JOHN, THE SECOND EPISTLE OF. In the Second Epistle of John there is again reference to false teachers (vs. 7), but it is not necessary to think that particular schools of thought are referred to. The terms, however, are rather more severe than those of the First Epistle. Emphasis is again laid on love, " and in its few sentences we have the further expressions ' truth ' and ' the world ' used in the sense in which they are employed both in the First Epistle and in the Fourth Gospel " (Currie Martin). The Epistle is quoted as the work of John by Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria ; and seems to be recognised as his by the Muratorian Canon. The Epistle begins : " The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth." It is a problem whether " the elect lady and her children " designates an individual or a church. Schmiedel thinks a church or community is meant. He points out that elsewhere the community is thought of as the Bride of Christ (Ephesians v. 31 f.; Revelation xix. 7) who had been exalted to heaven, just as in the Old Testament the people of Israel is the Bride of God.
" Since Christ is called the Lord,' the community might be called the lady.' It deserves to be called ' elect ' because it consists of all the chosen. Its children are, of course, the members of the community." According to Schmiedel, the epistle was meant for the whole church. But vs. 13 seems to require an individual church. " The statement that the elect lady is greeted by her elect sister is incompatible with a Catholic destination of the Epistle; it could only mean that one Church greets another. In that case the elect sister may possibly be identified with the Church in Ephesus, where the author presumably was writing. It is accordingly probable that the elect lady should be identified with one of the Churches of Asia, perhaps with Pergamum, as Flindlay has suggested " (A.
S Peake). See P. W. Schmiedel, The Johanninc Writings, 190S: G. Currie Martin; Arthur S. Peake. Intr.