Pauline epistles

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The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul (Παῦλος) as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents. They provide an insight into the beliefs and controversies of Early Christianity and, as part of the canon of the New Testament, they have also been, and continue to be, foundational to Christian theology and Christian ethics. Usually they are placed between the Book of Acts and the Catholic epistles. In minuscules 175, 325, 336, and 1424 the Pauline epistles are placed at the end of New Testament.

Contents

The order of epistles

In the order they appear in the New Testament, the Pauline epistles are:

Name
 Greek
 Latin
 Abbreviations
Full Min.

<tr> 

 <td>Romans
 <td>Προς Ρωμαίους
 <td>Epistula ad Romanos
 <td>Rom
 <td>Ro

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>First Corinthians
 <td>Προς Κορινθίους Α 
 <td>Epistula I ad Corinthios
 <td>1 Cor
 <td>1C

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Second Corinthians
 <td>Προς Κορινθίους Β
 <td>Epistula II ad Corinthios
 <td>2 Cor
 <td>2C

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Galatians
 <td>Προς Γαλάτας 
 <td>Epistula ad Galatas
 <td>Gal
 <td>G

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Ephesians
 <td>Προς Εφεσίους 
 <td>Epistula ad Ephesios
 <td>Eph
 <td>E

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Philippians
 <td>Προς Φιλιππησίους 
 <td>Epistula ad Philippenses
 <td>Phil
 <td>Phi

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Colossians
 <td>Προς Κολασσαείς 
 <td>Epistula ad Colossenses
 <td>Col
 <td>C

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>First Thessalonians
 <td>Προς Θεσσαλονικείς Α 
 <td>Epistula I ad Thessalonicenses
 <td>1 Thess
 <td>1Th

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Second Thessalonians
 <td>Προς Θεσσαλονικείς Β 
 <td>Epistula II ad Thessalonicenses
 <td>2 Thess
 <td>2Th

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>First Timothy
 <td>Προς Τιμόθεον Α 
 <td>Epistula I ad Timotheum
 <td>1 Tim
 <td>1T

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Second Timothy
 <td>Προς Τιμόθεον Β 
 <td>Epistula II ad Timotheum
 <td>2 Tim
 <td>2T

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Titus
 <td>Προς Τίτον 
 <td>Epistula ad Titum
 <td>Tit
 <td>T

</tr> <tr> 

 <td>Philemon
 <td>Προς Φιλήμονα 
 <td>Epistula ad Philemonem
 <td>Philem
 <td>P

</tr>

All of these epistles present Paul as the author.<ref>Joseph Barber Lightfoot in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians writes: "At this point [{{#if:| }}Gal 6:11] the apostle takes the pen from his amanuensis, and the concluding paragraph is written with his own hand. From the time when letters began to be forged in his name ({{#if:2|2 }}Thess 2:2; ) it seems to have been his practice to close with a few words in his own handwriting, as a precaution against such forgeries… In the present case he writes a whole paragraph, summing up the main lessons of the epistle in terse, eager, disjointed sentences. He writes it, too, in large, bold characters (Gr. pelikois grammasin), that his handwriting may reflect the energy and determination of his soul."</ref> Some classifications do include Hebrews, being anonymous, as a Pauline epistle instead of listing it with the general epistles, but authorship of Hebrews (as Paul's) was disputed from the earliest, and no modern scholars attribute it to Paul.

Formerly in many manuscripts of New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews was located between other Pauline epistles:

Now Hebrews is placed in the end. This order was used by the manuscripts: Codex Bezae, Uncial 048, E, K, L and majority of minuscules.

Religious classification of the epistles

The Pauline epistles are also noteworthy for the personal relationships they mention. Paul greets many individuals by name, often giving details about the value of these friendships and the encouragement they gave him.

Authenticity of the epistles

Main article Authorship of the Pauline epistles.

Several of the letters are thought by most modern scholars to be pseudepigraphic, that is, not actually written by Paul of Tarsus even if attributed to him within the letters themselves, or, arguably, even forgeries intended to justify certain later beliefs. Details of the arguments regarding this issue are addressed more specifically in the articles about each epistle.

These are the 7 letters (with consensus dates)<ref>Pheme Perkins, Reading the New Testament: An Introduction (Paulist Press, 1988), pp. 4-7.</ref> considered genuine by most scholars (see main article Authorship of the Pauline epistles: section The undisputed epistles):

The letters thought to be pseudepigraphic by the majority of modern scholars include:<ref name="New Testament Letter Structure">New Testament Letter Structure, from Catholic Resources by Felix Just, S.J.</ref>

The letters on which modern scholars are about evenly divided are:<ref name="New Testament Letter Structure"/>

An anonymous letter that nearly all modern scholars agree was probably not written by Paul is:

Lost Pauline Epistles

Non-canonical Pauline Epistles

Several non-canonical epistles exist claiming or having been claimed to have been written by Paul. Most, if not all, scholars reject their authenticity. They include

Texts also exist which, whilst not strictly epistles, nevertheless claim to have been written by (or about) Paul. These include

Some have also postulated the existence of a third epistle to the Thessalonians (second chronologically) forged in Paul's name, citing 2 Th 2:1-2, 3:17 as evidence; that hypothesis, though, has not gained mainstream acceptance.

References

Bibliographic Resources

  • Aland, Kurt. “The Problem of Anonymity and Pseudonymity in Christian Literature of the First Two Centuries.” Journal of Theological Studies 12 (1961): 39-49.
  • Bahr, Gordon J. “Paul and Letter Writing in the First Century.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 28 (1966): 465-77. idem, “The Subscriptions in the Pauline Letters.” Journal of Biblical Literature 2 (1968): 27-41.
  • Bauckham, Richard J. “Pseudo-Apostolic Letters.” Journal of Biblical Literature 107 (1988): 469-94.
  • Carson, D.A. “Pseudonymity and Pseudepigraphy.” Dictionary of New Testament Background. Eds. Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000. 857-64.
  • Cousar, Charles B. The Letters of Paul. Interpreting Biblical Texts. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996.
  • Deissmann, G. Adolf. Bible Studies. Trans. Alexander Grieve. 1901. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1988.
  • Doty, William G. Letters in Primitive Christianity. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. New Testament. Ed. Dan O. Via, Jr. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988.
  • Gamble, Harry Y. “Amanuensis.” Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 1. Ed. David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
  • Haines-Eitzen, Kim. “‘Girls Trained in Beautiful Writing’: Female Scribes in Roman Antiquity and Early Christianity.” Journal of Early Christian Studies 6.4 (1998): 629-46.
  • Longenecker, Richard N. “Ancient Amanuenses and the Pauline Epistles.” New Dimensions in New Testament Study. Eds. Richard N. Longenecker and Merrill C. Tenney. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974. 281-97. idem, “On the Form, Function, and Authority of the New Testament Letters.” Scripture and Truth. Eds. D.A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. 101-14.
  • Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. Paul the Letter-Writer: His World, His Options, His Skills. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1995.
  • Richards, E. Randolph. The Secretary in the Letters of Paul. Tübingen: Mohr, 1991. idem, “The Codex and the Early Collection of Paul’s Letters.” Bulletin for Bulletin Research 8 (1998): 151-66. idem, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition, and Collection. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004.
  • Robson, E. Iliff. “Composition and Dictation in New Testament Books.” Journal of Theological Studies 18 (1917): 288-301.
  • Stowers, Stanley K. Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity. Library of Early Christianity. Vol. 8. Ed. Wayne A. Meeks. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1989.
  • Wall, Robert W. “Introduction to Epistolary Literature.” New Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. 10. Ed. Leander E. Keck. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. 369-91.

External links

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