Question: when was the first epistle of john written?
Answer: probably written in Ephesus, AD 95 -- 110

The First Epistle of John , often referred to as First John and written 1 John , is the first of the Johannine epistles of the New Testament , and the fourth of the catholic epistles . It is attributed to John the Evangelist , traditionally thought to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two Johannine epistles . This epistle was probably written in Ephesus in AD 95 -- 110 . The work was written to counter docetism , which is the belief that Jesus did not come '' in the flesh '' , but only as a spirit . It also defined how Christians are to discern true teachers : by their ethics , their proclamation of Jesus in the flesh , and by their love .