1) Christianity is unique in that much of its sacred writings are in the
form of letters written to specific churches for specific reasons, or written
to churches in a general region, addressing those church’s regional
concerns.
2) All but 5 of the 27 books of the New Testament are in the form of
letters, or letter-like writing.
3) Why did Christianity rely so heavily on letter writing as a form of
communication?
a. No telephones, email, or faxes—duh!
b. Letters were hand-delivered to people or churches
c. Most of the letters were meant to be read publicly to the gathered
congregations of early Christian who were meeting in people’s homes.
d. Most New Testament Letters were sent to:
i. Address particular problems that arose in particular congregations
and (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians)
ii. Focus on the particular relationship between sender and
addressee (Philemon, 1 & 2 Timothy).
Opening New Branches Or Franchising The Faith: The Spread of
Christianity in the First Century
1) The church was founded, of course, in Jerusalem, after the
resurrection and ascension of Jesus (Acts 1-2).
2) At the beginning, it had understood its general mission as
reaching out to people of the Jewish faith, the religion of Jesus. Jesus
was the fulfillment the Messianic prophesies of the Hebrew Bible.
3) The church had limited success in Jerusalem, in many ways, and
so it began to spread to other cities via the disciples and other
Christians.
4) Usually the Christian evangelist (teller of “good news”) or apostles
(disciples became apostles after the resurrection—people designated
with a message to bring) began with the Jewish synagogues in a
particular town, because the early Christians saw themselves as Jews
(which in fact they were) who were attempting to reach fellow Jews with
the good news that the Messiah, the Savior of Israel, had come in the
form of Jesus Christ.
5) Usually the apostle or evangelist had some success and a small
core of Jewish followers would emerge. Christians would usually then
worship in the synagogues on the Sabbath and then gather in small
groups in people’s home for fellowship, teaching, and worship.
Form Letters: What Ancient Letters Look Liked
1) The form of the New Testament Letters are adopted from a
Greco-Roman model;
a. Standard opening was “sender to recipient, greeting.”
b. Often followed by a prayer or wish for the health of the recipient
and assurance of the sender own well-being.
c. Expression of joy or sorrow at news received are frequently part
of the greeting
d. The closing of the letter usually consisted of a wish for the
recipient’s health and formula farewell.
e. The formula chosen for the ending was an indication of whether
the sender and recipient were equals, or from superior to subordinate, or
subordinate to superior. (Example: household codes)
Examples of ancient Christian letters not in the bible
1) Like the Gospels that were not included for adoption into the
canon, there were Letters that the church rejected as being authoritative
the life of the church. Some examples: The Epistles of the Apostles (http:
//wesley.nnu.edu/noncanon/writing/episaps.htm) and The Epistles to The
Laodicians (http://wesley.nnu.edu/noncanon/writing/epislao.htm)
2) Additional websites on non-canonical writings of the New
Testament era:
a. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/
b. http://www.ntgateway.com/noncanon.htm
Wanting In On A Good Thing: The Gentile Problem
1) Again, the early Christians saw their faith as the continuation of a
Judaism with a newly arrived Messiah. And Christians had some
success, but their message began to be heard and accepted by Gentiles
(non-Jews) and this gave rise to the Gentile problem. Judaism had been
such a peculiar, particular religion that the influx of Gentiles, who not
accustom to Jewish customs and rituals, caused conflict in the early
churches.
2) There was debate on whether on not Gentiles could really be
followers of Jesus, a Jew; also, the question arose about whether
Gentiles had to first become Jews first, even to the point of males going
through the process of circumcision. (Romans, Galatians)
3) Paul, who was devout Jew before became he became a Christian,
became the biggest advocate of inclusion of Gentiles in the churches
mission—without the need for first becoming Jewish in order to become
Christian.
4) Yet, the early church struggled with the tension between those
Jews who had become Christians and Gentiles who had become
Christians. Paul takes the side of the Gentiles and argues that there is
no need to become a Jew before becoming a Christian (Acts 15,
Galatians 2:1-14)
The Man Can Write: The Pauline Epistles
1) The Pauline Epistles are those attributed to the Apostle Paul:
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Philemon, and Titus
2) The Apostle Paul was the most prolific of the New Testament
letter writers—or at least we have canonized his letters more than we
have any other writer of the New Testament.
3) Paul writes with a purpose—in reference to particular problems,
particular people, or even specific theological and community concerns.
4) The recipients of Paul’s Letters are:
a. A particular church in a specific city (e.g., 1 & 2 Corinthians,
Romans, Philippians)
b. A group of churches in a region of the Roman Empire (Galatians)
c. A specific person (Philemon, maybe 1& 2 Timothy, if authentically
written by Paul)
5) Philemon: runaway slave
6) Galatians: Against the people who were saying that non-Jewish
folks (Gentiles) should become Jews before becoming Christians
7) 1 Corinthians—he addresses the church at Corinth about the
internal struggles, the issues of what spiritual gifts are most important,
the eating of meat to idols, how each part of the church is need of the
other complimentary parts
8) Romans is one of his last letters and shows his more mature
thinking—he focuses on the idea of faith in Jesus the Christ as that
which saves humankind, not works or deeds. It discusses the point of
Jesus’ coming to earth, what was done by that action, and the purpose of
Israel in the scheme of things.
9) Most scholars don’t think that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians,
Colossians, Ephesians, 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. These books were written
in his name in order to garner attention to the teaching. Even if the early
church did sometimes question their authenticity as being written by the
hand of Paul, it affirmed the teachings found in these letters
10) Some of the reasons why these letters are not understood as
being written by Paul by most scholars:
a. The writing style (the use of language and syntax) is so different
from the way we know Paul wrote
b. The ideas sometimes so contradict some of Paul’s thoughts as to
make their reconciliation seemingly impossible.
c. The chronology of when the letter was supposed to have been
written directly contradicts the known chronology of Paul’s travel and life.
Generally Speaking: The General Epistles
1) General Epistles are: Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3
John, Jude, and Revelation
2) They range from a letter that reads like an essay (Hebrews) to a
report of an apocalyptic vision (Revelation)
3) Hebrews: it was probably circulated as an essay amongst the
churches. Does something unique: most NT letters use the Old
Testament as prophecy, that is, as a foretelling Jesus’ life, but Hebrews
uses the OT as an outline of a religious system superior to the old
system.
4) James: claims a wide audience, “the 12 tribes in the dispersion”—
a general letter that has many themes; said to be written by either Jesus’
brother or an elder of the church. Most scholars do not think that Jesus’
peasant brother wrote this very highly stylized Greek letter. The focus:
none, except for practical wisdom about being together. Not written in
response to a particular situation.
5) 1, 2, & 3 John are understood to be from the Johannine school
(the community or group that gave us the Gospel of John). There seems
to be connections to the Gospel of John in terms of style and theology.
Emphasis on the connection between love and faith; also, the language
around light is unusual, just as it is the Gospel of John.
6) Revelation: known as apocalyptic (“to uncover”) literature. It is a
report of a vision seen by John, sometime understood be the
disciple/apostle John. Starts off with words/letters of encouragement and
warnings dictated by Jesus John to particular churches in the major cities
of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Chapters 4-11 shows what happens
in heaven, and the remaining chapters through 22 relate the War of the
Cosmos, between good and evil. Historically, the church has interpreted
this book as being about the church’s vision of hope during persecution
in the first century, though there are elements in the church that have
always interpreted this vision as truly being the blueprint for how the
world will end, couched in very metaphorical language. For more inform
about the book of Revelation, check out: http://www.ntgateway.com/rev.
htm and if you would like to look at “competing” examples of apocalypses
of the era, check out http://wesley.nnu.edu/noncanon/apocalypse.htm
Remember, the grand theme of the Bible is the restoration of
relationship—and that relationship is finally restored in the Revelation 21:
22-26—there is no need for a temple, no mediation between God and
humans is needed, relationship is restored.
