Paul Wrote Letters

Papyrus letter in Greek early 3rd century C.E. Roman, Egyptian. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.

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Several writings in the New Testament are letters by Paul, an early leader of communities of followers of Jesus.

Quotes from Paul’s writings often appear as ammunition in current debates about ethical issues. Often lost in these debates is what Paul was originally saying and why.

Paul Wrote Letters, Not Scripture

Paul wrote letters to early Christ communities. As his letters continued to be read and shared, they became part of collections of writings that the communities found useful. Centuries later, they became more officially recognized and eventually part of what we now call the New Testament.

When Paul was writing, however, he did not think to himself, “I will write scripture to be read for the next two thousand years.” He was writing letters to early communities, mostly groups he had organized. He wrote to encourage them when they were down-hearted. He wrote to address their questions about issues that had arisen among them. He wrote to real people he knew.

Paul Wrote to Real Communities

To understand Paul’s letters, imagine yourself at a meal. You have gathered with a group exploring the ways of Jesus that Paul has been teaching about. You and maybe ten of your companions lie on couches formed in a square in the custom of those times. This setup allows you to eat together and have meaningful discussions. After the meal, during the time for sharing speeches and performances, Paul’s letter is read aloud so everyone can hear.

The Letters Are One Side of a Conversation

Imagine how the issues that Paul addresses in his letters would be immediate and clear to real people at the time they were written. They would know what questions they had asked Paul in their last letter to him. Today, these issues are not so obvious or clear. It is like we are listening to one side of a phone conversation in another country being translated from another language, not to mention that it is taking place 2,000 years ago!

Biblical scholars work to understand what the issues were in the context of the time and location of the communities his letters addressed. Scholars research many aspects of the ways people lived in the cities where the communities were located, details of what expressions meant in Greek, the original language of the letters, and much more. Scholars interpret what Paul was saying in light of many such factors. Scholars also consider that he wrote to communities where others did not agree with him, and that those early followers of Jesus had a variety of valid perspectives.

Paul Wrote Letters like Other Letters of His Day

After a treasure trove of hundreds of thousands of ancient letters from Paul’s time was discovered in Egypt, scholars worked to discern the forms that people used when they wrote letters.

Today, when letters come by snail-mail, we can recognize the purpose of a letter by the form in which it is written. A business letter is often on the business stationery and usually includes the date and the full mailing address of the person it is sent to, and that person is addressed, “Dear Ms. Jones:” with punctuation for this form of letter. A friendly letter may have the date and starts right off “Dear Bob,” and is often hand-written. One letter has a business purpose, the other maintains a friendship or family relationship.

In the ancient world, the forms were different, but the recipients could tell the purpose based on the form of the letter. Family letters, for example, began with the sender’s name and then named the recipient or recipients. Next came a greeting, followed by what scholars designate as a “health wish.” Many of those sound like an ancient version of “I’m fine. How are you?” The body of the letter might share some news or give some instructions about a household matter. In a closing greeting, the sender often mentions other people in an ancient version of “Say hi to Mike and Patty.”

Paul adapted this form to write to communities of Jesus followers. His letters are longer than most of the examples we have of family letters from his time, but the format is the same. He wrote letters that he knew would be read when the community gathered for a meal. That is why parts of each letter also sound like speeches, too, intended to teach the community something about the message they shared.

Reading Paul’s Letters Today

Paul wrote letters. When we read them as letters, we can learn about an early community leader and his advice to communities he cared about. When we see similarities in our own times, we can learn from and consider the relevance of his advice now. He was also proclaiming a world-changing and hopeful message in his time. We can also learn from that message as we consider similarities and difference between his world and ours.