A Letter of Recommendation? 209 assume that he was well versed in the study of principles and rules of composition. 4. The “rhetorical” arrangement of Third John a) Opening Formula (v. 1) Despite Funk’s acclaimed remarks on the Hellenistic character of the letter (22), Third John’s opening formula is more akin to Aramaic letters. Like Third John, such letters often lack a word of greeting (23) (instead, he mentions the “truth”, which alerts the reader to the tone and one of the main themes of the letter (24)). Moreover, while the addressee is identified by his name, the sender introduces himself as simply “the Elder”, without specifying his name. This is also atypical of common Greek letters (25). On the other hand, the author employs a health wish (though not in the opening formula, but just after, in v. 2), which is common in Hellenistic papyri (e.g., P. Paris 43 [154 BC] (26)). Third John also distances itself from the common pattern of NT letters, which usually combine in their opening words such as peace, grace, and/or mercy (cf. 1 Cor 1,3; Eph 1,2; Phil 1,2; 1 Tim 1,2; 2 Tim 1,2; Titus 1,4; 2 John 3). The above remarks show that the Elder freely composed his letter without necessarily fitting a specific mold, but drawing from his Jewish and Graeco-Roman background. b) Thanksgiving and commendation (vv. 2-4) In the opening formula, Gaius finds himself as the recipient of the Elder ’s health wish. While a number of papyri have a health wish at the onset of the letter (e.g., P. Yale 42 [229 BCE]; P. Mert I,12 [58 CE]; (22) FUNK, “Form and Structure”, 424-425. (23) EDWARDS, The Johannine Epistles, 23. A word of greeting is usually missing in Greek letters dealing with business or philosophical matters, which is not the case for our letter (cf. H.-J. KLAUCK, Ancient Letters and the New Testament. A Guide to Context and Exegesis [Waco, TX 2006] 27-28). Thus 3 John’s opening is very atypical. (24) The next short section (v. 2-4) repeats the word ajlhvqeia three times. (25) BROWN, John, 789. KLAUCK, Ancient Letters, 27. An example of the common threefold opening formula (superscriptio, adscriptio, salutatio) is P. Oslo II,47 (August 23, 1 CE): “Dionysios to his dearest Theon, very many greetings and for ever good health”. (26) “Serapion, to his brothers Ptolemaeus and Apollonius, greetings. If you are well, it would be excellent; I myself am well”; cf. also the previously mentioned P. Oslo II,47.