General letter, also called a Catholic Epistle (meaning the same thing). One of the apostle John’s five books, and the 25th book of the New Testament.
Author: The apostle John is the traditional author of this book. The letter does not specifically identify its author, other than calling him “the elder” (3 John 1:1).
Audience: Third John was one of five New Testament books written by the apostle John, along with the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, and Revelation. This is the last of his three letters in the New Testament. It was written to a man called “the beloved Gaius,” an unknown believer who was an early church leader (3 John 1:1). Several themes are included in this brief letter. John encourages Gaius in his hospitality towards teachers traveling to share the gospel. In addition, he speaks against Diotrephes, a prideful leader of one of the churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Third, John speaks positively of Demetrius and his good testimony.
Date: Unknown, though probably written around the same time as John’s Gospel and the letters 1 John and 2 John. Likely composed between AD 80 and AD 95.