Greeting
1 From the elder, to an elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth— 2 because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
Love and a Warning about Deceivers
4 I rejoiced greatly because I have found some of your children living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 But now I ask you, lady—not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 Now this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning; thus you should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! 8 Watch out, so that you do not lose the things we have worked for, but receive a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not give him any greeting 11 because the person who gives him a greeting shares in his evil deeds.
Final Greetings
12 Though I have many other things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come visit you and speak face to face so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
An Introduction to 2 John
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2 John is a letter, written in Greek around 100 CE, probably among the Christian communities of Asia Minor in modern Turkey. Its author identifies himself only as the elder, a title that could indicate age or leadership, and his identification with John the apostle or another John remains uncertain. The letter belongs to the same teaching tradition as the Gospel of John and 1 John, with a particular concern about visiting teachers whose beliefs about Jesus the elder rejects.1 Its close resemblance to 3 John makes a common author probable, although the authorship and sequence of the larger group of writings remain disputed.2
The recipient is a chosen lady and her children, usually understood as a congregation and its members, with the children of a chosen sister sending greetings at the end. This way of describing a community resembles the portrayal of Jerusalem as a woman with children in Isaiah 54, although a woman who leads or hosts the congregation is also possible.3 The letter’s brevity fits ordinary correspondence of its time, since its contents could occupy a single sheet of papyrus. Its greeting, central appeal, and final greetings follow a recognizable letter form, even as the elder expands that form with the language of truth and love.4
The elder begins his appeal by urging the recipients to love one another and obey the commandment they have heard from the beginning. In 2 John 1:4–6, love involves how people behave, and the elder expects the same commitment to belief and conduct that appears in 1 John 3:23–24.5 The command also recalls Jesus’ instruction to his followers in John 13:34, while its connection between love, obedience, and walking in God’s ways has an earlier counterpart in Deuteronomy 30:16. Such language belongs within Jewish traditions about love and commandments, including the requirement to love a neighbor in Leviticus 19:18, rather than implying that love and obedience are competing obligations.6
The warning in 2 John 1:7–11 concerns people who do not confess Jesus coming in the flesh, but precisely what they deny is difficult to recover. Possible explanations include disagreement about his humanity, his divine status, or his future return, and the surviving letter gives only the elder’s description of their position.7 He calls these people deceivers and antichrists, then instructs the recipients to refuse them a welcome or admission to the house. For him, hosts who receive such teachers participate in their activity, and the command to love members of the community accompanies a severe restriction on whom that community should receive.8
Comparable concerns appear in Didache 11–13, where congregations assess visitors before they provide further support, although this parallel does not establish dependence between the writings.9 Hospitality was valued in both Jewish and Greek and Roman traditions, making its deliberate refusal a consequential response to disagreement.10 The elder nevertheless ends 2 John 1:12–13 with the expectation that correspondence will give way to a visit. He hopes that speaking face to face will complete the joy shared by himself and his companions, and he sends greetings from another congregation.11
Notes
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