3 John 1:9, loving to have the preeminence" through ambition. A Judaizer, who opposed the missionaries when preaching grace to the Gentiles, see 3 John 1:7. He "prated against" John and the orthodox "with malicious words"; he "received not" John, by not receiving with love the brethren whom John recommended (Matthew 10:40). His influence was so great that he "cast out" of the church such as were disposed to receive them. But Neander thinks that the missionaries were Christian Jews who "took nothing of the Gentiles" (3 John 1:7), in contrast to the Jews who elsewhere abused ministers' right of maintenance (2 Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:2; Philippians 3:5; Philippians 3:19); and that Diotrephes stood at the head of an ultra-Pauline party of anti-Jewish tendency, forerunners of Marcion. This accounts for Diotrephes' domineering opposition to the missionaries and to John, whose love combined with truth sought to harmonize the various elements in the Asiatic churches.
Demetrius is praised as of the opposite spirit to Diotrephes; as the former was to be followed, so the latter to be shunned (3 John 1:11-12). Perhaps Diotrephes as the local bishop simply resented the interference of John's apostolic legates as an infringement of his personal rights. For whereas in the 2nd Epistle of John corruption of doctrine is spoken of as disqualifying one from the hospitality of the church, in this 3rd Epistle no hint is given of erroneous doctrine; but only of Diotrephes' "love of preeminence."
Diotrephes and the presbyters influenced by him (whether as their bishop or not) treated the apostle's messengers as persons claiming an authority derogatory to his own. But John (3 John 1:10) uses language implying his own unquestionable power of restraining Diotrephes's "prating" opposition: such as none but an apostle could properly have employed, an indirect confirmation of the Johannine authorship of the epistle.
From the co-author of the classic Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, Fausset's Bible Dictionary stands as one of the best single-volume Bible encyclopedias ever written for general use. The author's writing style is always clear and concise, and he tackles issues important to the average student of the Bible, not just the Biblical scholars. This makes Fausset an excellent tool for both everyday Bible study and in-depth lesson or sermon preparation.Wikipedia
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