Salutation

Second John begins with a greeting or salutation similar in form to other NT letters. The writer and recipients are identified, followed by a wish for God’s blessing. But this introduction also contains material that fits the writer’s and readers’ specific situation and recalls the controversy in which all three letters of John are set. The Elder quickly reveals the two main concerns which are on his mind, and they correspond to the two principal themes of the letters of John as a whole: truth and love.

1  Instead of his name, the author gives his title: the elder. This is the closest we ever come to any identification of the author of these letters (cf. 3 John 1). Literally, the elder (presbyteros) means “the old man,” but it is used here, as in early Christianity generally, for …