John, Epistles of, are the 23rd, 24th, and 25th books of the New Testament. Although the first and longest of them is called an epistle (letter), it is really a kind of theological essay. The second and third Epistles are actual letters.
The author of the second and third Epistles calls himself the presbyter, or elder. He wrote to a church he calls the “elect lady” and to an individual named Gaius. All three documents come from the circles that produced the Gospel of John. They were probably written in about A.D. 100. The first and second Epistles call for mutual love among Christians and for the recognition that Jesus Christ was truly a human being. The third Epistle discusses problems concerning Christian hospitality.
