Epistola III B. Joannis
by Anselm of Laon and his school
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://migne.app/pl/114/epistola-iii-b-joannis/
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## THE ARGUMENT.

[0705B]

He extols Gaius on account of his piety, and exhorts him to remain in that same piety: he rebukes Diotrephes on account of his impiety and pride. But to Demetrius he bears good testimony, together with all the brethren.

## THE ONLY CHAPTER

VERS. 2.-- *Concerning all things I make prayer,* etc. As right intention now abounds in thee, and the good will [0705C] of bestowing upon the needy perseveres, and the means of wealth; so mayest thou be able always, with the Lord helping, to lead a life full of virtues.

VERS. 4.-- *I have no greater grace than these.* Therefore I rejoiced, because I have no greater grace than these brethren who come, that is: when the brethren come to me, in no deed or word of theirs do I rejoice more than when they announce that my sons (whom I begot by preaching or by baptizing) keep the truth of right faith and of working.

VERS. 5.-- *Dearly beloved, faithfully,* etc. Therefore thou oughtest not to fail from hospitality and from alms. For whatsoever thou workest toward the brethren faithfully, that is, as a faithful man, that is, thou doest as befits a faithful man, not for vainglory, but thou showest thy faith by works.

[0705D]VERS. 7.-- *For on account of his name,* etc. As if [to say]: They are truly to be honoured, for they were not driven out from their country for their own crimes, but they set out of their own accord for the enlarging of the name of Christ, and for suffering for his name.

VERS. 9.-- *I would perhaps have written,* etc. Thou oughtest to persevere [0706B] in almsgiving, because I perceive so great a usefulness in it, that not only to thee, but even to the whole Church I would have written concerning the commendation of almsgiving, but by this necessity I let it go, because Diotrephes does not care for our authority. Diotrephes, a heresiarch of that time, by teaching new things was usurping the primacy to himself. Diotrephes is interpreted *speciously foolish,* or *comeliness gone mad,* so that he may betoken the perfidy of his heart by his name also. [0706C] *To the Church.* To that Church, *which perhaps,* that is, it is doubtfully a Church, and that through the keeping of almsgiving she might deserve to be made a perfect Church, I would have written.

VERS. 10.-- *I will admonish.* That is, I will bring them forth into the knowledge of all by reproving more openly; of which things he nowhere has a model; but he *doeth* them, and invents new things, *prating,* using false reasonings *against us* to confute us and so to draw you back from the faith. Just as we ought not by our own fault to stir up the tongues of detractors, lest they themselves perish, so those stirred up through their own malice we ought to bear with an even mind, that merit may grow for us, sometimes to check them, lest, while they spread abroad things concerning us, they corrupt the hearts of those who were able to hear good things.

VERS. 12.-- *Testimony is borne to Demetrius.* That he would have him imitate the good, he discloses, namely that he should imitate Demetrius, [0706D] that by the like praise of all he too may be able to stand forth worthy.

VERS. 14.-- *Peace be to thee.* To his friends he sends the grace of peace and of salvation, that he may show the enemies of the truth to be strangers to salvation.
