Introduction And Analysis
INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS
THE THIRD EPISTLE, being addressed by an individual to an individual, approximates even more closely than the second epistle to the regular pattern of letter writing in the Graeco-Roman world of that day. It may be analyzed thus:
The teaching which the writer wished to see accepted and maintained in the churches for which he felt special responsibility was conveyed not only by himself in person, whether orally or in letters, but also by travelling teachers who visited the churches with his recommendation. Gaius, to whom this letter is written, had shown these messengers hospitality; the church to which Gaius evidently belonged, however, had refused to receive them, at the instigation of one Diotrephes. Gaius is praised for his hospitality, but Diotrephes’s uncooperative behavior is deplored. Another of the writer’s messengers, Demetrius, probably the bearer of this letter, is commended to Gaius’s friendly interest.