This is no proper name, but to be taken as the word soundeth, that is to say to the worthy and noble Lady. Second Epistle of John New Testament / Second Epistle of John 1-2 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever. ANALYSIS OF THE SECOND EPISTLE. Apparently some of the members of the church to which the author wrote had been influenced by this teaching. 5 And now beseech I thee, Lady, (not as writing a new commandment unto thee, but the same which we had from the beginning) that we (A)love one another. The author makes his concern more plain in the verse 7: "Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!" 1 This Epistle is written to a woman of great renown, 4 who brought up her children in the fear of God: 6 he exhorteth her to continue in Christian charity, 7 that she accompany not with Antichrists, 10 but avoid them. Unlike 3 John, this epistle is not addressed to a single individual despite appearances. Despite its brevity, it is generally divided into two parts: 1. The writer goes so far as to declare: "Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.". Final greetings 2 John 12-13 The writer ends his letter in a short greeting and expresses his wish to soon come and join them in the church and be in direct contact with the ‘elect lady’. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. Title. The letter is also one of only two New Testament writings—the other again being 1 John—where the term antichrist is used. All rights reserved. "You must walk in it.". The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. However, it is not clear how well developed the idea of the Incarnation was at the time 2 John was written. Most commentators see the Lady and her children as symbolic figures representing a church and its members; thus the letter is actually a communication between one Christian congregation and another. Second Epistle of John definition: → See the Second Epistle of John | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN. In denying that Jesus had a physical body, the docetists rejected the doctrine of the Incarnation. Its purpose is to warn against the heresy known as Docetism, which denied that Jesus had a body of flesh and blood. He ends as he began, with a figurative greeting from one church to the other: "The children of your chosen sister send their greetings." The second Epistle especially is very similar to the first, a similarity that can hardly be explained, as Baljon suggests, from an acquaintance of the author with I John, ml. He is apparently concerned with heresy known as Docetism, which taught that because the spirit is good and the flesh is evil, Jesus did not possess a normal physical body like other human beings. New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article This commandment is, that as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. Few critical scholars agree with the traditional view that the author of the epistles is the same John who wrote the Book of Revelation. 11 For he that biddeth him Godspeed, is partaker of his evil deeds. The Second Epistle of John, also called 2 John, is a book of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. A likely candidate is the church at Ephesus or another city in Asia Minor. When John (the "elder") greets the "elect lady" he is … https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-general-epistles/second-john Often associated with Gnosticism, this teaching had a significant following, appealing to Christians on the basis of superior spirituality, sometimes including secret teachings revealed by Christ, either while he was on earth through new revelations. Of the thirteen verses composing this epistle seven are in the First Epistle. ", He instructs that those who do not affirm Jesus' physical existence as well as his spiritual being should not be allowed "into the house." ascribed 2 John to John the Presbyter, as distinct from John the Evangelist, who was believed to have written both the Gospel of John and 1 John. THE points embraced in this epistle are these: A salutation to the female to whom it is addressed, and an expression of warm attach- ment to her family, 2 Jo 1:1-3. He speaks with authority, as one who expects to be heard with respect and obedience. But with heretics to have no society, even not to salute them. Later, the term antichrist was combined with prophecies in 2 Thessalonians and the Book of Revelations about a single false prophet who would arise in the Last Days, either identified with or an agent of "The Beast" of the Book of Revelation. Thus, the late first or early second century C.E. He reminds his readers that "to love" is to to walk in God's commandments. 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