epistles Summary and Overview

the apostolic letters. The New Testament contains twenty-one in all. They are divided into two classes. (1.) Paul's Epistles, fourteen in number, including Hebrews. These are not arranged in the New Testament in the order of time as to their composition, but rather according to the rank of the cities or places to which they were sent. Who arranged them after this manner is unknown. Paul's letters were, as a rule, dictated to an amanuensis, a fact which accounts for some of their peculiarities. He authenticated them, however, by adding a few words in his own hand at the close. (See GALATIANS, EPISTLE TO T0001413.) The epistles to Timothy and Titus are styled the Pastoral Epistles. (2.) The Catholic or General Epistles, so called because they are not addressed to any particular church or city or individual, but to Christians in general, or to Christians in several countries. Of these, three are written by John, two by Peter, and one each by James and Jude. It is an interesting and instructive fact that a large portion of the New Testament is taken up with epistles. The doctrines of Christianity are thus not set forth in any formal treatise, but mainly in a collection of letters. "Christianity was the first great missionary religion. It was the first to break the bonds of race and aim at embracing all mankind. But this necessarily involved a change in the mode in which it was presented. The prophet of the Old Testament, if he had anything to communicate, either appeared in person or sent messengers to speak for him by word of mouth. The narrow limits of Israel made direct personal communication easy. But the case was different when the Christian Church came to consist of a number of scattered parts, stretching from Mesopotamia in the east to Rome or even Spain in the far west. It was only natural that the apostle by whom the greater number of these communities had been founded should seek to communicate with them by letter."

EPIS'TLES , the word applied to the apostolic letters in the N.T. The existence of letters among the Hebrews and the mode of their composition will be discussed under Letter, Writing. The Epistles of the N.T. arose from the necessity of correspondence as a substitute for the personal instruction of the apostles with the widening of their field of labor. They may be divided into three classes: congregational, those addressed to a particular church and dealing with doctrinal or practical questions; private, those directed to individuals, but still containing exhortation and advice fitted for many; and general, those intended for universal use. Paul contributes thirteen or fourteen; John, three; Peter, two; James and Jude, one each. In their outward form the Epistles are such as would be expected from Jews situated in the midst of a Greek civilization. They begin (the Epistle to the Hebrews and 1 John excepted) with the writer's name and the person or church to whom the letter is addressed; in the case of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude, with a more general address. The usual Greek and Hebrew salutation ("grace" and "peace") follows. In the letter the first person, singular or plural, is used indiscriminately. The individual messages are reserved to the close. Since the Epistles of Paul are the most numerous and important, their form and method demand fuller treatment. His opening salutation combines the Greek "grace" with the Hebrew "peace," and transforms the prevailing ideas of physical health and temporal comfort into the deep meaning of the saving grace of God and peace in Christ. Paul employed an amanuensis. This fact explains many of his peculiarities; his sentences are sometimes involved and have the vehemence of a speaker, and not the calmness and control of a writer. In order, however, to authenticate his letters, Paul added a few words, a salutation, or a sentence in his own hand, probably employing larger letters than those in ordinary use, perhaps because of his defective eyesight. Ye see with how large letters I have written unto you with my own- hand, he writes unto the Galatians 6:11. Every one of his Epistles was written to meet some emergency; hence they bear the imprint of a historical occasion. Each Epistle has a clearly-defined fundamental idea which governs every part of it. They are tracts for his time, and yet tracts for all times and all congregations. The earlier Epistles antedate the Gospels. They arose out of the necessities of the young Church. Questions would constantly be submitted to the apostles for their decision. Then, too, there were Christians to be encouraged and dangers to be pointed out, and so there were multiform occasions for these letters. It is quite manifest that our N.T. contains only a portion of this correspondence. But every letter which was in its nature adapted for the universal Church has been preserved as part of her canon. See Canon.