Back to Sermon Notes Main

Study Notes on 1John Download Word Document

1 John: AUTHOR: John the Apostle: Though this epistle does not state the name of its author, solid evidence suggests that it was written by John, the son of Zebedee and the brother of James. some feel that it was not written (as traditionally held) by John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, but by another John. Strong similarities between this letter and the Gospel of John substantiate the testimony of many early church fathers -- e.g., Papias, Polycarp, and Irenaeus -- that both works are the products of John, the apostle of Jesus. John contributed a lot to the New Testament. He wrote the Gospel of John which is different from any of the other Gospels because it portrays Jesus solely as God. And he wrote the Revelation, which is not a revelation of future things, but the Revelation of Jesus Christ. John had a very high view of Jesus and God the Father. When he wrote, he wrote with a great reverence.

DATE AND PLACE: Strong tradition says that John spent his old age in Ephesus .A.D. 80-95: The three Johannine epistles were probably written to churches in Asia Minor while John was ministering in Ephesus. It was probably written after the gospel and before the persecution under Domitian in A.D. 95, which places its writing in the late 80s or early 90s. However, the exact date and place cannot be determined with certainty. click for the rest of the article