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I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to 9 have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Where- 10 fore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and kind, will not be disposed to think it incredible that Diotrephes acted in the manner here described even towards the Apostle S. John.

9. I wrote unto the Church] The best authorities give I wrote somewhat to the Church; i. e. 'I wrote a short letter, a something on which I do not lay much stress'. There is yet another reading; I would have written to the Church: but this is an obvious corruption to avoid the unwelcome conclusion that an official letter from S. John has been lost. The reference cannot be to either the First or the Second Epistle, neither of which contains any mention of this subject. There is nothing surprising in such a letter having perished: and Diotrephes would be likely to suppress it. That the brethren whom Gaius received were the bearers of it, and that his hospitality was specially acceptable on account of the violence of Diotrephes, does not seem to fit in well with the context. 'To the Church' probably means 'to the Church' of which Diotrephes was a prominent member: that he was presbyter of it cannot be either affirmed or denied from what is stated here.

who loveth to have the preeminence] The expression (ò piλoπρwτevwv) occurs nowhere else in N.T.; but it comes very close to "whosoever willeth to be first among you" (Matt. xx. 28). Perhaps the meaning is that Diotrephes meant to make his Church independent: hitherto it had been governed by S. John from Ephesus, but Diotrephes wished to make it autonomous to his own glorification. Just as the antichristian teachers claimed to be first in the intellectual sphere (2 John 9), so the unchristian Diotrephes claimed to be first in influence and authority. 10. Wherefore] Or, For this cause: see on 1 John iii. 1.

I will remember] I will direct public attention to the matter, 'will bear witness of it before the Church' (v. 6). It is the word used in John xiv. 26, 'He shail bring all things to your remembrance.'

his deeds which he doeth] Or, his works which he doeth: see on 2 John II.

with malicious words] Or, with evil words: it is the same adjective (Tovnρós) as is used throughout the First Epistle of 'the evil one." The word for 'prate' (pλvapeîv) occurs nowhere else in N.T. It is frequent in Aristophanes and Demosthenes, and means literally 'to talk nonsense.' Its construction here with an accusative after it is quite exceptional. Prates against us,' garriens in nos, cannot well be improved: it conveys the idea that the words were not only wicked, but senseless. Comp. And not only idle, but tattlers (pλúapoi) also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not' (1 Tim. v. 13). Other renderings are 'chiding against us' (Wiclif), 'jesting on us' (Tyndale and Cranmer), 'pratteling against us' (Genevan), 'chatting against us' (Rhemish), plaudert wider uns (Luther).

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neither doth he himself receive the brethren] The same word (tidé

forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the 11 church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that 12 doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report

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XETα) is used here and at the end of v. 9. It occurs nowhere else in N.T. but is common in classical Greek. In v. 9 the meaning probably is admits not our authority,' or 'ignores our letter.' Here of course it is refuses hospitality to.' But perhaps closes his doors against' may be the meaning in both places; 'us' being S. John's friends. By saying 'us' rather than 'me', the Apostle avoids the appearance of a personal quarrel.

casteth them out of the Church] He excommunicates those who are willing to receive the missionary brethren. The exact meaning of this is uncertain, as we have not sufficient knowledge of the circumstances. The natural meaning is that Diotrephes had sufficient authority or influence in some Christian congregation to exclude from it those who received brethren of whom he did not approve. For the expression comp. John ix. 34, 35.

11, 12. THE MORAL.

11, 12. This is the main portion of the Epistle. In it the Apostle bids Gaius beware of imitating such conduct. And if an example of Christian conduct is needed there is Demetrius.

11. Beloved] The address again marks transition to a new subject, but without any abrupt change. The behaviour of Diotrephes will at least serve as a warning.

follow not that which is evil, but that which is good] More simply, imitate not the ill, but the good. The word for 'evil' or 'ill' is not that used in the previous verse (Tovηpós), but a word, which, though one of the most common in the Greek language to express the idea of 'bad,' is rarely used by S. John (кaкós). Elsewhere only John xviii. 23; Rev. ii. 2, xvi. 2: in Rev. xvi. 2 both words occur. Perhaps 'ill' is hardly strong enough here, and the 'evil' of A.V. had better be retained. Nothing turns on the change of word, so that it is not absolutely necessary to mark it. For 'imitate' comp. 2 Thess. iii. 7, 9; Heb. xiii. 7: the word occurs nowhere else in N.T.

He that doeth good is of God] He has God as the source (x) of his moral and spiritual life; he is a child of God. In its highest sense this is true only of Him who 'went about doing good;' but it is true in a lower sense of every earnest Christian. See on 1 John ii. 16, 29, iii. 8, 9, iv. 4, 6, 7.

hath not seen God] See on 1 John iii. 6. Of course doing good and doing evil are to be understood in a wide sense: the particular cases of granting and refusing hospitality to missionary brethren are no longer specially in question.

12. While Diotrephes sets an example to be abhorred, Demetrius sets one to be imitated. We know of him, as of Diotrephes, just what is told us here and no more. Perhaps he was the bearer of this letter.

of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.

That Demetrius is the silversmith of Ephesus who once made silver shrines for Artemis (Acts xix. 24) is a conjecture, which is worth mentioning but cannot be said to be probable.

Demetrius hath good report, &c.] Literally, Witness hath been borne to Demetrius by all men and by the truth itself; or less stiffly, as R. V., Demetrius hath the witness of all men. See on 1 John i. 2. · All men' means chiefly those who belonged to the Church of the place where Demetrius lived, and the missionaries who had been there in the course of their labours. The force of the perfect is the common one of present result of past action: the testimony has been given and still abides.

and of the truth itself] A great deal has been written about this clause; and it is certainly a puzzling statement. Of the various explanations suggested these two seem to be best. I. 'The Truth' means "the divine rule of the walk of all believers :" Demetrius walked according to this rule and his conformity was manifest to all who knew the rule: thus the rule bore witness to his Christian life. This is

intelligible, but it is a little far-fetched. 2. The Truth' is the Spirit of truth (1 John v. 6) which speaks in the disciples. The witness which 'all men' bear to the Christian conduct of Demetrius is not mere human testimony which may be the result of prejudice or of deceit : it is given under the direction of the Holy Spirit. This explanation is preferable. The witness given respecting Demetrius was that of disciples, who reported their own experience of him: but it was also that of the Spirit, who guided and illumined them in their estimate. See note on John xv. 27, which is a remarkably parallel passage, and comp. Acts v. 32, xv. 28, where as here the human and Divine elements in Christian testimony are clearly marked.

yea, and we also bear record] Better, as R. V., yea, we also bear witness (see on 1 John i. 2): the 'and' of A.V. is redundant. The Apostle mentions his own testimony in particular as corroborating the evidence of 'all men.'

and ye know that our record is true] Rather, as R.V., and thou knowest that our witness is true. The evidence for the singular, oldas (NABC and most Versions), as against the plural, oïdaтe (KL), is quite decisive: a few authorities, under the influence of John xxi. 24, read we know:' comp. John xix. 35. The plural has perhaps grown out of the belief that the Epistle is not private but Catholic.

John xxi. is evidently an appendix to the Gospel, and was possibly written long after the first twenty chapters. It may have been written after this Epistle; and (if so) xxi. 24 may be "an echo of this sentence" (Westcott).

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13, 14. The marked similarity to the Conclusion of the Second Epistle is strong evidence that the two letters were written about the same time. See notes on 2 John 12, 13.

S. JOHN (EP.)

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I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and 14 pen write unto thee: but I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

13. I had many things to write] With R. V., following NABC and all ancient Versions, we must add to thee. 'I had' is imperfect: at the time of my writing there were many things which I had to communicate to thee.

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but I will not] 'Will' is not the sign of the future tense auxiliary to write,' but the present of the verb 'to will:' but I will not to write to thee; I do not care to write. See on John vi. 67, vii. 17, viii. 44.

with ink and pen] In the Second Epistle we had 'with paper and ink.' The word for 'pen' (κáλaμos) occurs in this sense nowhere else in N. T. It signifies the reed, calamus, commonly used for the purpose. In LXX. of Ps. xliv. 2, 'My tongue is the pen of a ready writer,' the same word is used; so also in Matt. xi. 7 and Rev. xi. 1, but in the sense of reed, not of pen.

14. But I trust I shall shortly see thee] More closely, but I hope immediately to see thee. The punctuation of this passage should be assimilated to the parallel passage in the Second Epistle. There is no reason for placing a comma before 'but I hope' in the one case, and a full stop in the other.

face to face] As in 2 John 12, this is literally 'mouth to mouth.'

Peace be to thee] Instead of the usual 'Farewell' we have an ordinary blessing with Christian fulness of meaning.

Pax interna conscientiae,

Pax fraterna amicitiae,

Tax superna gloriae.

Comp. John xx. 19, 26. The concluding blessing 1 Pet. v. 14 is similar; comp. Eph. vi. 23; 2 Thess. iii. 16; Gal. vi. 16.

Our friends salute thee] Rather, The friends salute thee: there is no authority for 'our' either as translation or interpretation. If any pronoun be inserted, it should be 'thy': the friends spoken of are probably the friends of Gaius. It is perhaps on account of the private character of the letter, as addressed to an individual and not to a Church, that S. John says 'the friends' rather than 'the brethren.' Comp. 'Lazarus, our friend, is fallen asleep' (John xi. 11); and 'Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him leave to go unto the friends and refresh himself' (Acts xxvii. 3), where 'the friends' probably means 'his friends,' just as it probably means 'thy friends' here. In 'Lazarus, our friend' the pronoun is expressed in the Greek.

Greet the friends by name] Better, as R. V., Salute the friends by name: the same verb is used as in the previous sentence and in 2 John 13 (άoтášeobα): 'greet' may be reserved for the verb used Acts xv. 23, xxiii. 26; James i. 1; comp. 2 John 10, 11 (xaípew). The former is much the more common word in N. T. to express salutation. For other

instances of capricious changes of rendering in the same passage in A.V. comp. 1 John ii. 24, iii. 24, v. 10, 15; John iii. 31.

by name] The phrase (κar' ovoμa) occurs in N. T. in only one other passage (John x. 3); 'He calleth His own sheep by name.' The salutation is not to be given in a general way, but to each individual separately. S. John as shepherd of the Churches of Asia would imitate the Good Shepherd and know all his sheep by name.

GODLY

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