1. The Reception And Development Of The Johannine Tradition In 1, 2 And 3 John

The three writings known as the First, Second and Third Epistles of John are related to the Gospel of John in a distinctive way. This chapter explores how ideas similar to those found in the gospel were received and developed in the Johannine epistles. It first lists the most important of the similarities and then discusses the main differences between the gospel and the epistles. The chapter suggests that these similarities and differences are best understood if we take the gospel and the epistles as independent witnesses of the shared tradition that is developed in different ways in different contexts. It finally discusses the theories concerning the opponents in 1 John because these theories have played an important role in how the relationship between the gospel and the epistles has been understood. Keywords: gospel; Johannine epistle; John