John versus Paul in nine movements.

[Ben C. Smith]

There are just too many Johns in early Christianity!

• John the Baptist.
• John the son of Zebedee, brother of James.
• John the Pillar.
• John the Revelator.
• John the Elder.
• John Mark.

Some of these men may be the same figure. Others may have been different men whose legends got intertwined in church history. At any rate, I tend toward the position that most of these men are different people; I will try to keep them separate as I go along.

I have been exploring of late what I perceive to be a fundamental, early conflict between what we might think of as Pauline and Johannine factions in the church. This conflict first starts to emerge from the shadows when one realizes that there are authors from early church history who will deal with Ephesus, but will seemingly be aware only of Paul or only of John in that connection. For example, there is only one possible reference that I know of to Paul in Papias, and it is highly controversial, but Papias does know of a John the elder, and does know of another John in a list of men that includes Andrew and Peter. Granted, Papias does not specifically link his John the elder to Ephesus, but Hierapolis is nearby, so we may be at least in the right area; and later legends of a John living and dying in Ephesus would be easily explained if this elder John were an Ephesian resident. Ignatius (whether spuriously or genuinely) writes to the Ephesian church and mentions Paul, but despite a couple of passages that resemble what we find in 1 John has nothing to say about a figure named John from that city.

Beyond these polarizations, which might be chalked up to coincidence, there are some interesting pieces of rhetorical polemics in some early texts which make me suspicious. I am going to attempt to trace a hopefully plausible line of developments through the early literature, using my own mythicohistorical (hybrid) model as a guide. Even if you cannot tolerate that model of Christian origins, the discussion will hopefully be profitable, as I feel that there are other schemes into which the relationships between the various passages I will adduce may be fitted.

I tentatively find nine different stages in the conflict between (followers of) Paul and (followers of) John. I am committed to none of this in any very strong way, and it is all very much still in development.

1.

The prologue to 1 John points, I think, to the founding events of what we call Christianity:

1 John 1.1-3: 1 What was from the beginning [ὃ ἦν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς], what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life — 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us — 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

My suggestion is that the "we" of this prologue represents either the entire group of apostles to whom the founding revelations of Christianity were revealed or a subset of that group. I am also going to suggest that the entire group is what we call the Twelve. This foundational event (or series of events) fits right at the very beginning of the "mythical Jesus Christ" slot in my mythicohistorical model; Jewish conceptions of the Christ/Messiah ("mythical Christ") are being put together with the dying and rising Yehoshua/Yeshua/Jesus figure ("mythical Jesus"). 1 John represents a statement from at least a group of the people who, inspired by visions of the living Jesus Christ, were founding Christianity (whether they realized it or not).

2.

I am taking the prologue to 1 John as a clue that this text is extremely early, hailing from the first generation of what we now call Christians. This epistle seems more like a manifesto or a charter than a true epistle. It is also truly anonymous, but I am taking it to represent either the Twelve or a subset of the Twelve.

Bernard has a very interesting idea about 1 John 4.1-3 containing an interpolation (which I have boldfaced):

1 John 4.1-3: 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God [πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν]; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

The boldfaced bit is the only part of 1 John which speaks to an insistence that Jesus has come in the flesh. Now, Bernard and I completely disagree on when this line may be allowed to have been penned. He believes the words were aimed at docetics, and he believes that the docetics did not really exist until the time of Basilides, more or less. I am not sure I can follow him on this. But I do like the idea of that line being an interpolation, so I am going to run with it and see whither it takes me. This means that the original charter lacked the boldfaced words above, as well as any insistence upon Jesus coming in the flesh (which is not the same thing as affirming that they believed the opposite; they may not have even thought all of that through yet at this stage).

1 John ends as follows:

1 John 5.21: 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

This point will be discussed as we go along: this community is wary of idols.

One final point about 1 John. There is a lot of stuff about love in this epistle. I will not go into the many, many passages about love here and now, but just bear in mind for later that this charter document has a lot to do with love for one's fellow believers.

3.

At some point Paul came to Ephesus. We like to think of Paul actually founding the church in Ephesus, but let us imagine that he instead actually discovered people there who were already aware of those first visions by the Twelve, people who were living their faith out basically by the principles laid out in 1 John. What Paul founded at Ephesus was the Pauline faith; but he was actually building upon someone else's foundation, a policy he would shun later on (Romans 15.20). My reasons for suspecting that he found something already in place in Ephesus will have to wait until movements #5 and #6.

At any rate, what was once an Ephesian community living out the principles of 1 John has now become a Pauline community living out Pauline preaching. One element of Paul's preaching is a somewhat lax stance on food sacrificed to idols:

1 Corinthians 8.1-13: 1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. 4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. 7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

1 Corinthians 10.14-33: 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? 19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? 23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. 25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? 31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

Romans 14.1-23: 1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. 14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. 21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

These epistles are obviously not aimed at Ephesus, but their contents would represent Paul's attitudes toward various things. And it is easy to imagine why some people might object to the idea that the only reason not to eat food sacrificed to idols is for the sake of other people's (weak) consciences.

Another item which may have accompanied the Pauline preaching is a certain tendency toward docetism. Saying that Jesus was "found in appearance as a man" (Philippians 2.8) might seem to imply that he was not really a man, not really of flesh and blood.

4.

At some point after Paul's departure and/or death, one of the elders of Ephesus, one renowned enough to be simply known as ὁ πρεσβύτερος ("the elder"), writes 2 John to a church (a "chosen lady") in order to put a stop to an incipient docetism:

2 John [1.]7: 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

The other elders also add Bernard's suggested interpolation to their charter (at 1 John 4.2); there may be other things they add at this time, as well, parts of our extant 1 John which were not part of the original text.

5.

On the isle of Patmos, off the coast of Asia Minor, a prophet named John pens a vision called the Apocalypse. He has this to say to the church in Ephesus:

Revelation 2.1-7: 1 To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'"

And he has this to say about apostles:

Revelation 21.14: 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The men "who call themselves apostles" but are not would be people like Paul and Barnabas and others of their ilk. John the Revelator thinks that there are twelve apostles of the lamb, and everyone else is a liar. He is pleased that "the elder" has been able to purge Ephesus of its Pauline character, especially since other cities in Asia Minor are perhaps still infected with it (or with the equivalent from other would-be wandering apostles):

Revelation 2.12-17: 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: "The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: 13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 Thus [οὕτως] you also [καὶ] have some who likewise [ὁμοίως] hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'"

Revelation 2.18-29: 18 And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: "The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 19 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them — I place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Nevertheless, John the Revelator tells Ephesus in 2.4, "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." This is a reference to the vocabulary of 1 John, with all of its love language. This line may mean something in particular that we no longer have access to, or it just may be a general comment that the Ephesians are not as loving as they used to be.

6.

The man known as "the elder" in Ephesus is none other than John the elder as we know him from Papias. The author of a particular story in Acts is aware of a figure named John in Ephesus, whose group preceded Paul there, but he has (either deliberately or accidentally) mixed up the story, and now it comes out as if this John were John the Baptist:

Acts 19.1-7: 1 It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether the Holy Spirit has been given.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were in all about twelve men.

The reference to "twelve men" is possibly a garbled reference to the Twelve, known to have held sway in spirit in Ephesus since "the beginning" (1 John 1.1). Basically, Paul had not found disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus; he had found a community of believers, sooner or later under the sway of John the elder, who had been following the teachings of (at least some of) the Twelve for some time before his arrival. The author of this story in Acts has turned them into followers of John the Baptist rather than followers of the elder John, and has also added all the stuff about the holy spirit as a natural consequence of knowing only the baptism of John the Baptist. This gives Paul something to do in Ephesus besides what he really did, which was to turn an entire already fully spiritual community to his own way of thinking. (This may have blown up in his face at some point, prompting his new strategy, expressed in Romans 15.20, of never going where others had already preached.)

7.

This same mangling of the information may have occurred with Apollos in the story immediately preceding the one above in Acts:

Acts 18.24-28: 24 Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26 and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Perhaps Apollos, far from being one of those disciples of John the Baptist recently come to Ephesus from Alexandria, was a devotee to the principles of 1 John. Maybe Martin Luther was right, and Apollos wrote Hebrews (Bernard on this forum thinks so). This would explain the connections between Hebrews and 1 John, as well as the connections to Pauline thought therein, since Apollos would have been taken aside by the Paulinists, Prisc(ill)a and Aquila, and educated on the updated version of the faith that Paul had preached in Ephesus (Acts 18.18-21).

8.

The author(s) of Acts would have had nothing good to say about people who opposed Paul, but also would have had to deal with some of Paul's notorious quirks. The Ephesian elders had some clout:

Ignatius to the Ephesians 4.1: 1 For this reason it is fitting for you to run together in harmony with the mind of the bishop, which is exactly what you are doing. For your presbytery, which is both worthy of the name and worthy of God, is attuned to the bishop as strings to the lyre. Therefore Jesus Christ is sung in your harmony and symphonic love.

The compromise in Acts was that Paul would be the hero of Ephesus, not the Ephesian elders, no matter how renowned, but Paul also had to bow to the apostolic decree against eating food sacrificed to idols, period:

Acts 15.19-21 (James speaking): 19 "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

Acts 15.22-31: 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas — Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 23 and they sent this letter by them, “The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, 25 it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.

With Paul now toeing the line, he can be fully in charge of the Ephesian eldership, as well as predict those people who would later resist his influence in Ephesus:

Acts 20.29-31 (from Paul's speech to the elders of Ephesus): 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

Those men who would arise would be elders, like the elder John. Acts depicts Paul as predicting the backlash against his efforts in Ephesus.

(I am making this part of the development stick to the stories in Acts; I am not necessarily presuming that Acts is the finished work that we know, with its preface and pairing with the gospel of Luke.)

9.

Finally, the spiritual descendants of the Ephesian elders who tried to eradicate Paul's influence from Ephesus for good were able to get their own licks in, once the gospel of John was being written:

John 10.11-13: 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

The hired hand would be Paul, or other wandering apostles like him.

(I have thought about locating #9 before Paul's Ephesian speech in Acts, but this direction of development just makes more sense to me right now: Acts has Paul predict the recalcitrant elders, so John's gospel has Jesus himself predict Paul and his kind: itinerant apostles who never settled down and cared for a flock. It is a bolder move in this direction than if Acts had tried to trump Jesus with Paul.)

I probably have much of this wrong (for example, going with my mythicohistorical approach may be the wrong move), and there is probably much more to say on the topic of John versus Paul (for example, 1 Timothy 1.3 has a loyal Pauline partisan in the person of Timothy himself staying in Ephesus, not moving around like Paul had done; or one might point to a similar conflict between established leaders of a community and wandering prophets and apostles in the Didache), but this will do for now. It is definitely a work in progress.

What do you think?

Ben.

[Secret Alias]

The Qur'an I think says the name John was unknown before John

[MrMacSon]

• The Qur'an I think says the name John was unknown before John

• Unknown before John of the NT? The name was unknown in theology? Unknown more widely?

[Ben C. Smith]

It seems that the Ignatian epistles might have played a part in recovering Paulinism, so to speak, for the churches in Asia Minor. With regard to Ephesus, the epistle of Ignatius to that church names Onesimus as its bishop, whose name may well be conspicuously Pauline:

Ignatius to the Ephesians 1.3-2.1: 1.3 Since, then, I have received your entire congregation in the name of God through Onesimus, who abides in a love that defies description and serves as your bishop in the flesh — and I ask by Jesus Christ that you love him, and that all of you be like him. For blessed is the one who has graciously granted you, who are worthy, to obtain such a bishop. 2.1 But as to my fellow slave Burrhus, your godly deacon who is blessed in all things, I ask that he stay here for the honor of both you and the bishop. And Crocus as well — who is worthy of God and of you, whom I received as an embodiment of your love — has revived me in every way. So may the Father of Jesus Christ refresh him, along with Onesimus, Burrhus, Euplus, and Fronto, those through whom I lovingly saw all of you.

Ignatius to the Ephesians 6.2: 2 Thus Onesimus himself praises you highly for being so well ordered in God, because all of you live according to the truth and no heresy resides among you. On the contrary, you no longer listen to anyone, except one who speaks truthfully about Jesus Christ.

Philemon [1.]1-25: 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. 7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. 8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you — since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus — 10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will. 15 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. 22 At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

It has been noticed by scholars that the Johannine literature seems to lack a sense of episcopal organization, preferring perhaps a collective leadership body instead:

3 John [3.]9: 9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.

Is Diotrephes essentially a bishop ("who loves to be first")? Perhaps what it took to integrate Paulinism into some communities was a locally monepiscopal church leadership structure, which Onesimus provided in the case of Ephesus (and Polycarp in the case of Smyrna). Before that time, perhaps the purer Johannism of which my OP speaks prevailed in some of the churches of Asia Minor, including Ephesus:

Ignatius to the Ephesians 12.2: 2 You are a passageway for those slain for God; you are fellow initiates with Paul, the holy one who received a testimony and proved worthy of all fortune. When I attain to God, may I be found in his footsteps, this one who mentions you in every epistle in Christ Jesus.

[MrMacSon]

There are just too many Johns in early Christianity!

• John the Baptist.
• John the son of Zebedee, brother of James.
• John the Pillar.
• John the Revelator.
• John the Elder.
• John Mark.

Some of these men may be the same figure. Others may have been different men whose legends got intertwined in church history. At any rate, I tend toward the position that most of these men are different people; I will try to keep them separate as I go along.

What do you think?

Ben.[/size]

• I/We looked at the Johns just over a year ago - http://www.earlywritings.com/forum/view ... 553#p48553

[Ben C. Smith]

There are just too many Johns in early Christianity!

• John the Baptist.
• John the son of Zebedee, brother of James.
• John the Pillar.
• John the Revelator.
• John the Elder.
• John Mark.

Some of these men may be the same figure. Others may have been different men whose legends got intertwined in church history. At any rate, I tend toward the position that most of these men are different people; I will try to keep them separate as I go along.

What do you think?

Ben.

• I/We looked at the Johns just over a year ago - http://www.earlywritings.com/forum/view ... 553#p48553

I remember that. The Johannine problem(s) is/are very difficult to untangle.