In 1 Jn 2J'-" and 4" the writer anticipates the con.summation and the parousia, of which the whole NT speaks. It is tlie perversity of criticism which endeavours to separate the two documents on this very ground, or which cannot disceni the harmony between them. The kingdom of God upon earth (ch. :t), the multitudes who are ' of the truth ' and ' hear his voice,' who come to the light and yield to His control, the underlying theocracy, or Cliristocracy, identify the teadiing of the Fourth Gospel with that of the Synoptists. 'These things arc written that ye may lielieve that Jesus is the ClIRLST, the Sim vfGml. and that believing ye might have life through His name.* In these words the beloved disciple sums up the teaching of all the (iospels.
I.X. LlTlHATCRB.— Tile litcntura of UiU <u))Ject ii In |>u1 ooouioed tn the fort-troiti|( lUt of works iMued during the Ust
T28
JOHN, EPISTLES OF
JOHN, EPISTLES OF
?h"nM^Am I- ^<>™%<' "««« "hich no«- follow einbrnce the thTOlosryotthi- I-W. am Apoc. as well as the Gospel. Bcysdii « whose woik on M' Tlu-ul. i» the last on our previoui list h^ Ukeu each seiiurattly, though he has given the theologV Si the Lospcl ani the Lpistles with son>e deliberate esuS 0} the r agreement as well as their allegeil .liverj-cnces.
The lollowing works are oucupieU with the entire subtect •_ Neandcr, Uut. 0/ I'lanlimj. etc., 0/ CA rii"c/.«rf A k{^ iT
his Ihtoi. Johan. Baur, in his Bib. Theot., emphasized the details m which the author ot the Gospel ' roTaC-e he lU-l r:i,c and Pauline Christianity. Schmidt ond van Oostirwe U. heir works 01, U,l,. Theol. 0/ At. have separate,! the ?..S,g of Uinst in Synop. from that of the Prologue and the Mi^itlcs of
exhaustive trea.n,ent.;'we„dl!-"Ji-„'7nA„/'i,1-2M^7!?«J' 1890 .8 largely occui.ied «ith the peculiarities and (notwilh t^^f",^''""-'"'"f' ,'^« '"»'«ri<-^l value of the mMeral which
^^^^L , ','■ ?>»"""»"<"> o'the teaching of Jesus as gathered out manv „f°''l''''"^"'",'^"°"'- U<^y'";''lH-critici.e»th ough- out many of the conclusions of Wendt. and everywhere
S.™„"'fL"'' ""ir-'",' °' r^""'"'^ ^ tnuli'tional vfew?if the ^I^L ^1,.\ i'i"';r' "■?"'.°' '-■'"■'"'• »<-«Pted by Weiss and n^ k™ ,-^ "" "1'5' '""'•"■nent^lly differ from Hilgenfeld
Jr^n'f r„J?„T JIarcus Dods, m the Hxponfor'a Bible, on St
Johns Gospel covere much of the ground in practical and force ful manner and the MnnorabUia of Jam, by Vevton wi h much Ttvocity and mystic extravagance, yet brings out tkrheart of the teaching of Jesus. The same may be slid of Sears Xart <4Chnst, and of a vast number of comm. «.,». WeVtL-ott in Sfok. Comm.)on the Gospel, of which no list is here atte^uptei
JOHN, EPISTLES OF- "' ^^ ^"'^«"S-
Intro(iuction.
1. Order of Thought.
2. Character. 8. Ideas. i. Form and StnictuM,
6. Independence. J. Purpose and Occasion.
7. Authorship.
8. Place and Date.
0. Deatination, Literature,
A>005D EfLSTLB.
1. Contents.
2. Authorship. 8. Time, Place, and Destination.
Literature.
THIED EriSTLE.
1. Contents.
2. Time, Place, and Destination. 8. Occasion.
4. AffiniLies and Authorship. 6. Peculiar Interest.
Literature.
Of the twenty-one Epp. now included in the
flS • '''"^?' "'"='' f°™> «• «'^"'^« by theiu- Be ves, are associated with the name of St. Jolin Historical testimony shows then, to have been in existence in certain parts of the Cluirch and
at a very early period ; in the case of the lon-est L tlTr.^^ tie middle of tlie 2nd cent., and,
the r.al.nf'"T'^^'^°'5'^V ?''^^'^ conne.xion with anthni? .°^ John, and their «ide recofe-nition as authontative writings, are also thin-.? of very
far bTckl'V v^'""^ "^'? *''« '='^^« of^the firslas o^fht^ff ^ ^^P','"'" ""'' I'-en^is, and. in theca.se and Ori "' P"'-"?' ^ Clement of Alexandria and Origen, certainly to Dionysius, the puinl
?Lv hf^i ^'^"'^ ">« '='''^« °f "'6 4th cent IvZ r ^^''"T- '° generally accepted that they
o^^n century, their claims have been disnuted their connexion with the name of Jolin Tein,'- denied or another John than the son of Zebede? being thought to be the writer. But Tt has been
th^y^'arTa 1",^.''"^' "^"'i'- '''^ «'''-* «'"- '"at cney are ail three apostolic writings and nart of
T rr? r' "*! '"'"'"^ '''•^<^'I''« to'-the Chu'i'h. very IrhT dr.^i V " ^"""P °f. ^P^' ^^hi'^b from a very earij date have occupied a position of their
own in the NT Canon, and have been known by a distinct title. This group, which in most ancient Mbb ol the A i (with occasional exceptions, as in the case of N) is placed between Acts and the 1 auhne Kjip., did not appear as a separate collec- tion at one and the same iieriod all over the Uiurch, nor did it include all these three Epp from the beginning. It had neither the sanie name nor the same compass at all times or iu ail tlie diiierent sections of the Christian com- munion.
In tiie Eastern Church the Epp. embraced in it received the title of Catholic or GmcnU (*atfo\.«ai) In the Western Church, in which the collection was of later formation, tliey were known, at least from tlie 0th cent., as Canonical (Canoniae) In one imiiortant section of the Church, the Syrian the group consisted only of three Epp., and among these only the longest of the Johannine letters found a place. In other parts of the Church, and in tiie Eastern division at least by the beginning of tlie 4th cent., it embraced seven Epistles" lliese included our three, the longest of the three being, along witli 1 Peter, the earliest accepted of tiie Avhole collection, and the two shorter bein- added at a later period. {See the article Catholic Epistles).