World English Bible · Under Rome
2 John
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The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only, but also all those who know the truth, for the truth's sake, which in us, and it will be with us : , mercy, and peace will be with us, from and from , the Son of , in truth and love. I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, even as we have been commanded by . Now I beg you, dear lady, not as though I wrote to you a new , but that which we had , that we love one another. This is love, that we should walk according to his . This is the , even as you heard , that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who don't that came in . This is the deceiver and the Antichrist. Watch yourselves, that we don't lose the things which we have accomplished, but that we receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and doesn't in the teaching of Christ doesn't have . He who in the teaching has both and the Son. If anyone comes to you and doesn't bring this teaching, don't receive him into your house, and don't welcome him, for he who welcomes him participates in his evil deeds. Having many things to write to you, I don't want to do so with paper and ink, but I to come to you and to speak to , that our joy may be made full. The children of your chosen sister greet you. .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.
All of 2 John