1771 – 1871 5 witnesses
“I have no greater joy,.... Nothing that causes greater joy. The Vulgate Latin version reads "grace" or "thanks"; and then the sense is, that he had nothing to be more thankful for: than to hear that my children walk in truth; meaning his spiritual children, those whose conversion he had been the instrument of; and among these it seems Gaius was one.”
“To hear that my children - From this it has been inferred that Caius was one of St. John's converts, and consequently not the Corinthian Caius, who was converted, most probably, by St. Paul. But the apostle might use the term children here as implying those who were immediately under his pastoral care, and, being an old man, he had a right to use such terms in addressing his juniors both in age and grace; and there is much both of propriety and dignity in the appellation coming from such a person.”
“No greater grace. That is, nothing that gives me greater joy and satisfaction. (Challoner)”
“my children--members of the Church: confirming the view that the "elect lady" is a Church.”
“Greater than these. I rejoiced for this reason, that of these brethren who come I have no greater favour — that is: when the brethren come to me, in no deed or word of theirs do I rejoice more than when they announce that my sons, whom I have begotten by preaching or by baptizing, keep the truth of right faith and of right action.”
The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.