Usually, the three Johannine Letters are dated after the Gospel of John without extended discussion. The following essay will argue that all three Johannine letters were written before the Gospel of John marking the starting point of the Johannine line of tradition. Beside linguistic analyses two major arguments will be given: (1) 1 John is much more than simply an aid how to read the Gospel of John. 1 John establishes its own theological line of reasoning. It is necessary to understand that letter as a piece of theological thought on its own. Any dependence on the Gospel of John cannot be proved. (2) Dating 2 John and 3 John after the Gospel of John and 1 John needs to explain the far-reaching reduction of theology (and especially of Christology) in contrast to the other two Johannine writings. A convincing explanation for such a development has not been established until now. On the contrary, 2 John and 3 John represent the beginning of the development of Johannine theology.
