3 John Images and
NotesThe Book of
3 John
3
John 1:4 - I have no greater joy than to hear that my
children walk in truth.
3
John 1:11 - Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that
which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth
evil hath not seen God.
3 John in The New Testament - A Brief Overview
Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620
Introduction to
The Book of 3 John
Brief Summary. The epistle of 3 John is a letter where
John commends a Christian man named Gaius who showed warm
hearted hospitality to certain missionary helpers of John's.
These same missionaries had been treated badly by an officer of
the local church named Diotrephes. Not only does John commend
Gaius for his hospitality but he calls him beloved four times.
John writes this letter to inform Gaius as to how to deal with
this situation and to tell him of his plan to visit him and the
church as soon as possible.
Summary of The Book of
3 JohnAuthor. The three
epistles of John are surely the work of one man and most
scholars conclude that it is John the apostle. 2 John and 3 John
are almost exactly the same length, and the phraseology is
extremely similar.
Audience. The epistle of 3 John is addressed to Gaius,
and there are three men named Gaius in the
New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:14; Acts 19:29; Acts
20 :4), and it is impossible to know which, if any of these is
the Gaius referred to in 3 John. Gaius was a very common name in the Greek
and Roman world, and this Gaius
was evidently a prominent member of one of the churches that the
apostle John was familiar with. Gaius was known for his
hospitality.
Date. 3 John is thought by many Bible teachers to have
been written in John's old age, about 90 AD. There is no clear
evidence when the book was written or where it was written from.
Outline of the Book of
3 John
The Godliness and Generosity of Gaius - 1:1-8
The Selfishness of Diotrephes - 1:9-11
The Good Example of Demetrius - 1:12
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus"
would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or
consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A).
Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means
"The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".
2 John Maps and Resources
Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the
Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus,
in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which
prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and
the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture
throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the
rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map
reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first
missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and
his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the
church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary
Journey's. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map
reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his
second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in
Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for
dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him
over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister
in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea,
Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to
Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map
reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his
third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he
returned to the cities he had first visited on his first
missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in
Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of
his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19).
(Color Map)
Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the
"Nations" within the ancient world during the first century
A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas
of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities
within Greece in the ancient world during the first century
A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like:
Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia
and Achaia. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within
Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New
Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia
including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like
Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)
