Letters in the First Century

Letters written on papyrus with ink by a professional scribe (amanuensis)

Though most letters that have survived from the ancient world were short and to the point, Paul’s Epistles are extremely long.

Because there was no postal system, someone had to carry the letter to its destination.

Upon arrival, most people couldn’t read, so a professional would need to read it aloud.

This was difficult because there were no chapters, verses, paragraphs, punctuation, or spaces between words (scriptio continua).

Name

Greek Words

English Words

Verses

Chapters

Romans

7113

9506

432

16

1 Corinthians

6832

9532

437

16

2 Corinthians

4480

6160

257

13

Galatians

2232

3227

149

6

Ephesians

2424

3047

155

6

Philippians

1631

2261

104

4

Colossians

1583

1993

95

4

1 Thessalonians

1484

1908

89

5

2 Thessalonians

826

1065

47

3

 

Church Epistles in Chronological Order

Galatians 48

1 Thessalonians 49-51

2 Thessalonians 49-51

1 Corinthians 53-55

2 Corinthians 53-55

Romans 57

Philippians 62

Colossians 62

Ephesians 62

Developing Your Knowledge of the Greco-Roman World

Get background books like The World of the New Testament by Green and McDonald and Zondervan’s Illustrated Bible Background Commentary by Clinton Arnold.

Read the literature that has survived. Hundreds of volumes are available in the Loeb Classical Library.

Learn about archeology in the Mediterranean world around the time of Christ (Biblical Archeological Review).

Take a tour to visit the sites in Greece and Turkey (Spirit and Truth International).

Study the geography of the region on maps that show the correct place names for the first century.

Deciphering the Occasion

Each letter arose out of a specific circumstance. What was going on among the Christians in that city that caused Paul to write?

Galatians: Judaizers had visited churches Paul founded, telling people they needed to follow the law of Moses.

1 Corinthians: Chloe sent word of divisions in Corinth; Paul also received a letter asking specific questions.

2 Corinthians: false teachers had ensconced themselves in Corinth who criticized and undermined Paul.

Philippians: Epaphroditus brought Paul financial assistance from Philippi.

Reading the Church Epistles

The first time through, just get your bearings. Read for scope.

What’s going on in that church? What’s going on in that city? What are their concerns? What are the doctrinal errors that Paul is correcting?

The second time through, read more slowly, paying attention to major units of thought (usually paragraphs). Ask yourself how each section contributes to the whole.

Sometimes it is difficult to understand a particular sentence or phrase.

1 Cor 15:29  “baptism on behalf of the dead”

1 Cor 11:10 “because of the angels”

No one understands everything. It’s more important to get the main point than understand every little nuance.

Form of ancient letters1

Author(s)

Recipient(s)

Greeting

Prayer/thanksgiving

Content

Final greeting(s) and farewell

Content Section

These Epistles are loaded with theology and practical application.

Not systematic theologies, neatly organized

Rather, they move from topic to topic based on the need of the congregation, oftentimes based on a previous (now lost) letter or communication they made to Paul.

Romans and Ephesians come closest to laying out a theological system.

Application

What is Paul asking them to do?

Are my particulars similar enough to say this instruction applies to me as well?

How much of what he said is culturally conditioned?

Can I derive a principle that applies in general today?

Review

Sending long letters in the Roman world was expensive and difficult due to the cost of materials, the skill required to write, and the need to have someone carry and read your letter aloud to the recipients.

Paul sent the Church Epistles to Christian churches living in major Greco-Roman cities.

We know much about the culture, politics, and geography of these cities due to surviving literat