2 john 1 who is the chosen lady

For example, Romans 16 lists a number of leaders well-known to the early church but unknown to us—including two otherwise-unknown apostles, a man named Andronicus and a woman named Junia. [4] In the 1800s–1900s large amounts of ancient papyri were discovered in Egypt. Just because she had already passed away and the Holy Church is identified metaphorically with St. Mary. Perhaps this is a church. The second letter of John opens with the words: “The older man to the chosen lady and to her children.” (2Jo 1) Thus, in a tactful way, John indicates that he is the writer. Thanks Christine. [12] The apostle Paul also used the word “children” or “child” in reference to the Christian converts at Corinth and Galatia, and of Onesimus and Timothy, etc (1 Cor. The participle for “walking” in verse 4, referring to the “children,” and the reflexive pronoun “yourselves” in verse 8 are also grammatically masculine in the Greek. Εklektē means “chosen” or “elect.” This woman addressed in 2 John was a Christian chosen by God, as all Christians are. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, will be with us in truth and love. To whom else could this refer? A church would have to be called either “chosen lady” or “children” not both. Sex is a must for any married couple, which is why sex before marriage as well as adultery are both vehemently condemned throughout Scripture. If her name was not Electa, could 2 John have been addressed to a woman called Kyria? Now, coming back to St. Mary: I prefer to go with the tradition that St. Mary passed away about August 15 of the Gregorian Calendar, and it was some 24 years later the death of Jesus Christ. John used singular pronouns in the Greek when addressing the lady directly (in 2 John 1:4, 5 twice, 13 twice). The sister being the church that the letter is penned from. 5:17; 1 Pet. I mention this in my intro to John’s Gospel here. [Translation in square brackets is from better Greek manuscripts.] 3 There will be with us undeserved kindness, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, with truth and love. Some people who take the word “children” (tekna) literally believe that this letter was written to a mother with believing children (2 John 1:1, 4 & 13). Hi Mary, I’ve tried to see if there are hints as to her whereabouts in the text of 2 John, but there really aren’t any clear indications. I completely agree that the first book of Enoch and the first two books of the Maccabees have much more value than the Protoevangelium (or Infancy Gospel) of James. Her area of interest is the mutuality (equality) of men and women in Christian ministry and marriage. The fact that she is paired with Mark in 1 Peter 5:13 certainly indicates she was as much a literal person as he was. [To the chosen lady [] and her children:. O’Day offers no reasons for her position, she simply asserts that it is so!2. 2 John 1:1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, Of course, it does, I believe! It still seems to me that it was written to her, but obviously not for the same reasons and Matthew here. 9-11 of 2 John. Noting that the pronouns translated “your” in verse 4 and “you” in verse 5 are singular, we deduce that John was writing primarily to the lady, but what he wrote was meant to be shared with the church that she led. Certainly, there were people still living in Philippi who knew him by name, but Luke does not tell us that name. Everybody’s responsibility ends up being nobody’s responsibility. While talking about Greek some thinks electa is the proper name of the lady. The chosen lady was well-known in the Christian community, and anyone who loved the Lord could not help but love her. This, too, seems to point to far more than simply a prominent personage within their local church! 2 John 1:6 - And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. Martha was a woman of tremendous faith and spiritual insight (John 11:22, 24, 27). The bearer may have been an emissary of John’s church or the chosen lady’s church. Jewish people used the title elder to show respect to those who supervised and cared for their community. Others suggest that the chosen lady was one of Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:8-9). “thee/thy”) and the plural (pl) “you” (i.e. Israel is portrayed as a woman— the sometimes unfaithful wife of Yahweh. Mary would have been considerably older than John. No, I do not. Indeed I agree gender equality is something shown throughout the Bible and Jesus taught clearly on the equality of women. Secondly, commentators point out that most of the pronouns referring to the recipients of the letter are plural. In the same way we do not know which Gaius was being addressed in John’s 3rd letter. The Gospel of John was written around 100AD, and John’s letters a few years earlier. Who is the lady? Since the letter is addressed to “a” (no article in the Greek text) chosen lady and her children, this poses no difficulty. Did Miriam the prophetess only minister to women? This would be someone (or some group) who would know that John was the "Elder.") A congregation is a church. (The NASB translates chosen/elect as “choice” in Rom. Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:9), Phoebe (Rom. Just as there have been good and bad male leaders, there were good and bad female leaders. 1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from … I appreciate your thoughts, Michael, and am always happy to discuss differing views. According to Eusebius, John was exiled during the reign of Domitian, so Revelation could have been written in the late 80sAD. It is also possible that she was single (although in the first century AD it is less likely that a single woman would have been the head of a household). 2 John 1:1 Context. He may well have been alive when Acts was written. Did you receive a message? The warning about the docetic heresy (that Jesus did not really come in the flesh) points to Asia Minor where the heresy flourished (2 John 1:7). I appreciate it. When we read the letters that make up the greater part of our New Testament, we are reading someone else’s mail. Furthermore, if her church was comprised of virgins, as Clement claims, it is important to note that the congregation was not just of virgin women, as we will see below. It is the Church of Ephesus, I presume. Are not the whole womenhood honored through the one woman, who untied the curse upon the whole creation through her wonderful obedience? [9] Matthew Henry, who refers to the chosen lady as Lady Electa, believes she was a mother, a “noble Christian matron,” rather than a church leader. I have never encountered something like this in the many years of peeling potatoes However, this lady appears to Hermas as an actual woman, not as a congregation. Also, it seems unlikely that John would have had to write a letter to Mary, of all people, to warn her about being deceived by false teachers. More about the chosen lady in 2 John here. 1:1 The elder to the elect (chosen) lady and her children… (I believe the elect lady is those leaders of the Jewish or Gentile church, and in verse 13 ‘the elect (chosen) sister’ being how the two churches may have referred to one another, the children being the members of the churches that are being led into the truth. While most ministers were men in New Testament times, it was not uncommon for women to be ministers, especially in house church settings. By the time John writes this letter he is about 80 years old! Euodia and Syntyche: Women Church Leaders at Philippi This becomes even clearer when we compare 2 John with John’s other two New Testament letters, especially 3 John, as there are several distinct similarities between 2 John and 3 John. a Christian community). 2 John 1:1 - ISV - From the elder to the chosen lady and her children,... Study verse in the International Standard Version There are possibly four men named Gaius in the New Testament: a Macedonian who was Paul’s travelling companion and was seized at Ephesus (Acts 19:29); a man of Derbe who accompanied Paul from Corinth to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4); a Corinthian who was baptised by Paul (Rom. It was THIS subsequent rise of these false doctrines which is the FOCUS OF ALL THREE of John’s later epistles. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. That includes faithfulness in marriage and family responsibilities. 2 John 1 REV and Commentary - The Elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but - Bible verse 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be … Jesus did make some servants responsible for their Brothers and Sisters, and we will have to give an account to God of our stewardship! More women church leaders in the New Testament here. All of her children may have been grown, giving her more time and energy to devote to public ministry than she had when her children were younger. If St. Mary had already passed away before the coining of the second letter of John, how can we refer to this chosen, elect lady as St. Mary? Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." If you are not paying close attention, you might miss a surprising detail at the very start of the letter, the address from the author to the recipient of the letter. Firstly you say few commentators and scholars believe the lady to be a church. 1 From the Elder. This point is discussed in the article under the heading “KYRIA?”. However, I sincerely disagree with Michael of the fact that St. Mary had other children. The only legitimate leadership in the Body of Christ is to set the example of a bond slave and lead by the example of service. The word is kuria, the feminine form of kurios, a common New Testament word translated “Lord” or “master.” The masculine form kurios is used to denote the head of a household or the master of a slave. However, 1 Peter (addressed to all the Christians in Asia Minor) doesn’t mention it. Phil. However, at other times in this letter, John used plural pronouns when referring to the lady and to her “children.”[15] The children were the church. Have we not all received and written personal letters that were addressed primarily to one member of the household but meant to be shared with the whole family? Another possibility is that John was writing to a congregation. If Mary didn’t have any children by Joseph, the “till she she had brought forth her firstborn son” would be a untrue. It was written to a Babylonian lady, by name Electa . If you want to study an extrabiblical book outside of the Bible, read the Book of Enoch, or Jasher, or Jubilees. I state it explicitly. The shortcoming of this view is that nowhere else in the New Testament (or in later writings) is a Christian community referred to as a “lady” kuria (or a “sister” adelphē). She is a possibility for the Chosen Lady, and benefit can be gained from reading the letter from her perspective. 2:20-24), as was the church in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1 From the Elder. 4 & 5) (202 or 203 AD). This would be someone (or some group) who would know that John was the "Elder.") [3] In the Gospels, the owner of a vineyard is called a kurios, that is, he was the owner of the vineyard and the master of those who worked there (Matt. An instruction or word of comfort? As for the Protevangelium of James, it blatantly goes against Scripture. Your email address will not be published. 2 John Chapters « Prev; 1; Next » 1 From the Elder: my greetings to the Lady, the chosen one, and to her children, whom I love in truth-- and I am not the only one, for so do all who have come to know the Truth-- and I am not the only one, for so so do all who have come to know the Truth-. It is the Greek grammar which shows that the children (the congregation) and the lady are not one and the same. Would you like to support my ministry of encouraging mutuality and equality between men and women in the church and in marriage? Perhaps the chosen lady was one of Philip’s daughters, and the “chosen sister” another daughter. (See footnote 4.) In my opinion, this chosen lady might be the bride of Christ during the second coming. Like letters from the attic of the old family home, our New Testament letters mention many people of whom we know little or nothing. Ye should walk in love with other believers been dead by that time by reading the when. 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