New Catholic Bible/The Second Letter of John

**The Second Letter of John**, as translated by the Catholic Book Publishing Corp in the New Catholic Bible.

### The Way of Truth

New teachers have been preaching an alien type of knowledge (gnosis); they are enthusiasts for a profound spiritual knowledge that has no need of faith in Jesus or of his Gospel of love.

A community—the “chosen Lady and . . . her children,” as it is called here—is exposed to the danger of losing what is the very heart of the faith and of Christian life. A “presbyter” (or elder) intervenes, whose authority is so great that the community must accept it, for he is a witness from the earliest time, a witness of Christ.

This person is certainly the one whose voice resounds in the fourth Gospel and in the First Letter of John.

This Second Letter is even older than the preceding one; the threat to the Churches has hardly shown its face; the response to it is as yet only sketched, but in a lively and direct way. The First Letter, on the other hand, will go more deeply into the threat and give a much fuller reply. We must refer to that Letter in order to understand the concern in the present document, which is from the same period (toward the end of the first century) and addressed to a Church of Asia Minor.

 **The Divisions of The Second Letter of John**

The Second Letter of John may be divided as follows:

**Salutation (1-3)**

**The Commandment of Love (4-6)**

**Warning against False Teachers (7-11)**

**Conclusion (12-13)**

## CHAPTER 1

### Salutation.

**1** The Presbyter

to the chosen Lady and to her children whom I love in the truth—and not I alone but also all who know the truth **2** because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever. **3** Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

### The Commandment of Love.

**4** It was a cause of great joy to me to discover that some of your children have been walking in the truth

just as we have been commanded by the Father. **5**

But now, Lady, I am making this request of you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment but simply one that we have had from the beginning: let us love one another. **6** And this is love: when we walk according to his commandments.

This is the commandment that you have heard from the beginning, and you must follow it.

### Warning against False Teachers.

**7** Many deceivers have gone forth into the world, those who refuse to acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Any such person is the Deceiver

and the Antichrist. **8** Be on your guard that you do not lose what we have worked to accomplish so that you will receive your reward in full.

**9** Anyone who fails to remain faithful to the teaching of Christ but goes beyond

it does not have God. Only the one who remains faithful to the teaching possesses both the Father and the Son. **10** If anyone comes to you and does not impart this teaching, do not receive him into your house or welcome him.

**11** For anyone who welcomes him has a share in his evil deeds.

**12**

### Conclusion.

I have much to write to you, but I do not think it prudent to do so with paper and ink.

Instead, I hope to visit you and to talk with you face to face so that our joy may be complete.

**13** The children of your sister, the chosen one,

send you greetings.

## FOOTNOTES

**2 John 1:1:**
**Presbyter:**

i.e., a term

(which may also be translated as “elder”)

used to designate a leader in the early Church

(see notes on Tit 1:5-9 and 1:7).

**Chosen Lady**
**(or “Sovereign Lady”):**

reference to one of the Local Churches of the time,

which was under the leadership of the Presbyter

and was confused by

the advent of false teachers

among her members.
**2 John 1:4:**

For more details,

**see** **1 John 2:3-1 John 2:11;** **1 John 3:11-1 John 3:14;** **And** **1 John 4:7-1 John 4:21.**
**2 John 1:4:**
**Walking in the truth:**

i.e.,

leading a specifically Christian way of life

**(see** **1 John 1:6f;** **1 John 2:6,** **1 John 2:11;** **And** **3 John 1:3).**
**2 John 1:5:**

John stresses the truth that words and deeds go together.

Love means keeping the commandments of Jesus.

And when Christians keep them,

they are leading a life of faith.
**2 John 1:6:**
**His commandments:**
**see** **1 John 2:7f;** **1 John 3:23;** **And** **1 John 4:21.**
**2 John 1:7:**

The false teachers are under the sign of the Antichrist

**(see** **1 John 2:18-1 John 2:26;** **And** **1 John 4:1-1 John 4:3).**

They want to “go beyond” the teaching of Christ,

thus adulterating Christ,

the Gospel,

and Love.

This seems to be the Gnostic teaching

attacked in the First Letter of John—

that the Son of God did not become flesh

**(see** **John 1:14)**

but came upon the man Jesus temporarily

at his Baptism

and left before the crucifixion

**(see** **note** **on** **1 John 5:6).**
**2 John 1:7:**
**Deceiver:**

another title of the Antichrist

or of those associated with him

**(see** **1 John 2:18f,** **1 John 2:22;** **And** **1 John 4:2f).**
**Antichrist:**
**see** **note** **on** **1 John 2:18.**
**2 John 1:8:**

The author stresses

that a future reward

awaits those who work faithfully on earth

**(see** **Mark 9:41;** **Mark 10:29f;** **Luke 19:16-Luke 19:19;** **And** **Hebrews 11:26).**
**We:**

some manuscripts have “you.”
**2 John 1:9:**
**Goes beyond:**

a reference to the Gnostics’ claim

that they had advanced far beyond

the teaching of the Apostles;

they were, in effect,

teaching pure speculation

as apostolic doctrine

**(see** **2 Timothy 2:16;** **And** **Titus 3:9).**
**2 John 1:10:**

The author warns against feeding

and housing the false teachers,

for that would be sharing in their evil deeds

and tantamount to public approval.
**2 John 1:12:**

The Presbyter is well aware

that some things

are better spoken face to face than written.

So he hopes to visit the Church soon.

**Paper and ink:**

paper came from papyrus reeds,

which were easily acquired.

Ink was made by mixing carbon, water, and gum.

**Our joy:**

or “your joy.”
**2 John 1:13:**
**Your sister, the chosen one:**

most likely,

another local church

(perhaps that of Ephesus),

which was also under the leadership of the Presbyter.

Just as Christians are “brothers [and sisters],”

the churches are “sisters.”

## OTHER BOOKS OF THE NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE TRANSLATION

 **THE BOOKS OF THE CATHOLIC BIBLE IN THE NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE TRANSLATION**

### Old Testament

#### Pentateuch/Torah:

1. The Book of Genesis
2. The Book of Exodus
3. The Book of Leviticus
4. The Book of Numbers
5. The Book of Deuteronomy

#### Historical Books:

1. The Book of Joshua
2. The Book of Judges
3. The Book of Ruth
4. The First Book of Samuel
5. The Second Book of Samuel
6. The First Book of Kings
7. The Second Book of Kings
8. The First Book of Chronicles
9. The Second Book of Chronicles
10. The Book of Ezra
11. The Book of Nehemiah
12. The Book of Tobit
13. The Book of Judith
14. The Book of Esther
15. The First Book of Maccabees
16. The Second Book of Maccabees

#### Poetic Books:

1. The Book of Job
2. The Book of Psalms
3. The Book of Proverbs
4. The Book of Ecclesiastes
5. The Book of the Song of Songs
6. The Book of Wisdom
7. The Book of The Wisdom of Ben Sira

#### Prophetic Books:

1. The Book of Isaiah
2. The Book of Jeremiah
3. The Book of Lamentations
4. The Book of Baruch
5. The Book of Ezekiel
6. The Book of Daniel
7. The Book of Hosea
8. The Book of Joel
9. The Book of Amos
10. The Book of Obadiah
11. The Book of Jonah
12. The Book of Micah
13. The Book of Nahum
14. The Book of Habakkuk
15. The Book of Zephaniah
16. The Book of Haggai
17. The Book of Zechariah
18. The Book of Malachi

### New Testament

#### The Four Gospels

1. The Gospel according to Matthew
2. The Gospel according to Mark
3. The Gospel according to Luke
4. The Gospel according to John

#### Pauline Epistles

1. The Letter to The Romans
2. The First Letter to The Corinthians
3. The Second Letter to The Corinthians
4. The Letter to The Galatians
5. The Letter to The Ephesians
6. The Letter to The Philippians
7. The Letter to The Colossians
8. The First Letter to The Thessalonians
9. The Second Letter to The Thessalonians
10. The First Letter to Timothy
11. The Second Letter to Timothy
12. The Letter to Titus
13. The Letter to Philemon

#### The General Epistles/Catholic Epistles

1. The Letter of James
2. The First Letter of Peter
3. The Second Letter of Peter
4. The First Letter of John
5. **The Second Letter of John**
6. The Third Letter of John
7. The Letter of Jude