By Prof. A. Lopukhin
The First Ecumenical Epistle of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian does not contain the name of the author either in the title or in the text itself. Only in the first verses does the writer indirectly indicate himself as a witness and eyewitness to the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1–3).
Nevertheless, the conviction that the epistle was written by the Apostle John the Theologian has been deeply rooted in the consciousness of the Church from the very beginning. Blessed Theophylact, following Saint Athanasius the Great, says: “The same John who wrote the Gospel wrote this Epistle as well, in order to strengthen those who had already believed in the Lord. And as in the Gospel, so here, he first theologizes about the Word, showing that He eternally abides in God, and teaches that the Father is light, so that we may understand from this that the Word is like a reflection of Him.”
The Church’s Memory of the Epistle
The entire Christian tradition is unanimous in accepting this Epistle as the work of the Apostle John. According to the testimony of Eusebius of Caesarea: “Of the Epistles of John, apart from the Gospel, both ancient and modern Christians accept without any dispute his first Epistle” (Church History, book III, 24).
Even Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, an apostolic man and disciple of John, quotes this epistle in his “Epistle to the Philippians” (chap. VII), referring to 1 John 1:4–3. Papias of Hierapolis is equally ancient, who, according to Eusebius (Church History, book III, 39), uses the first epistle of John in the same way as the first epistle of the Apostle Peter.
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, again according to Eusebius (Church History, book V, 8), in his work “Against Heresies” repeatedly quotes the first epistle of John. In book III, chap. 15, §5 he quotes 1 John 2:18–22, and in §8–1 he quotes 1 John 4:1–3 and 5:1.
The testimony of these three ancient churchmen, who chronologically stand closest to the apostolic age, is of particular importance. It confirms from the very beginning the Church’s belief in the canonical authority of this epistle.
As early as the 2nd century, it is certain that Saint Justin Martyr was familiar with the First Epistle of the Apostle John—in his Dialogue with Trypho (ch. 123) he refers to 1 John 3:1. The author of the Epistle to Diognetus (ch. 2) also shows familiarity with the epistle by referring to 1 John 4:9–10.
Some important and authoritative testimonies also date to the end of the 2nd century or the beginning of the 3rd century, which confirm the generally accepted canonical status of the First Epistle of John. Among them are the so-called Muratorian Canon, the Syriac translation of the New Testament (Peschito), and the ancient Latin translation.
We also find evidence of the authenticity and canonicity of the Epistle in other church writers: Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, book II; cf. 1 John 5:16), Tertullian (Against Praxeus, ch. 15; cf. 1 John 2:1), Origen (quoted by Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, VI, 24), Dionysius of Alexandria (in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, VII, 25), and others.
All these testimonies show that the canonicity and authenticity of the First Epistle of John were generally recognized and never gave rise to doubt or controversy in the ancient Church.
The Authorship of the Epistle
Furthermore, the very content of the Epistle, its spirit, tone, and manner of presentation clearly testify that it originates from the same great apostle of love and sublime Christian contemplation who wrote the Fourth Gospel.
Both in the Gospel and in the Epistle, the author identifies himself as an eyewitness of the Incarnate Word. The entire content is permeated by his living memory of the example that Christ left for Christians with His earthly life (1 John 2:6; 3:3, 5, 7; 4:17), of His words and commandments (1 John 1:5; 3:23; 4:21), as well as of the events surrounding His baptism and death on the cross (1 John 5:6).
In the Epistle, one senses the same spirit of love and at the same time fiery zeal for the glory of God and for the purity of worship, the same depth and strength of feeling, the same style and character of exposition, as we find in the Gospel. This inner kinship and closeness between the content of the Epistle and the Gospel of St. John was well noticed and highly appreciated even in antiquity as evidence of their common belonging. For example, Saint Dionysius of Alexandria in the 3rd century said: “The Gospel (of John) and the Epistle are in agreement with each other and begin in a similar way: the first says: ‘In the beginning was the Word’, and the second – ‘That which was in the beginning’. In the Gospel we read: ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father’ (John 1:14), and in the Epistle – the same in meaning, with a slight linguistic difference: ‘That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon and our hands have handled – concerning the Word of life… and the life was made manifest…’ (1 John 1:1–2).”
John remains true to himself and does not deviate from his goal. He unfolds everything in the same verbal turns and uses the same expressive language. We can point out some of the most characteristic repetitions. The attentive reader of both books will encounter again and again such words as: life, light, transition from darkness, truth, grace, joy, the flesh and blood of the Lord, judgment, forgiveness of sins, God’s love for us, the commandment to love each other, the fulfillment of all God’s commandments, as well as the condemnation of the world, the devil, the antichrist, the promise of the Holy Spirit, adoption by God, the necessity of faith, for the Father and the Son. In general, if a person reads the characteristic features carefully, the same image of the Gospel and the message inevitably opens before him. (St. Dionysius of Alexandria, quoted by Eusebius, Church History, VII, 25)
Dispute over authorship
Some modern Western biblical scholars believe that the false teachers exposed in the First Epistle of John should be seen as the Gnostics of the 2nd century. Therefore, they deny its authenticity, as well as its belonging to the 1st century and to the holy apostle John, the apostle of love. But although the Gnostic teachings acquired a complete and developed form only in the 2nd century, their seeds and initial forms arose already in the apostolic age. As Professor N. I. points out Sagarda: “The error that the author of the epistle refutes differs from the already developed Gnostic and Docetist heresy of the 2nd century. Therefore, the manner of the polemic is different. The writer of the epistle does not argue against specific teachings and personalities, as later church polemics do. Instead, he raises general and principled truths of Christianity against the emerging anti-Christianity.”
Time of writing
As for the time of writing of the epistle, there is no positive historical evidence, nor does the epistle itself contain direct indications of the time of its origin. However, there are indirect data in its content that allow us to attribute it to a later stage of the apostle’s life, probably to the last years of the apostolic age. In the epistle, the apostle John does not deal with the building or initial organization of Christian communities, but rather addresses the believers with a reminder and affirmation of that eternal Christian truth that they have long heard, known, and carry within themselves as a gracious “anointing” (1 John 2:20, 27).
It is obvious that at the time of writing the epistle, the Christian communities in Asia Minor – the most likely initial audience – were already established and had a well-formed church structure. Among them were not only representatives of the first generation of believers who gradually disappeared, but also those who were born and raised in a Christian environment (1 John 2:13–14).
The late dating of the epistle is also indicated by the internal growth of the Church reflected in it – a development that clearly goes beyond the scope of the activity of the apostle Paul. The typical early period disputes with Judaizers, which fill the book of Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of the Apostle Paul, are completely absent from the First Epistle of John. There is no hint of a struggle between the Law and the Gospel, of discussions about circumcision and other similar issues. Judaism and paganism are not seen as separate forces opposed to Christianity. Rather, they have already merged into one common principle – the “world” (κόσμος), which hates God, as John calls it.
Reason for writing
However, new enemies are already appearing within the Christian community itself – false teachers who distort the basic dogma of Christianity: the Incarnation. They clearly show that they are completely alien to the teachings and life of the true Church of Christ, although they have come out of its bosom (1 John 2:19). This profound change in the nature of doctrinal disputes and the internal state of the Church suggests that at least several decades had passed between the time of the Apostle Paul and the writing of the Epistle.
Due to the close connection between the First Epistle and the Fourth Gospel, which has already been noted, it is usually assumed that the Epistle was written either as a letter of recommendation to the Gospel – a kind of preface (prolegomena), or as a second, more practical and even polemical part of the Gospel itself.
In both cases, it is obvious that the epistle is close in time to the Gospel. Church tradition is also unanimous: both writings of the Holy Apostle John were created after his return from exile on the island of Patmos, during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Therefore, the end of the 1st century, approximately between 97 and 99 AD, can be rightly accepted as the time when the First Epistle of the Apostle John was written.
Since the Apostle John spent the last years of his life in Asia Minor, and in particular in the city of Ephesus, it is this city that is most likely the place of writing the epistle.
The immediate reason for its writing is the apostle’s concern to protect Christians from false teachers, that is, from people who, according to the testimonies in the epistle itself, have distorted the truth about the Divinity and incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the bliss of union with God and with Christ (see 1 John 2:19–22; 1 John 4:1–3; 1 John 1:6–7; 1 John 2:2–3, 12–17, etc.).
Therefore, the general character of the epistle is exhortative and reproving, although it lacks direct polemics. As in the Gospel, so here too the apostle goes beyond the specific circumstances that gave rise to the writing. The focus of his attention is on the eternal needs of the members of the Church of Christ. Its purpose is to confirm them in faith in Jesus Christ as the true Son of God, true God and true man, and thus to reveal to them the way to eternal life (1 John 5:13, 20; cf. John 20:31).
Source in Russian: Explanatory Bible, or Commentaries on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments: In 7 volumes / Ed. by prof. A.P. Lopukhin. – 4th ed. – Moscow: Dar’, 2009.
