Third Catholic Epistle of John

THE THIRD CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF JOHN THE APOSTLE

PROEMIUM

^A 1, 1. *The presbyter to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth.* Regarding this kind of salutation, it has been spoken of in the preceding Epistle; and now to repeat the same things would be superfluous and redundant, "whom I love in truth." He loves in truth who loves according to the Lord with affectionate charity, as has also been said frequently above.

CAPUT I

*Prayer for perfection, and thanksgiving for the witness of the reception of the brethren who are living abroad for the sake of Christ: in which he also deals with the depravity and inhumanity of Diotrephes.*

1, 2-4. *Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth. I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and bare witness to thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.*

"Even as thy soul prospereth." It prospers, indeed, in the conduct which is according to the Gospel. "Thou walkest in truth." He walks in truth who walks according to the evangelical simplicity. But "to walk" does not signify the movement of the legs, since such a step, passing from place to place, is common to all animals possessing feet; but it signifies an ordered and temperate progress according to the ^B keen disposition of the soul, which few attain, even of those who do not lack intellect. "Greater than these." According to the propriety of the Greek language, the word is not a proper comparative, but he used it as one seeking a more vehement exaggeration for an exaggeration, and thus formed a comparative from a comparative.

1, 8. *Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to strangers, who have borne witness of thy charity before the Church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey worthily of God, thou shalt do well. For for his name they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow-workers to the truth.*

"Thou doest faithfully": that is, as it befits a faithful man. "We ought to receive": to receive, instead of... ^C

to be taken up, to be received, as also the expression, “They took me as a lion prepared for prey.” By this, however, He instructs us not to wait for those in need to come to us, but rather to hasten to them and pursue them, as did Abraham and Lot. ^A

“I wrote to the Church, but he who loves to lead among them, Diotrephes, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will remind him of the works which he does, prattling against us with evil words. And not content with these, neither does he receive the brethren, and he hinders those who wish to do so, and casts them out of the Church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God; but he who does evil has not seen God.”

“I will remind him of the works which he does.” If ^B it is commanded not to render evil for evil, why does this man now threaten these things? We answer, therefore, that this commandment is not to render evil to one who does wrong to us alone; for if the sin is against us, and also brings an impediment to the faith, it must be referred to such a one, just as Paul did to Elymas who was perverting the ways of the Lord. “Prattling.” This is, casting reproaches and slandering.

“Do not imitate what is evil.” Since there is no communion of light with darkness, nor any agreement of Christ with Belial, ^C it is not fitting for one who is illuminated by the knowledge of Christ to be defiled by darkness through the imitation of the ungodly, that is, by their lascivious works. For as he who works good things, he says, is of God, and has his intellectual eye composed by the light of His knowledge, and being through these things wholly light, he both sees God—who is the true light—and is seen by others as a luminary in the world, holding forth the word of life; so too he who works evil, who walks in darkness, ^D is neither able himself to see God—that is, to do the things of God—nor to be seen by others as guiding them right, but is hated and loathed by all, according to the wise oracle: “I have hated and loathed iniquity.”

CHAPTER II. On Demetrius, to whom he bears the best witness.

1, 12. Demetrius has been testified to by all and by the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our witness is true.

“By all.” He has been testified to by all, that is, by those who possess the truth. “And by the truth itself,” that is, by the effective word. For there are some to whom virtue bears witness, but it is frustrated by an ineffective word or one lacking in works. But if anyone should take the clause “By all” to include even the infidels, because the term “all” encompasses everyone, this man would not be found to have interpreted the statement badly. He commands

^A 2. 3. Misery of them because of error and impiety and lasciviousness and blasphemy, and fake hypocrisy for the sake of deceitful bribery. 4. Concerning their security in faith, and sympathy and pardon for their neighbor for the sake of salvation in sanctification. Prayer of them for sanctification, and pure boldness with the glorification of Christ.

THE CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF JUDE THE APOSTLE

1. Judas, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are beloved in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and charity, be multiplied.

It was sufficient for this present apostle, I say, for the splendor of glory, after he had named himself a servant of Christ, to be also made illustrious by James. Since James was extolled by all for virtue, it came to pass that he was more easily received by those hearing the teaching of his discourse, since a communion of birth and blood would not appear alienated in habits from him with whom he shared kinship; and especially if, living under one Lord Christ, he proposes to draw the yoke of servitude equally with his brother.

"To them that are beloved in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." Inasmuch as the Lord said, "No one comes to me unless my Father draw him," this blessed man now shows this word to be true. For he says ^B that those who are loved by the Father have been preserved by Jesus Christ. Therefore he also speaks of them as called: for they do not have it from themselves, but from the Father, through being drawn, so that they are also called. Furthermore, he prays that mercy, and peace, and charity be multiplied to them. Mercy, indeed, because through the bowels of the mercy of God we were recalled and assumed by Him into service: peace, because this same God the Father granted it to us, bringing back those of us who had offended to His own friendship through His Son Jesus Christ: and charity, because for the sake of the charity which He had toward us, His only-begotten Son was given up for us unto death. He prays, therefore, that these things be bestowed upon them in superabundance, in harmony with the blessed

2. Deploration of the impious on account of their error and impiety and lasciviousness and blasphemy and feigned simulation through bribery, so that they may the more easily deceive. ^A

3. Concerning the firmness in faith of those to whom he writes: and that it is necessary to have compassion and to spare one’s neighbor for the sake of the salvation that is in sanctification: and concerning pure confidence along with the doxology (which is the glorification) of Christ. ^B

CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF JUDE THE APOSTLE

PROEMIUM

It was enough for this present apostle, I say, for the splendor of his glory, when he had named himself the servant of Christ, to be rendered famous also by James. For since James was extolled by all with the greatest praises on account of his virtue, the result was that he was more easily received by his hearers for the instruction of his discourse, since a communion of birth and blood would by no means seem alienated in its ways from him with whom he shared kinship: and especially if, living under one Lord, Christ, he proposes to draw the yoke of servitude equally with his brother. "To them that are beloved in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." ^C This blessed man now shows that the saying of the Lord, where He said, "No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him," is true. For he says that those who are beloved by the Father have been preserved by Jesus Christ. Therefore he also writes "called": for they do not have from themselves, but from the Father, through the fact that they are drawn, that they are also called. And he prays that mercy, and peace, and charity be multiplied to them. Mercy, indeed, because through the bowels of the mercy of God we have been recalled and taken up by Him into his ministers: peace, however, because this very thing the same God the Father has bestowed upon us, bringing back us who had offended to His own friendship through His Son Jesus Christ: but charity, because on account of the charity which He had toward us, His only-begotten Son has been exposed to death for us. These things, therefore, ^D