What one can learn about the “presbyter” from 2 and 3 John indicates that he understood himself as the leading representative of a church community (cf. 2 John 13*), so that there is no contradiction between “community” and “school.” Moreover, 2 John shows that the presbyter was not only acknowledged in his immediate surroundings but was able to make his authority effective in other communities as well, and was active in spreading Christian teaching and making the love commandment a reality among