The
First Epistle of John, often referred to as
First John (US) or One John (UK) (and written
1 John) is a book of the
New Testament. This fourth catholic or "general"
epistle is attributed to
John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the
Gospel of John and the other two
Epistles of John. This Epistle was probably written in
Ephesus between the years 95–110. The work was written to counter
docetism, which is the belief that Jesus did not come "in the flesh", but only as a spirit. It also defined how
Christians are to discern true teachers: by their
ethics, their proclamation of Jesus in the flesh, and by their
love.