believers the assurance of eternal life, 1:2; 2:25; 4:9; 5:11, 13, 20.
Schaff characterized 1 John as “a postscript” to the fourth Gospel “or a practical application of the lessons of the life of Christ...and earnestly warning them against the Gnostic ‘antichrists.’ already existing or to come.”8 He maintained that only John “could complete the work of Paul and Peter” for the unity of the Church and to secure for it “self-preservation against persecution from without and heresy and corruption from within.”9
Concerning Judaism and Gnosticism
Paul had fought off the infiltration of Judaism in early
Christianity dispelling their attempts
to regulate what meats to eat and what to drink
or which festival, new moon or Sabbath day to observe (Colossians 2:16). And
concerning the initiatory rite of circumcision—that had actually been settled
in Acts 15—he contrasted this by recommending spiritual circumcision.10
(Colossians 2:11). John is not confronted with this issue, according to Schaff,
because he resolved the problem of Judaism “with one sentence: For the law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).11
With this, John becomes the defender of truth in combating the false teachings of Gnosticism. This heresy “implies the possession of a superior wisdom, which is hidden from others. It makes a distinction between the select few who have this higher gift, and the vulgar many who are without it.”12 The Gnostics believed in a blend of Eastern mysticism and Greek dualism, which claimed that the spirit is completely good but matter is completely evil, thus attacking the incarnation and humanity of Jesus Christ. John counters this in the prologue—the opening four verses of 1 John. And throughout his epistle, he provides substantial evidences of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ so that the believer can know Him and maintain fellowship with Him in their moment-by-moment walk of faith.
[1] Schaff, Philip (2006) History of the Christian Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1.425.
[2] Schaff, 1.414
[3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle [Retrieved January 17, 2024]
[4] Lightfoot, Joseph B. (1999). St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, p.42
[5] Schaff, 1.430.
[6] Irenӕus, Against Heresies, 3.3.4. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm [Retrieved January 19, 2024]
[7] Irenӕus, Against Heresies, 3.11.1. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103311.htm [Retrieved January 19, 2024]
[8] Schaff, 1.748.
[9] Schaff, 1.425-426
[10] Lightfoot, Joseph B. (1999). St. Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, p.73.
[11] Schaff, 1.549
[12] Lightfoot, Colossians, p.77.
© 2024 David M. Rossi
"Paul fought had off the infiltration of Judaism" should perhaps be "Paul had fought off...." Excellent introduction!
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