INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS

 INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS

Twenty-one of the twenty-seven books that constitute the NT are in the form of letters, a name derived from the Latin word epistulae, which means “letters”.

In the first century AD, letters were a common and valued form of communication. Thus these letters from Paul, the apostles John and Peter, and James and Jude, the Lord’s brothers, were not casually discarded but were carefully preserved and shared with other churches (Col 4:16).

All the authors wrote with some awareness that their letters would be seen as backed by apostolic authority. They also all intended that what they had written would be read aloud in the community. This explains their somewhat official style. So does the fact that these letters did not come from the hand of the letter writer himself but were dictated to a secretary or a scribe, a practice that used to be common in South Asia. We see traces of this practice when Paul takes pen in hand to sign a letter himself (Gal 6:11), when Peter mentions his secretary by name (1 Pet 5:12) and when the secretary adds his own greeting to the letter (Rom 16:22).

There is great diversity among these letters. Some, like Philemon and 3 John, are almost as brief as modern postcards. Others, like Romans and Hebrews, are much longer. Some are addressed primarily to individuals such as Timothy and Titus, while others, such as Philippians and Romans, are written to churches, responding to pastoral needs in their particular contexts.

It is helpful to remember that all these letters were written to individuals or groups of people in particular circumstances. We can understand their message much better when we have a good grasp of the circumstances that prompted them and of the setting of the believers who received them.

The first thirteen letters in the NT were written by Paul, often along with co-senders. These letters were collected and circulated as a group long before the NT writings were finally put together. They are arranged in two sets – the first nine (Romans to 2 Thessalonians) are addressed to churches and the remaining four (1 Timothy to Philemon) are addressed to individuals. Within these sets, the letters are arranged in descending order of length. Scholars sometimes divide the letters into other subsets. For example, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon are sometimes called the prison letters, for they were written while Paul was in prison. Similarly, the letters addressed to Timothy and Titus have been called the pastoral letters because they deal with issues related to pastoring a church.

Of the remaining eight letters, seven are identified by their author. The exception is Hebrews, for which we do not know the author. However, it was clearly written to believers with a strong knowledge of the Hebrew (Jewish) faith. The other seven letters (James to Jude) are often called the catholic (meaning universal) or general letters, because they do not appear to have been written to a specific church or individual (although this might be disputed for 2 and 3 John).

Not surprisingly, there are similarities between the letters. Many of them follow the standard format of first-century letters, beginning with the name of the writer, the addressees and a greeting. This is followed by thanksgiving and prayer for the recipients, after which the author gets down to the major message or body of the letter. The letters usually end with greetings and a closing benediction.

There are also similarities in the subject matter in that all focus on who Christ is, what he has done, and what this means for the way believers should live. However, there are also considerable differences between the letters, reflecting the different situations of those addressed. In Romans, for example, Paul writes to a church where there was tension between Jewish and Gentile believers and stresses that together they form one people of God, drawn together on the basis of the righteousness received through faith in Jesus Christ.

By contrast, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes to thank his gospel partners at Philippi for their support and to encourage them to press on to know Christ, rejoice in the midst of suffering and serve each other in humility and love. He holds up the example of Christ and of others such as Timothy and Epaphroditus, as well as offering himself as a role model for enduring trials. Peter, in turn, writes his first letter to suffering Christians, reminding them that they are called to suffer just as Christ suffered. He encourages them to live righteous lives, especially when under pressure, because they are filled with hope based on Christ’s resurrection. Jude writes to warn the recipients of his letter against false teachers and exhort them to stand firm in the faith. The letters to Philemon and 3 John simply commend someone to someone else.

When we read these letters, we need to remember that they were not originally divided into the chapters and verses we find in our Bibles today. Those were added much later to make it easier for us to refer to particular points. But the letters were not intended to be read in chapters but as entire letters. Thus the best way for us to understand the author’s intention and purpose is to read the whole letter, rather than picking and choosing a few verses. Knowing that the letter would have made sense in the cultural and historical situation of the original readers, our task is to reconstruct that original occasion to the best of our ability and then observe the flow of thought of the author.

Historically, the NT letters have influenced much of church doctrine and practice. But they are far more than just historical artefacts. Their underlying message is relevant to every age. We still hear God speaking to us through these ancient writings to God’s people.

Jacob Cherian