In this article and in a future one we will be looking at how to read the epistles or letters that are part of the New Testament. The literary genre of the “epistle” corresponds to a form of expression that is related to the content of what is written, as well as to the structure of what was written. In that sense, the letters of the New Testament bear significant resemblance to the letters of the Greco-Roman world of that time, and even to the letters we write today. This is particularly true with the letters that we send by email, which have clearly visible, from the beginning of the communication, the identification of the person who sends it and the person to whom it is addressed.
These epistles have been divided into two large groups:
The Pauline Epistles. These are Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.
Thirteen in all. No other author was as prolific as the Apostle Paul in terms of number of books (Luke wrote more words total). When talking about Pauline theology, we need to understand that it is not enough to read, for example, the letter to the Romans (his great theological epistle), but we need to extract said theology after reading each and every one of his letters. His writings could be addressed to Timothy, for example, but at the same time, they were full of theological truths and practical implications for the believer.
These Pauline epistles are classified into two groups:
- The epistles written to churches (9): Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
- Epistles written to individuals (4): Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy (pastoral epistles), and Philemon.
The General Epistles. These are Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, 1–3 John, James, and Jude. Since we’ll talk about these epistles in a later article, much of what I’ll say in this section also applies to the other group of letters, the epistles known as generals. In this article we will study the letters of the Apostle Paul, and therefore I will use portions of the letters he wrote as illustrations.
Structure of the Pauline epistles
The structure of the New Testament epistles, and especially the structure of the Pauline epistles, was similar (not the same) to that of the first century letters, as can be seen in some of the letters that have survived to this day. . If we take 1 Corinthians into consideration, we can see the following structure:
- The opening:
- Author identification (1:1)
- Recipients (1:2)
- greeting (1:3)
- Prayer, wish, thanks (1:4-9)
- Body of the letter (1:10–16:8)
- Greetings and final farewell (16:19-24)
Some scholars think that the thank you section (1:4-9) represents an innovation by the Apostle Paul regarding the structure of the letters. The same can be said regarding the section on exhortations. For example, in the structure slice above, you’ll see a slice that says: Body of the letter (1:10-16:8). Some prefer to divide this section as follows:
- Body of the letter (1:10–4:21).
- Exhortations (5:1–16:12).
Given the above, the theologian Sidney Greidanus affirms that “Paul modified the basic form of the letters by adding two new parts. After the introduction, he usually adds a thank you section, and after the body of the letter he used to add an exhortation section.”
Paul wrote his letters to address specific problems occurring in the churches, they are not formal treatises on theology.
As expected, this structure had its variants depending on the reason for the letter sent. Hence the importance of paying attention to the details of the letters, because the absence of the typical structure of an epistle could provide important information. Many have noted that Paul’s letter to the Galatians lacks the typical thankfulness seen in the rest of his letters. It is thought that because the Galatians had begun to deny the gospel (Gal. 1), reemphasizing the importance of the works of the law, Paul eschewed his typical thank-you note at the beginning of his letters and went on to confront the congregation. immediately.
The use of the Pauline epistles
Paul wrote his letters to address specific problems occurring in the churches, and so they should be read that way, rather than as formal treatises on theology.
The first-century epistles provided information, correction, and theological and practical teachings
Due to the lack of fast means of transportation, these missives often took the place of a sermon, in the absence of the “preacher”, since they were apparently read to the group of people who were part of a church. This seems to have been true even of letters that we consider personal, such as the letter to Philemon. Notice how in the first two verses of the letter to Philemon it is evident that it was written to be read before the whole church:
“Paul, prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker, and our beloved sister Appia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that is in your house…” (emphasis added).
You can see the same thing in Colossians 4:16 and 1 Thessalonians 5:27, where it is understood that it was customary to read these letters to the entire church to which the letter was addressed, and even to other churches.
Let us take advantage of this same text of the letter to Philemon to point out how from the beginning we know who the sender of the letter was (“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother”), and at the same time who was the addressee or the audience to to whom the epistle was addressed (“to the beloved Philemon, our collaborator, and to the beloved sister Appia, and to Archippus our militia companion, and to the church that is in your house”). In all likelihood, Timothy served as a kind of secretary to Paul in the writing of this letter, which was very common in the first century.
The epistles of the first century served to nurture the relationship between the author of the letter and the churches planted
Perhaps you have read a letter addressed to the president of a nation, or to the president of the senate, published in a newspaper with national circulation. It is obvious that the letter has a personal addressee (the president), but at the same time it is equally clear that the letter is intended to inform a wider audience. The epistles of the first century provided information, correction, and theological and practical teachings. But they also served to nurture the relationship between the author of the letter and the churches planted.
How to read these epistles
Due to their nature, the best benefit of the letters is obtained by reading them as a whole, and especially if we take care to read it from beginning to end, without interruption, as the letters to the churches were read in the beginning. “Nothing can serve as a substitute for this exercise,” say Fee and Stuart. This allows you to see more clearly the intent of the sender and the topics covered. Also, in that way the portions of the epistles can be seen in relation to the whole.
And that is true when we read a letter today. For example, if we read 1 Corinthians in its entirety, we immediately realize that Paul had received a previous letter from the church, and that 1 Corinthians represents his responses to specific questions:
“As for the things about which you wrote to me…” (1 Cor. 7:1).
“As for the virgins…” (1Co. 7:25).
“As for things sacrificed to idols…” (1 Cor. 8:1).
“As for the offering for the saints…” (1 Cor. 16:1).
Something else we learn by reading 1 Corinthians in its entirety is that this was actually the second letter that Paul wrote to that church. For some reason, in the sovereignty of God, the first letter sent did not survive in time. I affirm this because of what 1 Corinthians 5:9 says: “I have written to you by letter, that you do not associate with fornicators…”. Clearly you can see that there was a letter sent from Paul to the Corinthian church that preceded what we know today as 1 Corinthians. This provides evidence of the benefit of reading the entire body of an epistle.
Due to their nature, the best benefit of the cards is obtained by reading them as a whole.
As I mentioned, reading through the entire letter of 1 Corinthians we can appreciate the variety of topics covered, and the variety of questions Paul was trying to answer: division (chs. 1–3); sexual immorality (ch. 5); legal disputes (chap. 6); problems in marriage (ch. 7); Christian freedom (ch. 8); idolatry (ch. 9); order in the worship service (ch. 11); spiritual gifts (chs. 12–14); the resurrection (ch. 15); final considerations (chap. 16).
If, in addition to taking these observations into account, we take the time to read each letter more than once, and to read more than one translation of the Bible, then we have added another ingredient that will allow us to have a greater understanding of these documents without the need to to be a scholar.
Context
The more familiar you are with the historical and cultural context of the sender and recipient of the letter, the better your understanding of what is written. Therefore, knowing the context of the letter is vital. Some tools that can help you learn the historical and cultural context before reading the letter include: a Bible dictionary or Bible encyclopedia, one or more commentaries, and a good study Bible.
Continuing with 1 Corinthians as an illustration, Corinth was a highly commercial Greek city because it was situated in a strategic location. Greece is divided into two parts: north and south, connected by a narrow isthmus. Corinth was located and is still in that narrow part that connects the south and the north. All merchandise going north or south had to go through there. The city had two seaports: one to the east and one to the west.
The Corinth of that time has been described as a commercial city, cosmopolitan, immoral, pagan (the temple to the goddess Diana was there), and proud. In short, a city capable of intimidating anyone. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:3: “And I was among you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” Knowing this, perhaps we can establish a relationship between that reality and the introduction to the letter. Let’s see:
“…to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all who in any place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (v. 2).
As early as verse 2, there is an allusion to our call to sanctification. For this reason, some scholars think that the introductions of Paul’s letters are often related to the subject he intended to address in the letter.
Literary style of Paul’s letters
Paul distinguished himself by writing letters with a…