Johannine society

Johannine Society

The Johannine society "defined themselves rather starkly against the Jewish milieu in which they arose, these believers cultivated an intense devotion to Jesus as the definitive revelation of God's salvific will. They understood themselves to be in intimate contact with him and with one another, under the guidance of the Spirit-Paraclete. They were conscious of their relationship to other believers with whom they hoped to be in eventual union. Their piety found distinctive expression in a reflective literary corpus that explored new ways of expressing faith in Jesus." Harold W. Attridge

The Community of the Beloved Disciple By Raymond Edward Brown

This network of home church gatherings formed a community of Christians that were excommunicated from the Jewish synagogue system that had been united by the Corban of Herod. The people were bound by a system of faith, hope, and charity rather than the force, fear, and fealty established under the Fathers of the earth and benefactors who exercise authority.

If scholars will not see the distinction between the tables that are a snare and the ones that set the captive free they will fumble around in the weeds of the Gnosticism debate.