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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 (?a????) 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 formative Christianity and, as part of the canon of the New Testament, they have also been, and continue to be, foundational to Christian theology and ethics.
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Encyclopedia
The Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul (?a????) 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 formative Christianity and, as part of the canon of the New Testament, they have also been, and continue to be, foundational to Christian theology and ethics. Usually they are placed between Book of Acts and Catholic epistles. In minuscules 175, 325, 336, and 1424 Pauline epistles placed at the end of New Testament.
The order of epistles
In the order they appear in the New Testament, the Pauline epistles are:
Name
| Greek
| Latin
| Abbreviations |
|---|
| Full | Min.
|
|---|
| Romans
| ???? ??µa????
| Epistula ad Romanos
| Rom
| Ro
|
| First Corinthians
| ???? ?????????? ?
| Epistula I ad Corinthios
| 1 Cor
| 1C
|
| Second Corinthians
| ???? ?????????? ?
| Epistula II ad Corinthios
| 2 Cor
| 2C
|
| Galatians
| ???? Ga??ta?
| Epistula ad Galatas
| Gal
| G
|
| Ephesians
| ???? ?fes????
| Epistula ad Ephesios
| Eph
| E
|
| Philippians
| ???? F???pp?s????
| Epistula ad Philippenses
| Phil
| Phi
|
| Colossians
| ???? ???assae??
| Epistula ad Colossenses
| Col
| C
|
| First Thessalonians
| ???? Tessa?????e?? ?
| Epistula I ad Thessalonicenses
| 1 Thess
| 1Th
|
| Second Thessalonians
| ???? Tessa?????e?? ?
| Epistula II ad Thessalonicenses
| 2 Thess
| 2Th
|
| First Timothy
| ???? ??µ??e?? ?
| Epistula I ad Timotheum
| 1 Tim
| 1T
|
| Second Timothy
| ???? ??µ??e?? ?
| Epistula II ad Timotheum
| 2 Tim
| 2T
|
| Titus
| ???? ??t??
| Epistula ad Titum
| Tit
| T
|
| Philemon
| ???? F???µ??a
| Epistula ad Philemonem
| Philem
| P
|
All of these epistles present Paul as the author. 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:
- between Rom and 1 Cor in mss: Papyrus 46 and in minuscules: 103, 455, 1961, 1964, 1977, 1994.
- between 2 Cor and Gal (minuscules 1930, 1978, and 2248)
- between Gal and Eph,
- between 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy. This order used manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Ephraemi, H, I, P, 0150, 0151, and about 60 minuscule codices (e.g. 218).
Now Hebrews is placed in the end. This order was used by 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, arguably, by some modern scholars to be pseudepigraphic, that is, not actually written by Paul of Tarsus even if attributed to him within the letters themselves, or as 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 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 some modern scholars include:
The letters which modern scholars favor to be authentic Pauline writings:
- Colossians
- Second Thessalonians
An anonymous letter that nearly all modern scholars agree was probably not written by Paul is:
Lost Pauline Epistles
- The first Epistle to Corinth referenced at
- The third Epistle to Corinth called Severe Letter referenced at and
- The Corinthian letter to Paul referenced at
- The Earlier Epistle to the Ephesians referenced at
- The Epistle to the Laodiceansreferenced at
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.
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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