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Keep Yourselves from Idols: The First Epistle of John and Selections from 1QS in Dialog
Beth Snodderly Doctoral Candidate, University of South Africa

PREFACE: This article is an informal account in story format of a proposed hypothesis about the relationship between some members of the Qumran Community (also called Essenes here) and the early Johannine Community. It is based on historically accepted facts, accounts from the New Testament and other early Christian literature, as well as scholarly speculation, both by the present author and by well-known New Testament scholars. The purpose of this article is to encourage appreciation for the cultural context of the Johannine Community and the difficulties members faced in making their message acceptable and understood by those in other cultural contexts. HYPOTHESIS: The hypothesis pictured here is that a group of Essenes, who were displaced in 6870 A.D. by the Roman destruction of the land, were attracted through missionary activity to the Johannine community in Ephesus, who were originally followers of John the Baptist and also had an Essene background. Like the disciples of John the Baptist in Acts 19:1, 3-5, the displaced Essenes were persuaded to consider following Jesus. But their concept of Jesus must have been that he was a great teacher of righteousness. Apparently they only knew (as with disciples of John the Baptist who only knew the baptism of John) some of Jesus teachings, perhaps those that were later preserved as John 1, 1417. The hymn recorded in the Prologue to Johns Gospel (1:118) would have resonated with some of their Qumran writings, as would Jesus teaching about the Spirit of Truth in John 16:13. While their knowledge was still incomplete, they decided to become followers of Jesus while remaining part of their original community and retaining their Essene distinctives. (Contemporary missiologists call this an insider movement.) The two groups had much in common: a commitment to the teachings of the Old Testament; a worldview that spiritual reality consists of polar opposites (something or someone is either true or false, light or dark, righteous or evil); practical demonstrations of love for fellow community members. (See Chart 1 at the end of this article for numerous other concepts the two groups held in common.) But apparently these new followers of Jesus never fully accepted Jesus as the Christ. They did not acknowledge that he came in the flesh to take away the sin of the world (John 1: 29; 1 John 3:5) and to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8, also see John 12:31). Eventually one of the Qumran community teachers may have visited the city and convinced the Essenes that their new beliefs were not compatible with the communitys teachings. Then the tables were turned and the Essene would-be followers of Jesus themselves became missionaries trying to convince the others to return to what they perceived to be the truth, as described in the Qumran literature, resulting in much confusion. To those who resisted their evangelism, they applied what they had learned from Qumran Manual of Discipline (1QS), treating them as outsiders to be shunned and condemned to eternal damnation. Instead of showing love, they began demonstrating rejection and hatred for those who had formerly considered them to be their brothers.

In this conflict situation, a leader in the Johannine community wrote the First Epistle of John as a sermon designed to rescue the Johannine believers from the deceptions of the contentious Qumran Essene believers. Interacting with the teachings of the first Qumran Scroll (1QS), known as The Manual of Discipline or Community Rule, First John reinterprets the concepts in the light of who Jesus is and shows the difference Jesus makes in the behavior and beliefs of those hungering for righteousness and abhorring evil. The last verse of this sermon is an image that reinforces its whole point: Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

IMAGINE THIS 1 Picture John the Evangelist, the disciple of Jesus, now a man of about 80, running out of a public bath-house in Ephesus, towel flying, crying out, Fly, lest even the bathhouse fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within. Further imagine a young boy named Polycarp (70155 AD), who would later become one of the Early Church Fathers, standing by with open mouth as this scene impresses itself on his mind.2 The moral of this humorous story is found at the end of the First Epistle of John: Little children, keep yourselves from idols (5:21). FLASHBACK: THE QUMRAN AND EPHESUS CONNECTIONS John was not the only one who felt strongly about not associating with the enemies of truth. The members of the Qumran community regularly heard this ritual as new members were sworn in: Cursed be the man who enters this Covenant while walking among the idols of his heart Gods wrath shall consume him in everlasting destruction. He shall be cut off from the midst of all the sons of light (1QS 2:11, 15, 16). If John the Evangelist knew about these curses, its no wonder he ran out of the bathhousein case the curses might happen to fall on the enemy of truth while John himself was inside! How might John have known these Qumran beliefs? Our story takes us further back to another John. Next imagine the young John the Baptist growing up in a desert community, raised by godly seekers of the truth after the death of his elderly parents. (This explains why John did not recognize his own cousin at firstsee John 1:31.) In the Qumran community, where he would have learned his simple lifestyle of eating locusts and wild honey and wearing clothing of camels hair (Matthew 3:4), he would also have
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Vernon Robbins has explained the powerful effect of graphic images used in a text in comments in his Rhetoric of Religious Antiquity seminar at the Society of Biblical Literature national conference, November 26, 2007. Imagery, such as that used here, contributes persuasively toward an overall rhetorical effect. Robbins, the originator of the socio-rhetorical approach to the interpretation of Scripture, has recently coined the term rhetography to describe the use of verbal images in the context of a rhetorical argument. The rhetography becomes a collective vision intended to persuade the audience to do what the author is urging. In this case the author of this article is using rhetography to attempt to persuade readers of the value of the hypothesis stated at the beginning. Notice verbal images in the texts of the Qumran and Johannine literature quoted or referred to throughout this article. What are those authors attempting to convince their readers/listeners to do or believe? 2 Irenaeus (120-202 AD), bishop of Lyons, recorded Polycarps story in his writings, Against Heresies (3.3.4).

been familiar, from the Qumran literature and customs, with initiation rites, repentance from sin, and water for purification. Living in a community that emphasized the Sons of Light and the Angel of Light, John came to realize that he was sent from God as a witness to testify about the Light (John 1:6, 7). Immersed in the writings of the Old Testament prophets, John saw himself as the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, Make straight the way for the Lord as Isaiah the prophet said (John 1:23, Net Bible). (1QS 4:2: make straight before him all the ways of righteousness.) 3 His ministry in the wilderness was effective and people who were hungry for righteousness began to follow him. But one day he lost two of his disciples. Here is that story: John was standing there with two of his disciples. Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, Look, the Lamb of God! When Johns two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus (John 35-37, 40). The other disciple, according to tradition, was John the Evangelist. But not all of John the Baptists disciples left him. We find them several years later as far away as Ephesus. While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went to Ephesus. He found some disciples there and said to them, Into what were you baptized? Into Johns baptism, they replied. Paul said, John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:1, 3-5). Our story continues Around 70 AD all Jewish-background believers experienced a great tragedy. Within a few years time both the Qumran communitys desert dwellings and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed. As survivors scattered to safer locations, some Qumran and Jewish-Christian believers found themselves in the cosmopolitan city of Ephesus, along with regular Jews, Greeks and Romans. Members of the two groups most interested in righteousness and the end of wickedness clung to each other in their grief and common heritage in John the Baptist, telling each other stories about the things they had heard and seen in the places that were now destroyed. MISSIONARY ACTIVITY In this time of uncertainty some of the Qumran believers were open to new teachings that fulfilled the expectations of their own beliefs. Missionary activity by Jesus followers took advantage of this openness and the close correspondence of many concepts that prepared the way for the teachings of Jesus. John the Evangelist and his school began explaining and writing about Jesus using language that was familiar to the Essene believers, showing how Christ fulfilled many of their ideas. They were attracted
Also see 1QS 8:14, 15: When these become members of the Community they shall separate from the habitation of unjust men and shall go into the wilderness to prepare there the way of Him; as it is written, Prepare in the wilderness the way of , make straight in the desert a path for our God (Isa. 60:3) (Vermes translation).
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by the teachings of the Johannine community that were later put in written form in the Prologue of Johns Gospel, and in John chapters14-17. 4 Themes the Qumran writings have in common with the teachings of Johns school include: 1. light and darkness 2. truth and injustice 3. two kinds of men (of the light/truth or of the darkness/injustice) 4. brotherly love 5. rejection of outsiders 6. community or fellowship 7. knowledge 8. two spirits and the struggle between them 9. confession of sin Lists comparing themes of the 1QS with 1 John indicate many areas of agreement, indicating that the Essenes, at least at first, would have felt right at home in the Johannine community. 5 One of the most outstanding similarities between the two communities was their emphasis on love for one another. 6 On the other hand, in the Qumran writings this love was limited to the members of their own Community while hatred was preached against those who were not of their group, labeled the sons of darkness and those of the lot of Belial. Perhaps John and his school purposely contextualized their way of referring to those whom followers of Jesus should love. In the Syntoptic gospels and in Leviticus, believers are told to love their neighbors. Lukes parable asks, who is my neighbor? and the answer is clearanyone in need, including the heretical and despised Samaritans. But it may have been to avoid offending the Essene followers of Jesus, by insisting too soon on love for outsiders, that John taught that believers are to love one another or love the brotherfamiliar sounding to Essene believers, and confirmation of a step in the right direction. But what one group intends to communicate may not match the meaning of the words assigned by the second group. For instance, when the Johannine group talked about loving one another, they did not mean to imply that hatred for non-brothers was appropriate. But for the Essenes hatred for the other guys was what they automatically thought of when they heard about love for each other. Or when the Johnannine group talked about following Jesus, the Essenes would have had in mind someone like their Teacher of Righteousnessa human like themselves, but who was more perfectly devoted to God. DISCOVERING DIFFERENCES Now imagine a Qumran master teacher coming to town and finding Ephesian Qumranians mingling with Johannine believers. He might have actually shouted his
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These are the same parts of the Gospel of John that have a high degree of vocabulary overlap with See again Chart 1 at the end of this article, Comparison of Two Types of People in 1QS and 1 See 1QS 2:24-25; 5:3-4, 24, 25; 3:23; John 13:34, 35; 1 John 4:7, 11, 12.

1 John.
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John.
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disapproval at them! Listen to him sternly reminding them of their obligation to stay separate from those who have not taken the same vows: 7
The Master shall teach the saints to live according to the Book of the Community Rule, that they may seek God with a whole heart and soul, and do what is good and right before Him as He commanded by the hand of Moses ; that they may love all that He has chosen and hate all that he has rejected; He shall admit into the Covenant of Grace all those who have freely devoted themselves to the observance of Gods precepts, that they may love all the sons of light, and hate all the sons of darkness.. And this is the Rule for the men of the Community who have freely pledged themselves to be converted from all evil and to cling to all his commandments according to his will. They shall separate from the congregation of the men of injustice and shall unite, with respect to the Law and possessions, under the authority of the men of the Community who hold fast to the Covenant. Every decision concerning doctrine, property, and justice shall be determined by them.

In other words, the Qumranian Teacher would be telling them, they had no business making up their own minds about what to believe about Jesus, who to share their property with (see 1 John 3:17), or who was of the right spirit and who was not. Once the Essenes or their teacher discovered the Johannine secrets about who Jesus really was and is, they turned against the Johannine believers. Since the Gospel was not written down yet, and since John and his school were trying to show how compatible the gospel was with Qumran teaching, the Essenes likely did not get to hear about the harder teachings until some time had gone by. Then, just as described in John 6, some of those who had started out to follow Jesus, turned back. [Jesus said to them, I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said, This is a difficult saying! Who can understand it? After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer (John 6:53, 60, 66).] Are the sins of the world taken away through Jesus flesh and blood or is the Old Covenant still in effect? The First Epistle had to be written to explain that this is how to know who a true follower of Jesus is: everyone that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God (1 John 4:2). Those who do not confess Jesus are destroying the essence of the faith (1 John 4:3). So the battle lines were drawn and neither group was likely to abandon their strong beliefs easily. 4. THE DIVORCE Once certain Essene believers decided they could no longer accept the teachings of the Johannine school, they began reverse evangelizationtrying to convince members of the Johannine community, many of whom were former followers of the Essene John the Baptist, to change their allegiance. Those who did not follow them, they rejected, just as their teachings taught them they should, and stopped associating with
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Selections from 1QS 1:1-5, and column 5; Translation by Vermes.

them. They went out, says the author of First John, because they were never really of us (1 John 2:19). Instead of love for the brothers, now the Essenes treated the former brothers with hatred, as non-believers, not of the true beliefs, not having true life. The Essenes may have quoted from the introduction of their initiation rites to strike fear into the hearts of former Qumran believers and followers of John the Baptist:
No man shall be in the Community of truth who refuses to enter the Covenant of God so that he may walk in the stubbornness of his heart for his soul detests the wise teaching of just laws. He shall not be counted among the upright for he has not persisted in the conversion of his life. His knowledge, powers, and possessions shall not enter the Council of the Community. For it is through the spirit of true counsel concerning the ways of man that all his sins shall be expiated that he may contemplate the light of life. (1 QS 1:12f; 3:1f)

In the face of such accusations that their sins were not forgiven if they were not part of the Council of the Community, and that their knowledge and powers (or strength) were not acceptable to the Community of God, the author of 1 John countered with a blessing of reassurance in 1 John 2:12-14:
I write to you little children, that your sins have been forgiven through his name. I write to you fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I write to you young people that you have victory over the evil one. I have written to you, children, that you have known the father. I have written to you fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I write to you young people that you are strong, and the word of God abides in you and you have victory over the evil one.

To counter the false teaching and curses of those causing trouble, one of the leaders in the Johannine school composed a list from his perspective of the characteristics of these former believers that climaxes with the denunciation, children of the devil: 8
You know that all liars are not of the truth (1 John 2:21b) Who is the liar if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist The one who denies the father and the son (2:22) I have written to you concerning those who are deceiving you (2:26) Everyone who does sin also does lawlessness; sin is lawlessness (3:4) The one who practices sin is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning For this the Son of God was manifested: in order to destroy the works of the devil (3:8) In this is manifested: who are the children of God and the children of the devil Everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God; neither is the one who does not love his brother (3:10)

The writings of both communities showed the need for a divorce between the two groups. Survival of the original Johannine group and its values demanded that the members of the deviant group be excommunicated or un-fellowshipped. In a culture
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For a complete list, see Chart 3, Children of the Devil, at the end of this article.

accustomed to rituals, it was natural for a leader in the Johannine community to compose a text that could be used for this purpose. The parts of First John that speak about the opponents (see Chart 3 again for those portions of the text) contain all elements of a status degradation ritual 9 used to speak against the opponents to try to bring closure for the remaining believers in a confusing and unsettling situation: 1. The denouncer (the author who presented his credentials in the Prologue of 1 John) 2. The deviant whose status will be degraded (the former believers, labeled children of the devil as a result of the ritual) 3. An explanation for the need to downgrade the status of the deviant person or group (the long list shown in Chart 3 at the end of this article) 4. Witnesses who will agree with the denouncer on the new identity of the deviant (the little children of the authors community). After the ritual was spoken or performed, the opponents were no longer considered children of God (or members of the Johannine community); they were children of the devil, in the camp with murderers who do not have eternal life in them. Sadly, each group shunned the other, making similar accusations, each trying to preserve their community from annihilation. CONCLUSION: KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS Although the respected member of the community who wrote First John was not hateful in his writings against the opponents (unlike the polemics of the Qumran writings), he did say there is a sin unto death and I dont say you should pray about that (1 John 5: 16). He saw no hope for reconciliation between the two groups, so he gave a final indirect rebuke to the combative Essenes in 5:21 by telling his little children to keep themselves from idols. The Essenes knew very well what he meant. They were being accused of being enemies of the truth, and they knew what happened to idol worshipers (see Ps 115:9: those who make them will end up like them). The Essene and Johannine believers each had to choose who to follow. The full text of First John was written to help them make the right choice; to come out and be separate from the teachings of Qumran. Living in Ephesus, the author of First John must have been familiar with Pauls writings, including his second letter to the Corinthians that contains significant echoes of Johannine and Qumran themes: Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

Bruce J. Malina, and Jerome H. Neyrey, Conflict in Luke-Acts: Labeling and Deviance Theory. in The Social World of Luke-Acts: Models for Interpretation (ed. Jerome H. Neyrey; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1991), 98ff. Also see the authors article, Status Degradation in First John: Social Scientific and Literary Perspectives. Acta Patristica et Byzantina 18 (2007): 179-213.

So once again we envision the elderly John, disciple of Jesus, flying from the bath-house to escape the fate of those whose false beliefs associate them with idols, an image preserved at the end of First John in the hope of convincing many to remain connected to true teaching and eternal life.

REFERENCES Brown, Raymond E. The Epistles of John. Vol. 30 of The Anchor Bible Commentary. Garden City: Doubleday, 1982. _____. The Qumran Scrolls and the Johannine Gospel and Epistles. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 17 (1955): 403-19, 559-74. Charlesworth, James H. A Critical Comparison of the Dualism in 1QS 3:13 4:26 and the Dualism Contained in the Gospel of John. Pages 76-106 in John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Edited by James H. Charlesworth. New York: Crossroad, 1990. Hoffman, Thomas A. 1 John and the Qumran Scrolls. Biblical Theology Bulletin 8 (1978): 117-25. Kruse, Colin G. The Letters of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. Leaney, A. R. C. The Rule of Qumran and Its meaning: Introduction, Translation and Commentary. London: SCM Press, 1966. Malina, Bruce J. and Jerome H. Neyrey. Conflict in Luke-Acts: Labeling and Deviance Theory. Pages 97-122 in The Social World of Luke-Acts: Models for Interpretation. Edited by Jerome H. Neyrey. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1991Vermes, Geza. The Dead Sea Scrolls in English. 4th ed. London: Penguin Books, 1995. Snodderly, Beth and Dirk G. Van der Merwe. Status Degradation in First John: Social Scientific and Literary Perspectives. Acta Patristica et Byzantina 18 (2007): 179213 Vermes, Geza. The Dead Sea Scrolls in English. 4th ed. London: Penguin Books, 1995.

CHART 1: Comparison of the Characteristics of Two Types of People in 1QS and 1 John Those concepts in each list that are not represented in the other are highlighted. paragraphs in 1QS 4:2-14 1QS: Sons of Light God and the Angel of Truth will help all the sons of light. Parallel verses in 1 John 1 John: Children of God We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous (2:1) walk in the light as he is in the light (1:7) does what is right (2:29, 3:7) as he is righteous (3:7) we keep his commandments (2:3; 3:22; 3:23; 3:24; 4:21; 5:2; 5:3) confess our sin (1:9) (a theme in other parts of 1QS) Gods love is completed in him (2:5) loves his brother (2:10, etc.) cleansed from all unrighteousness (1:9) we know him; that we are in him (2:3, 5, 13, 14, etc.) you know it [the truth] (2:21) you have an anointing from him and you know it all (or you all know) (2:20) he has given us his spirit (4:24) love in works and truth (3:18) we do what is pleasing before him (3:22) have known him who was from the from the beginning (2:13, 14) we keep his commandments (2:3, etc.) does the will of God (2:17)

paths of true righteousness straight before him, fear of the laws of God instilled in his heart: a spirit of humility patience abundant charity unending goodness understanding, and intelligence;

(a spirit of) mighty wisdom

trusts in all the deeds of God and leans on his great loving-kindness; a spirit of discernment in every purpose, zeal for just laws,

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holy intent with steadfastness of heart, great charity towards all the sons of truth, admirable purity detests all unclean idols, humble conduct sprung from an understanding of all things,

does not (make a habit of) sinning (3:6) loves his brother (2:10, etc.) we are of the truth (3:19) purifies himself as he is pure (3:3) keep yourselves from idols (5:21) you know it [the truth] (2:21) you have an anointing from him and you know it all (or you all know) (2:20) you have no need that anyone teach you. (2:27) have confidence and not be ashamed before him in his coming [synonym for appearing/visitation] (2:28)

faithful concealment of the mysteries of truth. The visitation of all who walk in this spirit:

healing, great peace in a long life, fruitfulness, every everlasting blessing and eternal joy in life without end,

Gods seed remains in him (3:9) Joy may be full (1:4) passed from death into life (3:14) he has promised us, eternal life (2:25; 5:11-13) God is light (1:5) Not represented in 1QS 4:2-14: fellowship with one another & God and Jesus (1:7) the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses from all sin (1:7) have overcome the evil [one] (2:13, 14) confesses the son also has the father. (2:23) have confidence and not be ashamed at his appearing (visitation) (2:28) is born of him; children of God (2:29; 3:9; 3:10; 4:7; 5:1; 5:4; 5:18) the world does not know us; hates us (3:1; 3:13) we will be like him because we will see him as he is (3:2) believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ (3:23; 5:13) has victory over the world, [faith]

a crown of glory and a garment of majesty in unending light.

(Although Community is stressed in other parts of 1QS)

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(5:4) the evil one does not touch him.(5:18)

1QS: Sons/Spirits of Injustice/Darkness But the ways of the spirit of falsehood are these: greed, 16) slackness in the search for righteousness, wickedness lies, haughtiness and pride, falseness and deceit,

1 John: Children of the Devil is a liar; the truth is not in him (1:6; 1:8; 2:4; 2:22) loves the world (desire of flesh, eyes, pride of this worlds goods) (2:15, does not practice righteousness (3:10) practices sin (3:4) is a liar; the truth is not in him (1:6; etc.) pride of this worlds goods (2:15, 16) those who are deceiving you (2:26; 3:7; 4:6) false prophets (4:1) hates his brother (2:9; 2:11; 3:13; 3:15; 4:20)

cruelty and abundant evil, ill-temper and much folly brazen insolence, abominable deeds committed in a spirit of lust, ways of lewdness in the service of uncleanness, a blaspheming tongue, blindness of eye and dullness of ear, stiffness of neck and heaviness of heart, walks in all the ways of darkness and guile. The visitation of all who walk in this spirit: a multitude of plagues by the hand of all the destroying angels, everlasting damnation by the avenging wrath of the fury of God, eternal torment endless disgrace shameful extinction in the fire of the dark regions. sorrowful mourning bitter misery calamities of darkness

of the evil (one); his works were evil; slaughtered his brother (3:12)

false prophets (4:1) darkness has blinded his eyes (2:11) walk in the darkness (1:6, 2:9; 2:11) [judgment] (4:17)

remains in death (3:14)

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destroyed without remnant or survivor. Not represented in 1QS 4:2-14: his word is not in us [although this concept is in other parts of 1QS] does not keep his commandments denies the father and the son deceiving self and others does lawlessness is of the devil remains in death does not confess Jesus come in the flesh

A few summaries of themes from other parts of 1QS that have parallel themes in 1 John 1QS: Sons of Truth/Light; Themes in 1QS: Sons of Injustice/Dark;Themes in common with 1 John (Children of God) common with 1 John ( Children of the Devil) do what is right do not do right obey Gods commands do not obey Gods commands love hate practice the truth liars; not of the truth (1QS: sinful heart) lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life (QS: all manner of evil) 2:16 (1 John: overcome the evil 2:13; 2:14) walk in the ways of light walk in the ways of darkness children of righteousness (God, 1 Jn 3:10) children of injustice (devil, 1 Jn 3:10) ruled by the Prince of Light ruled by the Angel of Darkness (cf. John 12:31; 1 John 5:19) Johannine believers overcome the evil one Qumran believers experience attempts of dark spirits to overthrow them God will then purify every deed of man works of injustice (works of the devil, 1 with His truth (destroy works of devil, Jn 3:8) 1 Jn 3:8) QS 5:1: separate from the congregation of the men of injustice 1 John 4:1: Beloved, do not believe all spirit, but test the spirit if it is from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world 1 John 5:21: Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

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CHART 2: Truth and Injustice Struggle: 1QS 4.15-25 in Chiastic Structure A. Mixture of good and evil (divisions): 15 The nature of all the children of men is ruled by these two spirits, and during their life all the hosts of men have a portion of their divisions and walk in both their ways. 16a And the whole reward for their deeds shall be, for everlasting ages, according to whether each mans portion in their two divisions is great or small. 16b For God has established the spirits in equal measure until the final age, B. Strife between the spirits 17 and has set everlasting hatred between their divisions. Truth abhors the works of injustice, and injustice hates all the ways of truth. 18a And their struggle is fierce in all their arguments for they do not walk together. C. Final destruction of evil A. Mixture of good and evil (truth & injustce): 24 and they walk in both wisdom and folly. According to his portion of truth, so does a man hate injustice, and according to his inheritance in the realm of injustice so is he wicked and so 25 hates truth. For God has established the two spirits in equal measure until the determined end, and until the Renewal, and He knows the reward of their deeds from all eternity.

B. Strife between the spirits 23c Until now the spirits of truth and injustice struggle in the hearts of men.

C. Final destruction of evil

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18b But in the mysteries of His understanding, and in His glorious wisdom, God has ordained an end for injustice, and at the time 19a of the visitation he will destroy it for ever.
D. Cosmic result of destruction of works of devil

23b There shall be no more lies and all the works of injustice shall be put to shame. [23b functions in both sections of the chiasm]

D. Cosmic result of destruction of works of devil

19b Then truth, which has wallowed in the ways of wickedness during the dominion of injustice until 20a the appointed time of judgment, shall arise in the world for ever.

22b For God has chosen them for an everlasting Covenant 23a and all the glory of Adam shall be theirs. 23b There shall be no more lies and all the works of injustice shall be put to shame.

E. Means of the destruction of the works of the devil: 20b God will then purify every deed of man with His truth. 20c He will refine for Himself the human frame by rooting out all spirit of injustice from the bounds of 21 his flesh. He will cleanse him of all wicked deeds with the spirit of holiness; like purifying waters he will shed upon him the spirit of truth (to cleanse him) of all abomination and injustice. 22a And he shall be plunged into the spirit of purification that he may instruct the upright in the knowledge of the Most High and teach the wisdom of the sons of heaven to the perfect of way.

CHART 3: Portions of First John that Speak of the Opponents, in Chiastic Structure
(1:5b, 6, 8, 10; 2:4, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17a, 18, 19, 21b, 22, 23a, 26; 3:4, 6b, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17; 4:1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 20; 5:10b, 12b, 16c, 17, 19, 21)

A True God 1:5b [God is light] and there is no darkness in him at all B Darkness, Truth is not in one, Liar Sin, Keep the commandments 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness we are lying and the truth is not in us 1:8 [compare 1:6 b] If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us 1:10 [compare 1:6 b and 1:8]

A Idols 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. B Unrighteousness, Sin unto death, Liar, Believe the witness 5:19 the whole world lies in the evil [one] 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin unto death. 5:16c There is a sin unto death. It is not concerning that you should ask. 5:10b

= =

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If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us 2:4 The one who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him C Light, Hate, Darkness 2:9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

= = =

The one who does not believe in God makes him a liar because he has not believed in the witness which God witnessed concerning his Son 5:12b The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life

= =

C Love, Hate, Does not know God 4:20 = If anyone says, I love God = and hates his brother = he is a liar The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen 2:11 4:8 The one who hates his brother = The one who does not love is in the darkness = Does not know God and is walking around in the darkness because God is love and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes D World vs. Father 2:15 Do not love the world, neither the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him 2:16 because all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of this worlds good is not of the father D World vs. God 4:5, 6 They are of the world Because of this they speak out of the world And the world listens to them. The one who is not from God [The one who is not from God]

= =

does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of deception (4:6) 4:3a Any spirit that does not confess Jesus Is not from God E Antichrist and false prophets

but is of the world = 2:17 the world passes away and its desires

E Antichrists 2:18

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Children, it is the last hour And just as you have heard 4:3b that antichrist is coming = This is the antichrist, So now many antichrists have The one you have heard was coming come into being = and is already in the world. 2:19 4:1 They went out from us Beloved, do not believe all spirits Because they were not of us But test the spirit if it is from God For if they were of us Because many false prophets They would have remained with us have gone out into the world 2:21b you know that all liars are not of the truth. 2:22 Who is the liar If not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist: 3:17 [example of denying the Father and Son] The one who denies the Father and the Son Anyone who has the things of this world 2:23a and sees his brother having need Anyone who denies the Son and closes his affections from him Does not have the Father = how does the love of God remain in him? 2:26 I have written to you concerning those who are deceiving you [continued on next page]

F Sin as lawlessness, practice of sin, of the devil, works of the devil, 3:4 Everyone who does sin = also does lawlessness = Sin is lawlessness [eschatological death] = 3:6b All who sin have not known or seen him 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the devil = because the devil = has been sinning from the beginning

F Murder, practice of righteousness, of the evil one, children of the devil 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him 3:12 Do not be like Cain who was of the evil (one) and slaughtered his brother [John 8:4] and why did he slaughter him?

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(his nature)

3:8b for this the Son of God was manifested: in order to destroy the works of the devil =

because his works were evil but his brothers were righteous 3:10b Everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God neither is the one who does not love his brother 3:10a in this is manifested: who are the children of God and the children of the devil

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