Epistles of John - The Preterist Archive

THE FIKST EPISTLE OF ST
JOHN.
INTRODUCTION.
I. THE EPISTOLARY FORM.
ppfl§f?!HE New-Testament document which occupies a place in
tjy^jf our Canon by the name of " The First Epistle of St
John," not only does not bear on its front the name of
its author, but also omits any introductory greeting at the
beginning, as well as any benediction at the close. Hence,
while hypercritics have doubted whether St John wrote the
Epistle, intelligent critics, admitting the evidences of his peculiar
style, have doubted whether it should be called an epistle at all.
J. D. Heidegger (Enchir. Bibl. Tig. 1681, p. 986) led the way:
" This book, though it seems to bear the stamp of an epistle,
may rather be regarded as a short epitome of Christian doctrine,
and, as it were, a succinct enchiridion of the Gospel written by
St John, to which have been added certain exhortations
appropriate
to the general state of the Christian Church. For it
does not, like the
other Epistles, begin with an inscription and
salutation ; nor does it end with salutation and good wishes, or
benediction." In essentially the same style wrote Bengel
(Gnomon), who was followed by Lilienthal, J. D. Michaelis,
Eichhorn, Storr, Berger, Bretschneider, and Iieuss. These all
hold this book— thus doubtful as to its scope—to be a kind
of treatise or essay.
For, the circumstance that the readers are
personally addressed, does not of itself constitute an epistle :
were it
otherwise (observes Michaelis), Wolfs "Mathematical
Principles" must be held to be an epistle.
The majority of expositors and critics have now, however,
declared against this view of Heidegger and Bengel. Ziegler,
A