The book of II John
Author
- See I John.
Place and Time of Writing
- See I John.
Unique Characteristics
- One of the General Epistles.
- II John is only one chapter long. That means when you mention a verse you do not use the chapter in front of the verse. For example, II John 10 would refer to the tenth verse in the letter of II John.
- This is addressed to one house church.
Audience
- To a Christian woman and her children.
- 1:1: “The Elder. To the chosen lady and her children, who I love I the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth.”
- Two possible audiences:
- A Christian woman and children.
- A wealthy Christian woman and the Christians who attend the house church that meets in her home. John could refer to the members as "children" since he is an older apostle.
Theme
- Encourage to love others and warn of false teaching.
More details about II John
Why did John write II John?
- John was close friends with a Christian woman and either her children or the house church that met in her home. For some reason, and we don’t know the reason, he decided to write a letter that is really a summary of I John.
Against Docetism
- verse 7: “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” [In this case “antichrist” is with a small “a” and refers to anyone who teaches contrary to Jesus.]
- We can see John emphasizing the idea that Jesus was human, which means he was speaking directly against Docetism.
Outline
- (Verses)
- 1-3: Greeting
- 2-6: Loving one another
- 7-11: Warn of false teachings
- 12, 13: Closing comments
Quiz with hover answers (Hover doesn't work for some smart phones and pads, so questions and answers here)
1. The themes of II John are the same as I John.
Timeline up to the book of II John
Dates are approximate.
| Year | Event |
| 63 B.C. | Romans conquer Israel. |
| 27 B.C. | Pax Romana began and lasted until A.D. 180. |
| 4 B.C. | Jesus born. |
| All dates after this are A.D. | |
| 27 | Jesus baptized. |
| 30 | Jesus was crucified, buried, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven. Apostles travel to Jerusalem and choose Matthias to replace Judas as an Apostle. Day of Pentecost: Peter assumes leadership of Christianity. |
| 30-50 | Peter was leader of Christianity. |
| 33 | Jesus appeared to Paul and Paul became a Christian. |
| 48 | James written. |
| 48-50 | Paul's First Missionary Trip. |
| 50 | Council of Jerusalem; Paul became main Christian leader. |
| 50-55 | Paul's Second Missionary Trip. |
| 51-53 | Galatians, I & II Thessalonians, and I & II Corinthians written. |
| 55-60 | Paul's Third Missionary Trip. |
| 55 | Romans written. |
| 60-62 | Paul arrested in Jerusalem and taken to Rome. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome. |
| 62-63 | (Not in Acts) Paul probably released from prison during this time. |
| 63-65 | (Not in Acts) Paul probably traveled. He may have gone to Spain. |
| 63 | I Timothy and Titus written. |
| 64 | Fire in Rome and Christians persecuted by Emperor Nero. |
| 65 | II Timothy and I & II Peter written. (Not in Acts)Paul back in Rome; he and Peter arrested and martyred: Peter was crucified upside down and Paul was beheaded. |
| 67 | Gospel of Mark written. |
| 68 | Hebrews written. |
| 70 | Temple in Jerusalem destroyed by Romans (it has not been rebuilt). |
| 80 | Gospels of Matthew and Luke written. |
| 90 | Gospel of John and book of Acts written. |
| 95 | Christians persecuted by Emperor Domitian; Apostle John exiled on island of Patmos where he wrote Revelation. |
| 96 | Emperor Domitian died; Apostle John probably moved to Ephesus. |
| 98 | I John and II John written. |
| 100 | Apostle John died; he was the last Apostle to die. |
| 390's | New Testament canon "closed" at Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). |
| 1200's | Chapters added to the New Testament. |
| 1500's | Verses added to the New Testament. |
©2016 Mark Nickens