Hospitality Versus Patronage

Abstract

"The third epistle of John, a short, seldom-quoted letter attached near the end of the NT, is directed to a church member, thereby pointing to the private character of the epistle. Further, it is the only epistle that does not directly mention the name of Christ. Thus it is not surprising that it has seldom been referred to throughout the centuries. Modern interest in 3 John began with Adolf von Harnack’s ecclesiological approach to the epistle, which proposed that Diotrephes was the first monarchical bishop1 and that 3 John marks the transition from Spirit-led to an office-led leadership.2 A distinguishing feature of the ecclesiological approach is its interest in offices and issues of church authority"