1 John

• DatesAbout AD 90–110 (debated)
• GenreGeneral Letters
• AuthorshipAnonymous; tradition names John the apostle
• TimelineEarly Church
• Key texts1 John 1:1–4; 1 John 4:1–21
• Read the text1 John in the World English Bible
• Covered in classSession 4

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  The letter does not name its author. It speaks of what “we have heard, seen with our eyes, and touched with our hands,” and warns against teachers who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.1 John 1:1–4; 1 John 4:2–3

• Debated

  Church tradition names John the apostle, and the vocabulary is close to the Gospel of John. Some scholars attribute the letters to an author or community in the same tradition. The date is placed between the 90s and early 2nd century.

• Christian conclusion

  Christians read the letter as grounding love for others in God’s love shown in Christ.1 John 4:9–11