約翰長老

約翰長老英語:),早期基督教會的一個人物,但是他的事蹟被記載得不多。有人認為他即是使徒約翰拔摩島的約翰,但也有不同的說法。在帕皮亞的著作中,提到這位約翰長老。

學者認為,在新約中,作者題名為約翰的著作之中,可能有部份是由他創作的。亞歷山大的丟尼修主教(Dionysios of Alexandria)曾提出,在以弗所教會中,一位名為約翰的長老創作了《啟示錄》。該撒利亞的優西比烏認為《啟示錄》、約翰二書約翰三書是由此人所做。

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帕皮亞的著作

希拉波利斯主教帕皮亞在西元二世紀時,寫作了《解釋主所說的話》(κυριακῶν λογίων ἐξηγήσις,Kyriakôn logiôn exêgêsis,英語:),共五卷。在其中提到了一位約翰長老。雖然這本書已經佚失了,但是在愛任紐優西比烏的著作中,保存了部份內容。

優西比烏教會史》(第三冊,第39章)保存了以下殘篇:

But I shall not be unwilling to put down, along with my interpretations, whatsoever instructions I received with care at any time from the elders, and stored up with care in my memory, assuring you at the same time of their truth. For I did not, like the multitude, take pleasure in those who spoke much, but in those who taught the truth; nor in those who related strange commandments, but in those who rehearsed the commandments given by the Lord to faith, and proceeding from truth itself. If, then, any one who had attended on the elders came, I asked minutely after their sayings,--what Andrew or Peter said, or what was said by Philip, or by Thomas, or by James, or by John, or by Matthew, or by any other of the Lord's disciples: which things Aristion and the presbyter John, the disciples of the Lord, say. For I imagined that what was to be got from books was not so profitable to me as what came from the living and abiding voice.

但是,我不會不情願地隨著我的解釋而放下我在任何時候從老人那裡得到的任何指示,並在我的記憶中小心存放,同時向他們保證他們的真相。 因為我沒有和眾人一樣,樂於那些說得多的人,而是那些教導真理的人。 也不是那些與陌生誡命相關的人,而是那些排練主賜給信仰的誡命,並從真理本身出發的人。 那麼,如果有任何一個參加長老的人來了,我會在他們的說法後仔細詢問, - 安德魯或彼得說的話,菲利普,托馬斯,詹姆斯,約翰或者約翰所說的話。 馬太,或主的門徒中的任何其他人:耶和華的門徒阿里斯蒂安和長老約翰所說的話。 因為我想像從書本中得到的東西對我來說並不像生活和持久的聲音那樣有利可圖。

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