Epistle

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the literary genre of letter-writing. For other uses, see
Manichaean text, see The Epistles (Manichaeism)
.
Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier
(c. 16th century, Blaffer Foundation Collection, Houston, TX).

An epistle (

catholic (i.e., "general") epistles
.

Ancient Egyptian epistles

The

Greek domination.[1]

Ancient Greece and Rome

Epistles in prose and verse were a major genre of literature among the

Ex Ponto, written in first person during the poet's exile. The epistles of Seneca, with their moral or philosophical ruminations, influenced later patristic
writers.

Form of Christian epistles

Christian epistles, both those in the New Testament and among the early Christian Fathers, were written in accordance with the formalized,

Hellenistic tradition. This reflects the amount of Hellenistic influence upon the epistle writers, especially in the case of Paul. Classicist Steve Reece has compared thousands of Greek, Roman, and Jewish letters contemporary with Paul and observes that Paul follows many of the normal epistolary conventions.[2]

Opening/greetings

In contrast to modern letters, epistles usually named the author at the very beginning, followed by the recipient (for example, see

Ephesians 6:21–22
).

After the names of the author and recipient, Pauline epistles often open with the greeting, "Grace and peace to you." "Grace" was a common Hellenistic greeting, while "peace" (shalom) was the common Jewish greeting; this reflected Paul's dual identity in Jewish faith and Hellenistic culture. There may also be a word of thanks to the audience. In secular letters, a prayer or wish for health followed.

Content/body

The body begins with a brief statement introducing the main topic of the entire body.

New Testament epistles

The epistles of the New Testament canon are usually divided as follows:

Pauline epistles

Main article: Pauline epistles
Further information: Authorship of the Pauline epistles, Authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and Pastoral epistles

The Pauline epistles, also called Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of the

Colossians).[4] According to some scholars, Paul wrote these letters with the help of a secretary, or amanuensis,[5]
who would have influenced their style, if not their theological content.

The Pauline epistles are usually placed between the Acts of the Apostles and the Catholic epistles in modern editions. Most Greek manuscripts, however, place the General epistles first,[6] and a few minuscules (175, 325, 336, and 1424) place the Pauline epistles at the end of the New Testament.

Status Categorisation[7] Epistle
Undisputed Authentic Pauline epistles
Disputed Deutero-Pauline epistles;
may be authentic
Pastoral epistles;
probably not authentic
Anonymous sermon;
not Pauline

Catholic (i.e., "general") epistles

Main article: Catholic epistles
Further information: Authorship of the Petrine epistles and Authorship of the Johannine works

The catholic epistles (also called the general epistles[8]) are seven epistles of the New Testament. Listed in order of their appearance in the New Testament, the catholic epistles are:

Traditional epistle name Author according to the text (NRSV) Traditional attribution[9] Modern consensus[9] Addressee(s) according to the text (NRSV)
Epistle of James "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" James, brother of Jesus An unknown James "To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion"[10]
First Epistle of Peter "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ" Simon Peter Maybe Simon Peter "To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia"[11]
Second Epistle of Peter "Sim(e)on Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ" Simon Peter Not Simon Peter To all Christians[12]
First Epistle of John anonymous John, son of Zebedee Unknown To fellow Christians[13]
Second Epistle of John anonymous John, son of Zebedee Unknown "To the elect lady and her children"[14]
Third Epistle of John anonymous John, son of Zebedee Unknown "To the beloved Gaius"[15]
Epistle of Jude "Jude" (or "Judas"), "a servant," (Gk. slave), "of Jesus Christ and brother of James" Jude, brother of Jesus An unknown Jude To all Christians[16]

Non canonical epistles

Lost epistles

Epistles of Apostolic Fathers

These are letters written by some very early Christian leaders, in the 1st or 2nd century, which are not part of the New Testament. They are generally considered to form part of the basis of Christian tradition. The ennobling word "epistle" is used partly because these were all written in Greek, in a time period close to when the epistles of the New Testament were written, and thus "epistle" lends additional weight of authority.

Liturgical use

Opening of the Epistle to the Galatians, illuminated manuscript for reading during Christian liturgy.

In the context of a

Four Gospels
—that is scheduled to be read on a certain day or at a certain occasion.

Western churches

In the Roman Catholic Mass and Anglican Eucharist, epistles are read between the Collect and the Gospel reading. The corresponding Gregorian chants have a special tone (tonus epistolae). When the epistle is sung or chanted at Solemn Mass it is done so by the subdeacon. Epistles are also read by an Elder or Bishop in the Lutheran Divine Service, between the gradual and the Gospel.

Eastern churches

The Kniga Apostol (1632), lectionary in Church Slavonic for use in the Divine Liturgy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In the

feast days of numerous saints and commemorations. There may be one, two, or three readings from the Apostol during a single Liturgy. The Epistle is read between the Prokeimenon and the Alleluia. The Epistle reading is always linked to a reading from the Gospel, though some services, such as Matins, will have a Gospel lesson, but no Epistle (Vespers on a number of feast days (typically for Apostles) will also have three epistle readings but no Gospel). A number of services besides the Divine Liturgy will have an Epistle and Gospel reading. Such services often include a Prokeimenon and Alleluia as well. The Epistle is chanted by the reader, though at a Hierarchical Liturgy (a Divine Liturgy celebrated by a bishop), it is read by a deacon. The one who chants the Epistle also reads the verses of the Prokeimenon
.

Medieval epistles

During the Middle Ages, the art of letter writing was taught in numerous manuals, and the ars dictaminis became an important genre of instructional discourse. The necessity for letter writing was in large part due to the general deterioration of civil life and the decay of the Roman road system in the early Middle Ages, factors that obliged literate people with business to transact to send letters instead of travel themselves.[21] A vast number of letters and letter-writing manuals were written in the period's lingua franca, Latin.[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1555404734
    .
  2. ^ Reece, Steve. Paul's Large Letters: Pauline Subscriptions in the Light of Ancient Epistolary Conventions. London: T&T Clark, 2016. Paul's Large Letters
  3. ^ The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, publ. Geoffrey Chapman, 1989, chapter 60, at p. 920, col. 2 "That Paul is neither directly nor indirectly the author is now the view of scholars almost without exception. For details, see Kümmel, I[ntroduction to the] N[ew] T[estament, Nashville, 1975] 392–94, 401–03"
  4. ^ a b New Testament Letter Structure, from Catholic Resources by Felix Just, S.J.
  5. ^ Richards, E. Randolph. Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection. Downers Grove, IL; Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press; Apollos, 2004. [page needed]
  6. ISBN 0198261802. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2013-06-01.
  7. ^ Ehrman, Bart (16 December 2014). "Pauline Forgeries: 2 Thessalonians as a Test Case". The Bart Ehrman Blog. Bart Ehrman Foundation. Retrieved 21 February 2022. Scholars normally place the thirteen Pauline letters of the New Testament into three categories: The Pastoral Epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, which are very widely recognized as having been written by someone other than Paul; the Deutero-Pauline letters of Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians, which are fairly widely as being written by other authors (three different authors; these must be judged as authentic or not on a case by case basis); and the other seven letters, which are called the 'Undisputed Paulines': Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.
  8. ^ Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "katholieke brieven". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0195141832
    .
  10. ^ James 1:1
  11. ^ 1 Peter 1:1
  12. ^ 2 Peter 1:1, "To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ"
  13. ^ The letter addresses the audience as "my dear children" (e.g. 1 John 2:1) and "dear friends" (e.g. 1 John 2:7). 1 John 3:2 states: 'Dear friends, now we are children of God...', showing that the author is addressing fellow Christians, whom he intermittently calls 'children of God' (which includes himself), as well as 'dear friends' (or 'beloved' in some translations).
  14. ^ 2 John 2
  15. ^ 3 John 1
  16. ^ Jude 1, "To those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ"
  17. ^ Also called "A Prior Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians""Lost Books of the Bible?". Archived from the original on 2006-06-23. Retrieved 2006-06-29. or "Paul’s previous Corinthian letter".[1], possibly Third Epistle to the Corinthians
  18. ^ Also called 2 Jude.
  19. ^ Also called "The Epistle of John to the Church Ruled by Diotrephes" Archived 2006-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Apostle (in Liturgy)" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  21. ISBN 978-1570036514
    .
  22. ISBN 978-1570036514
    .

External links

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