1 John 5.5-12

1 John 5:5-12:

1 John 5:5-12 Satya Maharjan Incarnational Christology & Comma Johanneum

Authorship:

Authorship John, the Apostle son of Zabedee (Mark 1:19-20) Problem: “Eusebius ( Church History, 3.39.4) provides a reference to two “John,” one clearly the apostle and the other possibly an elder who lived later (some have speculated that he was a disciple of the apostle John)” (Burge, 38).

External Evidences:

External Evidences Early Church Fathers ascribed the epistle to John Irenaeus (C.A.D. 140 – 203) Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – 215) Tertullian (c. 155 – 222) Origen (c. 185 – 253)

Slide 4:

“The First Epistle was known to St. Polycarp, the disciple of St. John and is quoted as his by St. Irenaeus , the pupil of the St. Polycarp. Papias , the contemporary of Polycarp, made use of it. It is repeatedly quoted as St. John’s by Clement of Alexandria, and still more frequently by Tertullian, who seems to have been specially fond of the Epistle. So that the century immediately following St. John’s death is well filled with witnesses. Origin and his pupil, Dionysius of Alexandria, St. Cyprian, and in short all the Fathers, Greek and Latin, accept the Epistle as St. John’s.” (Spence and Exell , The Pulpit Commentary, ii) .

Internal Evidences:

Internal Evidences Sharing following characteristics with the Gospel of John Similar vocabulary Similar sentence structure Similar concepts (e.g., light, darkness, life, witness/testimony) Similar expressions

Internal Evidence: Traditional Identification & Letter Structure:

Internal Evidence: Traditional Identification & Letter Structure Style 1 John, the Epistle John, the Gospel Simple Greek Contrasting Figures Testimony Eye witness testimony mentioned in 1:1-4 Indication of close relationship with Jesus 1:1; 2:5-6, 24,27-28 “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” “next to him” ( John 13:23) Evidence:

Slide 7:

Phrases and Expressions 1 John, the Epistle John, the Gospel 1:1 1:1,14 1:4 16:24 1:6-7 3:19-21 2:7 13:34-35 3:8 8:44 3:14 5:24 4:6 8:47 4:9 1:14,18; 3:16 5:9 5:32,37 5:12 3:36 Source: NASB Study Bible

Recipients:

Recipients Addressed to believers (1 John 2:12-14,19; 3:1; 5:13) Anonymous – no indication who and whey they were Therefore, it was meant for circular letter Date Around A.D. 70 – 90 Why? Closely associated with the Gospel of John Development of the heresy

Historical Context:

Historical Context Johannine Neophyte Community John planted churches in Ephesus Eusebius, 4 th century historian, quotes Irenaues (A.D. 130 – 200), bishop of Lyon (France) Irenaues writes that John was a leading ecclesiastical figure in Asia Minor (present-day Western Turkey) Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, confirmed this to Ireneus Eusebius’s preserves letter from the bishop of Ephesus, Polycrates , tells about John All these early church fathers confirmed John’s ministry in the frontiers of Judaism. Heterogeneous church: Jews with the OT knowledge and Greeks who knew nothing about the OT

Gnostic Heresy:

Gnostic Heresy Gnosticism – open enemy to Christianity Spirit good; matter (body) evil Platonic idea of salvation – escape from the body – prison house Salvation – not by faith but by special knowledge (gnosis)

Docetics Heresy:

Docetics Heresy Docetism Rejection of Christ’s humanity Christ has no human body No suffering and death on the cross They are apparent but not real – “seemed to be” – Greek “ dokeo ” meaning “to seem” “to think, to imagine etc.”

Cerinthianism Heresy:

Cerinthianism Heresy Divine Christ conjoined human body at baptism Backdrop of 1 John (1:1; 2:22; 4:2-3)

As a Result::

As a Result: Asceticism – form of Gnosticism Dualism

Literary Context:

Literary Context Not written as a book Produced/written for special occasion to address existing adversaries and hardship; persecution and danger

Literary Issue:

Literary Issue Comma Johanneum or Johannine Comma Derived from Greek “ komma ” – a short clause or a single phrase with comma in Ancient Greek rhetoric Series of extra words inserted “interpolation”

1 John 5:7-8:

1 John 5:7-8 (7) For three are the ones testifying in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one . (8) And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and {the} three are in the one

Interpolation:

Interpolation Erasmus’s first publication of the Greek New Testament (1516): Not found this phrase in Greek Codex No interpolation Yes, in third edition in 1522 Story behind Comma Johanneum Froben , the printer at Basel Erasmus in Basel in the summer of 1515 Project completed in March 1516 Stunica , the editor of Ximenes ’ Complutensian Polyglot – charged Erasmus Franciscan friar named Froy (or Roy) presented a Greek MS with these words (now we know it was probably written in 1520 in Oxford Story being ended up with Textus Receptus

The Formula of Trinity:

The Formula of Trinity Omission – no affect on the doctrine of Trinity The Trinitarian Formula – formulated long time before Comma Johanneum No church fathers quoted during and after the Trinitarian Controversy

Theology::

Theology: Incartional Christology: Jesus is the Son of God (vs. 5) Interrogative summation of the previous unit (vss. 1-4)

Slide 20:

Christological Test Jesus came by: (vs. 6) Water and blood (6a) Not by water only but by blood(6b) 3 differing views: Sacraments of baptism and Eucharist ? Jesus death on the Cross? (John 19:34) Totality of Jesus’ incarnational ministry on earth? [Jesus’ baptismal water and crucifixion blood]

Slide 21:

“Marshall, for instance, understands that John is refuting a Docetic (or pre-Gnostic) tendency that downplayed a complete incarnation. Some (like Cerinthus ) were teaching that the heavenly Christ descended on the man Jesus at baptism but departed before he was crucified. Hence, John says, Jesus came not only by baptismal water, but also through the blood of the cross. (Burge, 202)

Slide 22:

Life comes from Jesus’ sacrifical death, not his incarnation alone. Not by water only, but by water and blood

Testimony of the Spirit:

Testimony of the Spirit (6b – 8) Spirit is the truth (v. 6) Three testifying: the Spirit, the water and the blood (vs. 7-8) Possible background: Deutero -law (Deut. 19:15; John 8:17-18) At least two witnesses are required to validate the testimony

Testimony of the Father:

Testimony of the Father (vs. 9 – 12) Comparative degree – “greater” The testimony of God is greater than the testimony of men Christ’s testimony does not rest upon our acceptance of Jesus as God His testimony rests independently – it’s exclusive and exhaustive Believing one has eternal life: no work, no wait, no worry or no uncertain

Bibliography:

Bibliography Bruce M Metzger, The Text of the New Testament, 2 nd and 4 th ed. (New York: Oxford 1968, 2005) Donald D. Brake, A Visual History of the English Bible (Grand Rapids: Bakerbooks , 2008) Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: Letters of John (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament, (Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 2010) E-Sword Electronic Bible Software The Expositor’s Bible, vol. 5, Ephesians to Revelation, The Pulpit Commentary Walter A. Elwell , ed. Baker Commentary on the Bible , (Grand Rapids: Bakerbooks , 1989 ) Walter A. Elwell , ed. Evengelical Dictionary of Theology , (Grand Rapids: Bakerbooks , 1984) William D. Mounce , Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) Other Bibles used: NASB, NIV Application, The Apologetics Study Bible,