Vv. 11,12. Testimony to Demetrius. ‘6 Beloved, do not imitate what is bad but what is good. He that doeth what is good is of God; he that doeth what is bad hath not seen God. To Demetrius testimony hath been borne by all and by the Truth itself; yea, and we testify. and thou knowest that our testimony is true.”
‘
12---15.
205 a Sh xi. 8 µιμεῦ τὸ κακόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγαθόν. 6 ἀγαθοποιῶν, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν : bi John 6 δὲ] κακοποιῶν, οὐχ ἑώρακε τὸν Θεόν.
. 3 ~ ~ , ε Heb. χἰ.2, τύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ bw αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ᾿
4, 5, 39- d John xix.
35, XXi.
24. e 2 John 12.
f Matt. x. _ σοι γράψαι 5 14. ἐλπίζω δὲ εὐθέως ἰδεῖν σε, 15. ᾿Εἰρήνη σοι. ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ "φίλοι. ἀσπάζου
13; Luk el 36: John xx.
19,21, 36; τοὺς ® φίλους "Kat ὄνομα. 1 Peter v. ὦ ὃν tA. g John xi. 11; Acts xxvii. 3.
λαλήσομεν.
12. Δημητρίῳ Ἴμεμαρ- “kal ἡμεῖς δὲ
μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ οἴδατε” ὅτι ἡ μαρτυρία ἡμῶν ἀληθής ἐστι. 13. Πολλὰ εἶχον γράφειν,ὸ GAN’ οὗ θέλω διὰ µέλανος καὶ καλάμου
5 Ve / Q , και στοµα προς στοµα
h John x. 3.
19 δε L, Cop., Aeth., Arm.; ο SABCKP, Syrph, Vg., Sah., edd.
2 o.8are KLP, Syrbo ph, Aeth. ; οιδας SSABC, ΥΡ., Cop., Sah., Arm. 3 ypaderv KLP; γραψαι σοι SABC, edd.
4ypawat KLP; ypadew SABC, edd.
διδειν σε ΜΕΙ.Ρ; σειδειν ABC, edd.
Ver. 11. A warning against evil ex- ample. The pres. participles ἀγαθοποιών, κακοποιών denote continuance in and practice of good or bad. See note on I John iii. 6. ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, “a child of God” (cf. 1 John iii. το). Observe the gentleness of the Apostle: the natural antithesis of ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ would be ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου (x John iii. 8), but he says οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν Θεόν.
Ver. 12. Application of the warning against evil example: Do not imitate Diotrephes, but imitate Demetrius. De- metrius was probably the bearer (Ueber- bringer) of the epistle. There is no treason for identifying him with Deme- trius the silversmith of Ephesus (Acts xix. 24). B. Weiss (Einleit.), supporting the ecclesiastical interpretation of 2 John (see Introd. p. 162) and finding a refer- ence to it in 3 John ο, regards Deme- trius as the recipient (Empfdnger) of the former—a member of the Church and a striking contrast to his fellow-member Diotrephes. But evidently he was a stranger to Gaius and needed introduc- tion and commendation. St. John gives him a threefold testimony: (1) that of the whole community at Ephesus (ὑπὸ πάντων): (2) that of ‘‘the Truth” (see note on τ Johni. 8): he fulfilled the re- quirements of the Gospel and exemplified its saving power; (3) that of the Apostle and his colleagues at Ephesus (ἡμεῖς) : he has long been honoured by his com- munity as an embodiment of the Truth (μεμαρτύρηται), and the Apostle testifies this when he is going among strangers ignorant of his past (μαρτυροῦμεν). καὶ . . . δὲ, see note on 1 Johni. 3. οἶδας ὅτι, κ.τ.λ. : because St. John knew him
so well. Demetrius belonged to the Church of Ephesus and was probably a convert of the Apostle.
Vv. 13-15. The Conclusion. “I had many things to write to thee, but I am not minded to be writing to thee by pen and ink. However, I hope presently to see thee, and we shall talk face to face. Peace to thee! The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.”
Cf. 2 John, 12-13. The similarity of the conclusions suggests that the two epistles were written at the same time. The Apostle meditated a visitational circuit (see Introd. p. 155) in the course of which he would see both Kyria and Gaius.
Ver. 13. γράψαι, aor. of the complete composition in the Apostle’s mind; ypa- Φειν, pres. of the process of putting it on paper. k«dAapos (in full κάλαμος γρα- devs), a reed-pen, as distinguished from γραφεῖον, a sharp-pointed stilus for writ- ing on waxed tablets. Plutarch (Dem., 29, 3) says that Demosthenes, when meditating and writing, was accustomed to bite his kdAapos.