圣母玫瑰园-思高圣经 

【3 John】Introduction  Next Chapter >>

  The Third Letter of John preserves a brief glimpse into the problems of missionary activity and local autonomy in the early church. In contrast to the other two letters of John, this work was addressed to a specific individual, Gaius. This letter is less theological in content and purpose. The author’s goal was to secure hospitality and material support for his missionaries, and the Presbyter is writing to another member of the church who has welcomed missionaries in the past. The Presbyter commends Gaius for his hospitality and encourages his future help. He indicates he may come to challenge the policy of Diotrephes that is based on evil gossip. The problems of the Presbyter in this short letter provide us with valuable evidence of the flexible and personal nature of authority in the early church. The Presbyter writes to Gaius, whom perhaps he had converted or instructed, on the basis of their personal links. The brothers have also confirmed him as a loyal Christian in action and belief. Gaius accepted the missionaries from the Presbyter and presumably will accept Demetrius on the Presbyter’s recommendation. In contrast, Diotrephes refuses to receive either letters or friends of the Presbyter. Although he is portrayed as ambitious and hostile, he perhaps exemplifies the cautious and sectarian nature of early Christianity; for its own protection the local community mistrusted missionaries as false teachers. Most interestingly, Diotrephes seems comfortable in ignoring the requests of the Presbyter. The Presbyter seems to acknowledge that only a personal confrontation with Diotrephes will remedy the situation (3 John 1:10). The division, however, may also rest on doctrinal disagreement in which Gaius and the other "friends" accept the teaching of the Presbyter, and Diotrephes does not; the missionaries are not received for suspicion of theological error. Diotrephes has thus been viewed by some as an overly ambitious local upstart trying to thwart the advance of orthodox Christianity, by others as an orthodox church official suspicious of the teachings of the Presbyter and those in the Johannine school who think as he does, or by still others as a local leader anxious to keep the debates in the Johannine community out of his own congregation. This brief letter and the situation that it mirrors show us how little we know about some details of early development in the church: schools of opinion existed around which questions of faith and life were discussed, and personal ties as well as doctrine and authority played a role in what happened amid divisions and unity.

Fr: To:
 

    
Old Testament
GenesisExodus
LeviticusNumbers
DeuteronomyJoshua
JudgesRuth
1 Samuel2 Samuel
1 Kings2 Kings
1 Chronicles2 Chronicles
EzraNehemiah
TobitJudith
Esther1 Maccabees
2 MaccabeesJob
PsalmsProverbs
EcclesiastesSolomon
WisdomSirach
IsaiahJeremiah
LamentationsBaruch
EzekielDaniel
HoseaJoel
AmosObadiah
JonahMicah
NahumHabakkuk
ZephaniahHaggai
ZechariahMalachi

New Testament
MatthewMark
LukeJohn
ActsRomans
1 Corinthians2 Corinthians
GalatiansEphesians
PhilippiansColossians
1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy2 Timothy
TitusPhilemon
HebrewsJames
1 Peter2 Peter
1 John2 John
3 JohnJude
Revelation