Singular and Plural Second-Person Address in 2 John: A Reassessment from a Comparative Epistolary Perspective

The alternation between second-person singular and plural forms in 2 John has often been interpreted as reflecting a degree of literary artificiality. This study reexamines the issue through the lens of documentary papyri and ancient epistolary practice. Through a survey of eight papyrus letters, I will argue that the alternation between second-person singular and plural forms represents a phenomenon attested in ancient letter writing and marks the relationship between a primary addressee and a broader collective audience. In such contexts, the singular can identify an individual who bears primary responsibility for communication or execution, while the plural forms frame shared accountability within a broader household or communal structure. In light of these parallels, the singular–plural alternation in 2 John may be more plausibly explained in an epistolary context rather than as evidence of literary artificiality. Even if we assume that 2 John is a literary letter, the alternation between second-person singular and plural should not be taken as evidence of literary artificiality, but rather as an indication that the letter carefully imitates authentic epistolary conventions for verisimilitude.