1st Council Epistle of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

Isagogical-exegetical research The base of the wall of the great city - heavenly Jerusalem, shown by the Angel to the Seer of Mysteries, is decorated with various kinds of precious stones: the first base is jasper, the second is sapphire, the third is chalcedon, the fourth is emerald, the fifth is sardonyx, the sixth is sardonyx, the seventh is chrysolithum, the eighth is virill, the ninth is topaz, the tenth is chrysoprase, the eleventh is hyacinth, twelfth - amethyst" (Rev. 21:19-20). The great city is the bride of the Lamb, the holy Church (Rev. 21:9); The twelve stones represent symbols of the twelve Apostles, whom the Lord laid at the “foundation” of His Church. In these precious stones, each of the twelve Apostles has his own emblem: “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14). All stones are equally beautiful and equally necessary in the overall building system of the city, but each of them shines with its own special beauty. Likewise, all the Apostles are marvelous in their evangelistic labors: each of them constitutes an essential and necessary part of the great building of the Church, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15), and not one of them can be preferred to another. But each of them is beautiful in its own way, since it has its own special spiritual inclinations and gifts, and they impart to its radiance a certain shade and peculiar beauty. And if anyone wants not only to contemplate this radiance, but also to understand it, he must necessarily try to penetrate into the main reasons for the observed difference. The same sun illuminates all twelve stones with the same rays, but their reflection is different; and everyone will agree that the reason for this lies in the properties of the stones themselves. Likewise, it is certain that all the Apostles were illuminated by the same truth, which it pleased the Son of God, the Word incarnate, to reveal to them, and through them to the whole world; they are all under the influence of the same Spirit. But it is also true that everyone perceived divine truth in his own way. Therefore, for one of the Apostles, one side of Christian truth received preferential development, while for the other, another, with different shades and a special sequence and connection in the details of the disclosure. In this circumstance, the experiments of presenting in a systematic form the theological content of the individual writings of St. The Apostles Peter, James, Paul and John, both on specific issues of Christian dogma and ethics, and in the entire scope of Christian theology. This does not in any way renew the disputes that existed in the Corinthian church, where one said: “I am Pavlov,” another: “I am Apollosov,” a third: “I am Cephas” ... (1 Cor. 1:12), for at the same time the position remains unshakable that all the Apostles speak, enlightened by the same Spirit, proclaim the same word of our Lord. Even more than that: in the study of this word in its various presentations lies a reliable path to the knowledge of divine truth in its fullness and integrity, since in this way it becomes possible to determine the essence and limits of the unity of the so-called types of New Testament teaching. This essential unity in the apostolic doctrine cannot be clearly determined without first carefully studying each priest. writer in his writings. Among the sources for illuminating Christian truth from the side in which it is presented by the “Theologian” of Christ’s Church, St. The Apostle John, the main place is occupied by his first conciliar epistle (in connection with two smaller epistles, the prologue of the Gospel and individual remarks scattered in the last), since in it from beginning to end we read the direct expression of the Christian teaching of the Apostle himself; therefore, it stands in a primary internal connection and dependence on the character of the personality of the great Apostle. Hence the natural need to note the characteristic features of the Apostle John before proceeding to the study of his first conciliar letter. 1 The personality characteristics of the Apostle John elude precise definition; they are felt by every attentive reader of his writings, but great effort is required to draw from them a conclusion about the laws and methods of his written depiction of Christian truth. It is not uncommon to imagine the Apostle John as a meek and calm young man, unearthly beauty, with features of almost feminine tenderness, with the stamp of complete calm on his forehead and a dreamy gaze. There is no doubt that such an idea of ​​​​the Apostle John has its visible basis in one of the distinctive features of his teaching, namely in the teaching of love, for which he received the name “Apostle of Love.” And indeed, all his writings breathe love: he says that God in his being is love (1 John 4:8); he dwells primarily on the manifestations of the ineffable love of his divine Teacher, and his constant exhortations to his disciples have the ultimate goal of instilling in them mutual love; love runs like a golden thread through the entire life of the Apostle. Lying on the chest of the Son of Man, he was imbued with that love, the revelation and embodiment of which was the divine Messenger. But here we discover an incorrect understanding of the Apostle John’s teaching on love and, in general, a one-sided view of his entire personality. Many did not comprehend the full depth of his love and mistook it for a simple sentimental feeling. In fact, the Apostle John amazingly combined completely opposite qualities - calmness and depth of contemplation with ardent jealousy, tender and boundless love with ardor, even some harshness. A Galilean in the flesh, he was also in spirit the son of this restless and harsh part of the population of Palestine. From the brief instructions of the Evangelists it is clear that he had an extremely ardent and addicted nature; the impulses of the heart sometimes reached such violent passion that Jesus Christ was forced to moderate them, as disagreeing with the spirit of the new teaching (Mark 9:38-40; Luke 9:49-50, 54-56). But on the other hand, in all his behavior he reveals remarkable modesty. Despite his special position among the Apostles, as a disciple, his beloved Jesus, John neither during the Savior’s earthly life stood out noticeably from a number of other disciples, nor after His ascension did he appear as a prominent figure in early Christian society. Taking into account these traits in the character of the Apostle, we must recognize in him one of those natures that live a more internal and contemplative life than a practically active life, which, despite the fullness of their internal spiritual life, rarely manifest outwardly the mighty power of the spirit hidden within them. But there come moments when such people’s feeling breaks out in an unexpected outbreak that affects everyone around them. If so, is it possible to better outline the character of these people than by the name βοανηργές given by Jesus Christ to the sons of Zebedee (Mark 3:17)? This name expresses the characteristic feature of the brothers: turbulence, natural ardor and fiery zeal in defending and carrying out what they recognized as truth. Just as electricity slowly accumulates in the clouds until it suddenly bursts forth in a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, so impressions slowly gather in the brethren who ardently love Jesus until, under the influence of external circumstances, they burst out with force (cf. Luke 9:54). Youthful passion and impetuosity sometimes manifested themselves in John the Elder. It is enough to recall the fact of the meeting of the Apostle John with the heretic Cyrinthos in the public bathhouse of Ephesus. The character of the Apostle John is best outlined in comparison with the Apostle Peter, with whom he is often mentioned in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The difference in their characters is clearly reflected in the fact that the Apostle Peter always goes ahead, John follows him (John 21:20); The Apostle John excites, Peter acts out of excitement: John is the first to recognize the Lord and tells Peter about this - Peter quickly rushes into the water in order to quickly get closer to the Lord (John 21:7). They both love the Lord to the same degree, but express their love in different ways: Peter draws his sword to defend his Master; John is silently present at His suffering and death on the cross and listens from the lips of the Dying One to His last will as the Son of Man. He calmly accepts the news of the resurrection of the Lord and unconditionally believes in this greatest miracle when Peter and others hesitate and are perplexed (Luke 24:12; John 20:8). In general, Apostle Peter is a living, mobile nature; under the influence of impressions from the outside, he quickly decides to take action and immediately carries it out; he instantly and completely ignites and is ready for any feat, for any self-sacrifice. But his sphere is precisely external activity. The Apostle Peter has little inclination towards self-conclusion, long-term internal work - it does not satisfy him. The complete opposite of him is the Apostle John. Distinctive features of his character include observation and receptivity to external impressions, along with a quiet but deep feeling. The impressions received from outside are rarely revealed to him in word or in action, but for this reason they penetrate all the more powerfully and deeply into the inner spiritual life of the Apostle; not distracted by external activities, always immersed in his own spiritual world and at the same time sensitive to impressions that closely concern him, he processes them in the depths of his soul and makes them his lasting property. The Apostle John observes every word, notices the barely noticeable, pays attention to the apparently insignificant, and gives meaning and meaning to everything. Having become a disciple of the Lord, he listens with reverent awe to the inspired speeches of his Teacher, firmly remembers them and deeply analyzes them; he notices His every movement and, in the purest love, seems to be completely immersed in the contemplation of Jesus and in Him the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Not a single feature of His life escaped the Apostle John, not a single event passed without leaving a deep trace in his memory, so that if he began to report in detail about what Jesus had done, the world would not have accommodated all the books written (John 21:25). But he was not a cold observer who only tried to grasp the whole image of a personality: the Apostle John followed the Teacher, like a true Israeli, who was attracted by him precisely because he sensed in His face the revelation of that mystery, the thirst for which permeated his entire being and which was increasingly revealed to his mental gaze. For everything that John observed in Jesus, he demanded and sought a sufficient explanation in His being and words. That is why, in the soul and memories of this Apostle, entire deep conversations with His enemies and friends, down to the smallest detail, were preserved clearly and distinctly, as his Gospel shows. The height and greatness of Christ, as they are presented in the fourth Gospel, did not, of course, remain hidden from the other Apostles, but only the Apostle John clearly reproduces them. The other Apostles preserved from the deeds and speeches of the Savior mainly what made a strong impression on the external sense, what especially struck the eyesight, or was generally distinguished by solemnity: the Sermon on the Mount before a huge mass of people from the heights of Mount Galilee was deeply imprinted in the memory of the weather forecasters; but the conversation between Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well, modest in its external setting, during a tiring journey, remained unnoticed by them. Only John listened attentively to such conversations of Christ, and only he comprehended from them, no less than from the solemn speeches, all the greatness and glory of his Teacher. But, being highly observant and receptive to everything around him, the Apostle John was more turned to the ideal than to the outside world. All the rich reserve of observation does not call him to vigorous practical activity; he is more inclined and capable of immersing himself in the object of knowledge and merging his self with it, rather than energetically influencing it. Here is a place for comparing the Apostle John with the Apostle Paul. One is brave, active, energetic, always ready to join the fight; the other is more inclined to a solitary, contemplative life, more ready to follow someone than to go ahead. One is a Christian missionary, tireless in spreading the Gospel and converting sinners; another is a Christian shepherd who edifies believers and confirms them in the true confession of faith. This distinctive feature of the character and activity of the Apostle John, perhaps, also explains the fact that little accurate information has been preserved about his missionary activity. His calling was not to lay the foundation of churches, but to erect and complete the building begun, strengthen it and protect it from various corrupting influences. Therefore, his activity develops with particular force in the later times of the Apostolic period; although one cannot, of course, think that in early times he did not share their missionary labors with the other Apostles (cf. Acts 3:1, 4:19, 5:29, 8:14); only his external activity at that time really stood out so little that Herod Agrippa I, during his persecution of the Jerusalem church, captured not him, but his brother James and Peter and killed the first (Acts 12:2). Nevertheless, according to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, he was one of the recognized pillars of the Church: the inner strength of his apparently unnoticed activity was so felt by everyone. The Apostle John possessed what is called completeness and integrity of personality. He does not understand duality because he has not experienced it himself; according to his conviction, where there is no complete devotion, there is nothing. People with such a character, having once chosen a certain path, no longer deviate from it, do not hesitate in one direction or another, but go straight to the very end, wherever this road leads: one end or the other, but certainly the end - there is no middle ground for them. Everywhere and in everything they have completeness, undividedness and complete consistency. And the Apostle John, if he gave himself to something, then he gave himself completely and selflessly: in his opinion, one can belong either to Christ or to the devil - there can be no middle, indefinite state. Therefore, when he saw in his Teacher the realization of the ideal for which his soul lived, he surrendered to Him with completely undivided love, along with which nothing is unthinkable that belongs to the realm of the prince of this world, the primordial enemy of man, the enemy of truth and the ancestor of lies; The enemy of Christ cannot arouse any other feeling in the Apostle John than hatred. This hatred is a negative expression of love: the more he loves Christ, the more he hates Antichrist; the more he loves the truth, the more he hates lies - light excludes darkness. Thus, apparently contradictory traits - the inner fire of love and striking anger, meekness and ardent jealousy - are easily reconciled with each other: in both cases the same strength of spirit is manifested, only in opposite directions - once in a positive way, being attracted by the divine, and the other time in a negative way, turning away from the godless and anti-Christian; this is similar to how the same sun illuminates and warms the living and contributes to the decay of the dead. Therefore, love directed in one direction and hatred directed in the other turn out to be mutually complementary. The Apostle John is at the same time both the “Apostle of Love” and the “Son of Thunder.” The fiery love of the Apostle John for the Lord was not a transitory, unstable feeling - it became a constant need of his heart, the soul of his life, life itself; she gave true purpose to his desire for contemplative thinking and inspired his spirit to soar high. This love enabled him to look deeply into the heart and being of his divine Master; having pressed himself close to His bosom, with a loving heart he comprehended Him as the only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word, and from the inexhaustible source of knowledge of Jehovah in the bosom of the Father, he wore out the wealth of his theology. This special love sanctified, purified, exalted the nature of John; henceforth his sphere in which he lives and revolves is more heaven than earth. And when the days of the earthly life of the beloved Teacher ended, and He ascended to heaven, then the Apostle John ascended with Him with all his thoughts and feelings: his entire subsequent life was only a life with Christ and in Christ. Because of this, the image of Christ always stands alive before His eyes (1 John 2:5, 3:3, 6) The face and life of Jesus Christ, as the incarnate God of the Word, constitute the heart and source of John’s religious ideas. Christ of the day is everything to him - the center and basis of his entire spiritual being. The divine dignity of Jesus Christ for him is the one absolute truth, and whoever denies it is the enemy of all truth, a liar (1 John 2:22), the enemy of Christ, the antichrist (1 John 4:3; cf. 2 John 1:7), with whom he does not want to have any communication and warns all believers against him. Therefore, it was determined for John to express the last word of divine revelation, introducing into the most revealing secrets of the inner divine life, known only to the eternal Word of God, the only begotten Son, and to affirm against the heretics the main dogma of Christianity - the incarnation of the Son of God to give the world eternal life. As a result of the closest communication with the embodied Wisdom itself, this leader of Christian philosophers, this theologian in the most precise sense of the word became the true bearer and representative of divinely inspired knowledge amid the dangers threatening from the spreading and intensifying heretical Gnosticism. Church symbolism depicts the Apostle John with an eagle, soaring bravely and triumphantly in the highest regions, and the brilliant Raphael therefore represented him resting on the wings of an eagle and boldly looking up to the heights of heaven. With this symbol the Church wants to figuratively represent a sharp, penetrating gaze, not blinded by the light of the Sun of Truth, prophetic foresight; the bold flight and irresistible strength of spirit of the Apostle John. What has been said, we think, is quite enough to see that in the natural properties of the spirit of the Apostle John there were all the makings for such that, under the influence of grace, he would become the truest image of the Lord himself, the herald of the great mysteries of the life of the Divine and the unshakable defender of the truth, worthy of the primary personal love of the Son of Man. The indicated natural characteristics of the Apostle John determine and explain the properties of his disclosure and presentation of Christian teaching, which we consider necessary to speak about, albeit briefly, in this regard. First of all, attention is drawn to the method of presentation, which in the Apostle John is not dialectical deductive, but inductive or, better said, intuitive: the sequence of thoughts he establishes is not what should be from the point of view of ordinary human thinking, but what exists in the heavenly reality contemplated by the Apostle. The truth seems to shine in his mind; he feels and comprehends it with his heart. To get a conclusion, he does not need a long chain of logical constructions: he contemplates the eternal truth and, as he sees, communicates it to his beloved children. He simply affirms or denies and always speaks with absolute precision, with an authority that excludes any doubt about the truth of what he says; it is as if he always hears the voice of the Lord, revealing to him what He Himself hears from the Father. Hence, the theology of the Apostle John has its root not in rational work, but in direct contemplation, in feeling, in inner experience and is the theology of the heart. Therefore, in the message, he repeatedly turns to the inner experience of his readers and in it seeks support for recognizing the unshakable truth of what he communicates. A particularly important feature of the theology of the Apostle John is that he considers things in their inner being, in comparison with which external phenomena, with their changing diversity, lose their meaning, as accidental and insignificant. In this feature of the views of the Apostle John lies the key to understanding much that is very significant in his presentation of Christian teaching. First of all, this explains why the Apostle everywhere sees only the decisive opposites of God and the devil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death, love and hate, raising all phenomena to their final principle. In each given case, the Apostle speaks of what constitutes the deepest basis of the thing, not paying attention to the numerous exceptions and deviations that are found in existing reality, and often puts forward a certain side of the subject with that exclusivity, in which to put forward the other side would mean, apparently, to fall into sharp self-contradiction. Therefore, he does not note the differences in the stages of development and at each of them looks only at the essence of the subject expressed by it: truth is truth, be it imperfect Old Testament or perfect New Testament; faith is faith, knowledge is knowledge - from their embryonic beginnings to the highest perfection. This feature, which can be called idealism in the teaching of the Apostle John, since in concrete reality he contemplates only the idea realized in it, was reflected in the Apostle’s teaching on salvation: he does not analyze the assimilation of salvation by each individual member, does not dwell on the struggle between the old and the new man, in a word, he speaks about the basis of salvation, about its objective side, insofar as all this is given in Christ. He views salvation as the perfect victory of light over darkness: whoever is born of God has overcome the world, walks in the light, has passed from death to life, and has eternal life. That is why he does not use terms denoting the transitional moments from a life of sin to life in Christ, such as: calling, justification, conversion, sanctification. The Apostle John speaks of complete devotion to Christ, of the fullness of life in him. Hence, he views sin not as weakness and corruption of human nature, but as evil, as a principle completely opposite to good. Seeing in everything the realization of the highest ideal reality, the Apostle John does not allow any opposition between theoretical and practical, knowledge and deed, faith and life. He always sees before him the image of the Divine Teacher, for whom word and deed do not constitute two different areas; hence, for him, theory and practice are not separated, but are contained in one another and together form a wondrous whole, “walking” as Christ “walked.” Therefore, every action of a person includes his entire personality. This determines the view of the Apostle John on the essence of knowledge in general and religious knowledge in particular: what does not embrace the whole of spiritual life and does not influence it in a decisive way is not known; for knowledge is precisely the comprehension of an object that includes not only the penetration of the knower into the very essence of the knower, but also vice versa - the penetration of the object of knowledge into the inner being of the knower. Mere intellectual possession of truth has no power or meaning. And in the field of religious knowledge, between the knower and the known there must be a spiritual inner affinity, complete, uninterrupted communication, the perfect expression of which is love. Therefore, the Apostle John posits the foundation, subject and goal of all knowledge, as complete and life-giving, in love; it is both the result and the driving nerve of all his contemplations. From the point of view of the same idealism, the Apostle John destroys the boundaries between the present and the future. Observing the present, the temporary, he does not stop at it, but transfers his gaze to both ends of this temporary to the eternal in the past and to the eternal in the future and from the point of view of this eternal evaluates all things and phenomena. Hence, he presents the holiness of Christians as if perfect on earth and solemnly proclaims the position that everyone born of God does not sin (1 John 5:18, cf. 1 John 3:9). In his opinion, the individual life of a Christian, by its very nature, belongs to the world of eternally and unchangeably existing, since in communion with God it becomes a participant in the life of the Divine. In the same way, he sees all eschatology as complete and taking place on earth. It seems that the Apostle John moved into the realm of the eternally present: for him, heaven came down to earth, or, better to say, the earth, despite its rough shell, became enlightened and reflects in itself the radiance of heavenly glory. The noted natural properties of the spirit of the Apostle John and the peculiarities in the disclosure and presentation of Christian teaching by him were most clearly reflected in the first epistle in view of its meaning indicated above; the result of this is that the message is extremely difficult to explain. True, at first glance, the Apostle’s speech seems completely understandable: the manner of expression in the message is clear and transparent, the connection of thoughts is simple, unartificial. But beneath this simplicity lies unexplored depth and incalculable richness. How simple are the words: life, light, truth, love, righteousness, abiding in God, birth from God..., and yet who can penetrate to their very foundation and give them an exact expression? One of the essential conditions for understanding it is sympathy, spiritual affinity with the Apostle John. If to understand each writer it is necessary to be imbued with his spirit, to become close to him, then all the more is this necessary to comprehend the full depth of the theology of the Apostle John, which reveals the truth more from the divine than from the human side. The following words of St. John Chrysostom: “a man speaks from heaven and utters a voice stronger than thunder. He embraced and filled the entire universe with his voice, not because he cried out too loudly, but because he moved his tongue with the power of divine grace. The Son of Thunder, the beloved disciple of Christ, the pillar of the churches existing in the universe, the one who has the keys of heaven, who drank the cup of Christ and was baptized with His baptism, who boldly reclined on the chest of the Lord, now comes to us... in clothing that has artless beauty: he appears to us clothed in Christ... worn out and composed of the truth itself... The scene of action for him is heaven, the spectacle is the universe; the spectators and listeners are all Angels and those of people who are like Angels or wish to become such. For only such people can clearly comprehend this euphony, discover it in (their) deeds, and be the kind of listeners that one should be. All others, like little children, although they listen, do not understand what they are listening to... . (Conversations on the Gospel of John, vol. I, Russian translation. St. Petersburg, 1854, pp. 5–7; in the new translation of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, vol. V. 1902, book 1, page 2). Therefore, when starting to explain the message, one must leave one’s own point of view and force oneself to obediently and accurately follow the movement of thoughts in the message itself, in order, if possible, to be transported to the area in which the Apostle lives. Then many of the dangers of exegetical enthusiasm will disappear; for example, with the universality of concepts and simplicity in the connection of thoughts that dominate the epistle, there is always a desire to more closely define the apparently indefinite, but at the same time the Apostle’s concepts are completely imperceptibly introduced into the alien system of views of the interpreter himself and explained from the point of view of the latter. The requirement now noted constitutes the first condition for a more or less successful interpretation of the message of the Apostle John. But as important as it is, it is equally uncertain, and there is no reliable guidance, since there are no interpretations of the Church Fathers and ancient writers, and fragments of the Adumbrationes (Ὑποτυπώσεις) of Clement Al. and (Enarrationes) Didyma Al., a series of conversations of the blessed. Augustine, interrupted at V, 3, passages in Cathenae graecorum patrum (Gramer, t. VII) and scholium (y Matthaei, SS. Apostolorum septe mepistolae canonicae) actually provide very little for the interpretation of the text of the epistle. In view of this, in addition to the general teaching of the Church, clarification of the circumstances of the life of the Apostle John and the conditions of his activity, as well as comparisons with the corresponding passages of the Fourth Gospel and the 2nd and 3rd Epistles of the Apostle John, one has to rely on a philological study of the text. The words of the Apostle are for us the perfect expression of his thoughts, and therefore only with this method of explanation can we hope to achieve the living truth of the apostolic teaching. Let it be true that “the aorist is for man, and not man for the aorist,” but it is no less true that one who has not noted, as far as possible, every fiber of the sacred text from the grammatical, syntactic and lexical side, cannot honestly claim the title of its interpreter; it is necessary to pay attention to the slightest shades of language and construction, since they express different shades in the thoughts of the Apostle. The justification for this method lies in the results of its application: it reveals consistency and harmony of thoughts where for a superficial reader only aphorisms presented without any connection appear. Therefore, in the exegetical part we try to follow the wise instruction of St. John Chrysostom: “just as in gold ores, someone experienced in this matter will not ignore the slightest vein, because it can bring great wealth: so in the divine scriptures it is not harmless to omit even one line or jot, but it is necessary to explore everything.” (Conversations on the Gospel. John 36: vol. II, page 3; in the new translation of vol. VIII, 1902, book 1, page 230). Usually, in any complex thought, we identify general and basic concepts and, first of all, reveal them in essence, so that then it is easier to understand the most specific provisions and illuminate them more clearly and accurately. At the same time, we prefer a positive explanation of the text to a polemical one. Many more opinions have appeared and will appear on every more or less important issue; but it is very important for us to know what the Apostle said, and not what he should have said according to this or that interpreter. We exclusively strive to penetrate into the content and train of thought of the epistle on the basis of an analysis of the text itself, resorting to an analysis of the opinions of the exegetes only in those cases where this seems essential to establish an understanding that we recognize as truly corresponding to the expression of the Apostle. We preface the explanation of the text with isagogical information on those points that are established in the isagogical literature, and to the extent that this is necessary for understanding the message and required by the current state of issues. And here, whenever possible, we strive for a positive presentation of the necessary information, turning to the analysis of opposing opinions only in those cases where this is urgently required by the formulation of the question in modern literature. The number of works, both devoted exclusively to the study of the first letter of the Apostle John, and treating other issues whose solution is necessary for us, is very large; From this mass of aids in our use were the following: Adeney Walt, Prof., The Theology of the New Testament. London 1894. Alexander W., The Epistles of St. John (in Expositor's Bible). London 1892. Bengelius Joh., Gnomon Novi Testamenti. Tubinæ 1742. Blass Fr., Prof., Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Griechisch. Göttingen 1896. Bleek Fr., Prof., Einleitung in das Neue Testament. 4 Aufl., besorgtv. Prof. D. W. Mangold. Berlin 1886. Bisping Aug., Exegetisches Handbuch zum Neuen Testament. V. VIII: Die sieben katholischen Briefe. Münster 1871. Bogdashevsky D.I., prof., False teachers exposed in the first letter of the Ap. John. Kiev 1890. Braune Karl., Die drei Briefe des Apostels Johannes (y J. Lange, Theologisch-homiletisches Bibelwerk, Th. XV). Bielefeld 1865. Buttmann Alex, Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Sprachgebrauch. Berlin 1859. Cornely Rud., Cursus Scripturae Sacrae. Vol. III: Introductio specialis in singulos Novi Testamenti libros. Parisis 1886. Cremer Herm., Biblisch-theologisches Wörterbuch des neutestamentlichen Gräcität. 8 Aufl. Gotha 1895. Davidson, Prof., An Introduction to the Study of the New Critical Testament, exegetical and theological. Düsterdieck Fr., Die drei Johanneischen Briefe. Mit einem volständigen theologischen Commentar. Göttingen 1851 (1 B.) und 1854 (2 B.). Ebrard Joh., Die Briefe Johannis. Königsberg 1859. Erdmann D., Primae Joahannis epistolae argumentum, nexus et consilium. Berolini 1855. Evdokim, Hierom., Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. His life and evangelistic works. Experience of biblical-historical research. Sergiev Posad 1898. Eusebius, Archbishop, Conversations on the First Council Epistle of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian. St. Petersburg 1864. Zhdanov A. A., Revelation of the Lord about the seven Asian churches. Experience in explaining the first three chapters of the Apocalypse. Moscow 1891. Zigabeni Commentarius in XIV epistolas st. Pauli et VII catholicas. Edit Nicepliorus Calogeras. Athenae 1887. Farrar F.V. The first days of Christianity. Transl. A. P. Lopukhina. St. Petersburg 1888. Findlay G., Prof., The Preface to the First Epistle of John (in Expositor 1893, 2). St. John's "Last Hour" (in Expositor 1897, 1). St. John's "Creed" (in Expositor 1899, 2). Giffert Art., Prof., A History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age. Edinburgh 1897. Goebel Siegfried, Die Briefe des Johannes griechisch, mit kurzer Erkläpung. Gotha 1893. Gloag Pat., Introduction to the Catholic Epistles. Edinburgh 1887. Introduction to the Johannine Writings. London 1891. Godet Fr., Prof., Bibelstudien. 2 Theil. Zum Neuen Testament. Deutsch bearbelitet. Hannover 1878. Introduction au Nouveau Testament. Introduction particulière: les Evangiles et les Actes des Apôtres. Première partie: lès trois premières Evangiles. Neuchatel 1897. Grass Konr., Kurze Auslegung des 1. Johannesbriefs. Riga 1897. Grimm W., Lexicon gracco-latinum in libros Novi Testamenti. Ed. 3. Lipsiae 1888. Häring Theod., Prof., Gedankengang und Grundgedanken des erstes Johannesbriefs (Theologische Abhandlungen von C. Weizsäcker). Freiburg 1892. Harnack Ad., Prof., Die Chronologie der altchristlichen Litteratur bis Irenäus. Leipzig 1897. Haupt Er., Prof., Der erste Brief des Johannes. Ein Beitrag zur biblischen Theologie. Colberg 1869. Hausrath A., Prof., Neutestamentliche Zeitgeschichte. 2 Theil: Die Zeit der Apostel. Heidelberg 1872. Heine Gerh., Synonymik des Neutestamentlichen Griechisch. Leipzig 1898. Henle Fr., Der Evangelist Johannes und die Antichristen seiner Zeit. Eine historisch-exegetische Abhandlung. Munich 1884. Hilgenfeld Ad., Prof., Historisch-kritische Einleitung in das Neue Testament. Leipzig 1875.\ Holtzmann H., Prof., Briefe und Offenbarung des Johannes (in Hand-Commentar zum Neuen Testament. IV, 2). Freiburg und Leipzig 1893. Hümpel Ern., De errore christologico in epistolis Ioannis impugnato eiusque auctore. Quaestio historico-critica. Erlangae 1897. Huther Joh., Kritisch-exegetisches Handbuch über die drei Briefe des Apostel. Johannes (in Kritisch-exegetisches Kommentar über das Neue Testament, ed. Heinr. Meyer. Abth. XIV). Gtotingen 1880. Jelf W. E., A Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John. London 1877. A Grammar on the Greek Language. I–II. Oxford 1881. Jülicher Ad., Prof., Einleitung in das Neue Testament. Freiburg und Leipzig 1894. Karl Wilрh., Der erste Johannesbrief. Freiburg 1898. Korsunsky I., prof., Translation LXX. Its significance in the history of Greek language and literature. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra 1897. Klopper A., Prof., a) 1. Joh. 5, 6–12. b) Zur Lehre von der Sünde im l Johannesbrief. Erläuterung 5, 16 fin. (in "Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Theologie". 1900, Heft. β 4). Krüger F., Le movement de la pensée dans le première épître de Jean (in Revue chrétienne 1895, t. II). Lechler Got. V., Das apostolische und nachapostolische Zeitalter. Karlsruhe und Leipzig 1885. Lias J., The First Epistle of St. John. With Exposure and Homiletical Treatment. London 1887. Lightfoot J. B., Essay on the Work entitled Supernatural Religion 1889. Lücke Fr., Commentar über die Briefe des Evangelisten Johannes Bonn 1836. Lütgert W., Die Johanneische Christologie (in Beiträge zur Förderung christlicher Theologie 1 Heft 1899). Gütersloh. Luthardt Chr., Die Briefe des Johannes (Einzel-Ausgabe aus Strack – Zöckler’s Kommentar zu den heiligen Schriften A. und N. Testament. B. 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Schrenk Er., Die Johanneische Anschaung vom “Leben” mit berücksichtigen ihrer Vorgeschichte. Leipzig 1898. Smirnov S.K., Archpriest, Features of the Greek language of the New Testament. Moscow 1886. Stevens G. W., Prof., The Johannine Theologie. A Study on the Doctrinal Contents of the Gospel and Epistles of the Apostle John. New York 1895. Stockmeyer Im., Die Structur des ersten Johannes Briefs. Basel 1873. Theophylact., Archbishop. Bulgarian, Commentaries on the Council Epistles of the Holy Apostles, in Russian. translation Kazan 1865. Thiersch N., Die Kirche in apostolischen Zeitalter und die Entstehung der nentestamentlichen Schriften. Frankfurt a. M. 1858. Trench Rich., Synonyms of the New Testament. Ed. 11. London 1890. Uspensky I., Question about the stay of the Apostle John in Asia Minor (in “Christ Read.” 1879, I). Activities of St. Ap. John in Asia Minor (in “Christ. Read.” 1879 II). Weiss Bern., Prof., Der Johanneische Lohrbegriff in seinen Grundzügen untersucht. 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Zahn Theod., Prof., Acta Ioannis unter Benutzung von C. v. Tischendorf's Nachlass bearbeitet. Erlangen 1880. Einleitung in das Neue Testament. I–II. Leipzig 1897–1899. Zahn Theod, Prof., Geschichte des Neutestamentlichen Kanons. I–II. Erlangen und Leipzig 1888–1892. Forschungen zur Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Kanons und der altchristlichen Litteratur. VI Theil. Leipzig 1900. To study the text of the message, the following aids were used: Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη. Novum Testamentum, ex regiis aliisque optimis editionibus cum cura expressum Lugduni Batavorum. Ex officina elzeveriana 1624. New Testament in four languages: Hellenic, Slovenian, Russian and Roman, with parallel passages. Book VI. Council Epistles and Romans. 1892. St. Alexius, New Testament. Phototype edition + Metropolitan. Leontia. Moscow 1892. Amphilochius, archim. (+ bishop), Ancient Slavic Carpin Apostle of the 13th century, vol. I, part 2: Council Epistles. Moscow 1886. Kaluzniacki Aemil., Actus epistolaeque Apostolorum palaeoslovenice. Ad fidem codicis christinopolitani saeculo XII scripti. Vindobonae 1896. Nestle Eberh., Einfurung in das Neue Testament. Gottingen 1899. Novum Testamentum graece cum apparatu critico ex editionibus et libris manu scriptis collecto. Stuttgart 1898. Reiche J., Commentarius criticus in Novum Testamentum, quo loca graviora et difficiliora, lectiones dubiae censentur et explicantur. T. III, epistolam ad Hebraeos et catholicas continents. Gottingae 1862. Tischendorf C., Novum Testamentum graece. Ed. VIII. Vol. II. Lipsiae 1872. Weiss B, Die katholischen Briefe Textkritischen Untersuchungen und Textherstellungen. Leipzig 1892. Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in the original Greek. Cambridge and London. I: Text. 1898. II: Introduction. Appendix 1896. References for the reading of 1 John 5:7–8 are indicated in the appropriate places in the footnotes; Those works that had to be consulted on more specific research questions are also named there. We became acquainted with the opinions of authors whose works we had not read from quotes in the above-mentioned works, mainly from Düsterdieck'a, Huther'a, Weiss'a and Luthardt'a. References to ancient Greek and Latin writers are made according to the edition of Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus, with the Greek series abbreviated as M. gr., and the Latin series: M. lat. Wed prof. M.D. Muretova, Authenticity of the Lord’s conversations and speeches in the fourth Gospel (Critical-isagogical essay) - in “Orthodox. Reviewed." 1881, Sept. and Oct.; Evdokima Hierom., Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. His life and evangelistic works. Experience of biblical-historical research. Sergiev Posad, 1898.