The Pauline epistles are the thirteen or fourteen letters in the New Testament of the Christian Bible traditionally believed to have been written by the apostle Paul. Among them are some of the earliest extant Christian documents. They provide an insight into the beliefs and controversies of formative Christianity and, as part of the canon of the New Testament, they have also been, and continue to be, hugely influential in Christian theology and ethics. Jump to: navigation, search The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Bible (sometimes The Book, Good Book, Word of God, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this... Jump to: navigation, search An early portrait of the Apostle Paul. ... Jump to: navigation, search Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. ... Jump to: navigation, search Look up canon on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The authorship of some of these letters ("epistles") has been called into question particularly by more recent scholarship (these works are marked '(*)' in the list below). Some of those who doubt Paul's direct authorship suggest they were written by some of his disciples, either during or soon after his lifetime. An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of persons, usually a letter and a very formal, often didactic and elegant one. ...

In the order they appear in the New Testament, the Pauline epistles are:

• Romans
• First Corinthians
• Second Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians (*)
• Philippians
• Colossians (*)
• First Thessalonians
• Second Thessalonians
• First Timothy (*)
• Second Timothy (*)
• Titus (*)
• Philemon
• Hebrews (*) (Anonymous)

All of the epistles except the epistle to the Hebrews present Paul as the author. The epistle to the Hebrews is something of a special case, being anonymous. Authorship of Hebrews was disputed from the earliest, and few, if any, modern scholars would attribute it to Paul. Thus some classifications do not include Hebrews as a Pauline epistle, listing it instead with the general epistles. Jump to: navigation, search Link titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleMedia:Example. ... (Redirected from 1 Corinthians) See also: Second Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. ... (Redirected from 2 Corinthians) See also: First Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Epistle to Galatians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Epistle to Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New Testament, written by Paul at Rome about the same time as that to the Colossians, which in many points it resembles. ... The Epistle to Philippians is a book included in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... (Redirected from 1 Thessalonians) The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... (Redirected from 1 Timothy) This article or section should be merged with Second Epistle to Timothy The First Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... This article or section should be merged with First Epistle to Timothy The Second Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... The Pastoral Epistles are often considered together, as each throws light upon the others. ... Jump to: navigation, search Philemon is the recipient of the Epistle to Philemon, which is a book of the Bible from the New Testament. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbreviated Heb. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbreviated Heb. ... General epistles are books in the New Testament in the form of letters. ...

Religious classification of the epistles

The signed Pauline epistles may be classified into two types: Paul's letters to new Christian churches of the first century (Romans through Second Thessalonians), and Paul's letters to individuals (First Timothy through Philemon). The former are named after the city or region of receiving church; the latter after the individual to whom they were addressed. When more than one epistle was addressed to the same recipient, they are distinguished by number (i.e 2nd Thessalonians).

Paul's letters to churches are concerned with particular aspects of church doctrine and practice Paul felt to be important to the recipient congregation. In most cases these letters were addressed to churches Paul had founded himself, and he wrote to supply further teaching, or to correct misunderstandings of his doctrine, or to respond to situations that had developed since his last visit. In some cases he answered specific questions put to him by letter or messenger. A prominent theme in many of the letters is controversy over the role of the Jewish Law in early Christianity. Often Paul is responding to believers who argued that adherence to Jewish practices was desirable even for Gentile Christians. Sometimes it appears that teachers arrived after Paul's departure promoting these alternative ideas, or questioning Paul's apostolic authority. While all of the letters are concerned with a variety of topics, this is perhaps a common theme. Jump to: navigation, search The word Gentile (from the Latin gentilis, a translation of the Hebrew Nochri/נכרי) has several meanings. ...

The letters to Timothy and Titus are collectively known as the 'pastoral epsitles' as they adress two of Paul's disciples charged with pastoring churches. Paul wrote to them give advice and commandments for Christian preachers and for the appointing of overseers, elders and deacons. The letter to Philemon is the most personal of all Paul's letters, adressed to a Christian slave-owner on behalf of a runaway slave who had become a believer. Jump to: navigation, search An elder can refer to various topics: Elder (administrative title) Elder (religious) Elder - person of knowledge or high degree Elderberry plant (Sambucus) Box-elder plant (maple) Box elder bug (Leptocoris trivittatus or Boisea trivittatus) Elderly person - see: Old age William Henry Elder bishop and Archbishop of... Jump to: navigation, search Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ...

The Pauline epistles are also noteworthy for the personal relationships they mention. Paul greets many individuals by name, often giving details about the value of these friendships and the encouragement they gave him.

Academic classification of the Epistles

The epistles may also be arranged by the nature of their content

• Those primarily introducing theology and doctrine

• Romans
• Philippians
• First Corinthians
• First Thessalonians

• Those predominantly addressing the issue of the use of Jewish practices

• Second Corinthians
• Galatians
• Hebrews

• Those acting as personal intercession

• Philemon

• Those primarily addressing heresy

• Ephesians
• Colossians

• Those primarily correcting readings of other epistles

• Second Thessalonians

• Those addressing the nature of the church (known as the Pastorals)

• First Timothy
• Second Timothy
• Titus

The letters to Timothy and to Titus bear a remarkable similarity to one another, as does Ephesians to Colossians. This may reflect a practise of mass-mailing, or the desire to re-address issues in earlier letters by repeating them, but expanding on the ideas. Jump to: navigation, search Link titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleMedia:Example. ... The Epistle to Philippians is a book included in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... (Redirected from 1 Corinthians) See also: Second Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. ... (Redirected from 1 Thessalonians) The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... (Redirected from 2 Corinthians) See also: First Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Epistle to Galatians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbreviated Heb. ... Jump to: navigation, search Philemon is the recipient of the Epistle to Philemon, which is a book of the Bible from the New Testament. ... The Epistle to Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New Testament, written by Paul at Rome about the same time as that to the Colossians, which in many points it resembles. ... The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... (Redirected from 1 Timothy) This article or section should be merged with Second Epistle to Timothy The First Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... This article or section should be merged with First Epistle to Timothy The Second Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... The Pastoral Epistles are often considered together, as each throws light upon the others. ...

Authenticity of the epistles

Main article Authorship of the Pauline epistles.

Several of the letters are thought by a majority of modern scholars to be pseudepigraphal, that is, not actually written by Paul of Tarsus even if attributed to him within the letters themselves. Details of the arguments regarding this issue are addressed more specifically in the articles about each epistle. A 19th century picture of Paul of Tarsus The Pauline epistles are those books in the New Testament that are traditionally attributed to Paul of Tarsus. ... Pseudepigrapha (Greek pseudos = false, epi = after, later and grapha = writing (or writings), latterly or falsely attributed, or down right forged works, describes texts whose claimed authorship is unfounded in actuality. ...

The 7 letters considered genuine by most scholars (at the time of writing), and doubted by almost none:

• Romans
• Philippians
• Galatians
• Philemon
• First Corinthians
• Second Corinthians
• First Thessalonians

The letters thought to be pseudepigrapha by the majority of modern scholars, according to recent standards of analysis and theoretical trends, are: Jump to: navigation, search Link titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleMedia:Example. ... The Epistle to Philippians is a book included in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... The Epistle to Galatians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... Jump to: navigation, search Philemon is the recipient of the Epistle to Philemon, which is a book of the Bible from the New Testament. ... (Redirected from 1 Corinthians) See also: Second Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. ... (Redirected from 2 Corinthians) See also: First Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... (Redirected from 1 Thessalonians) The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ...

• First Timothy
• Second Timothy
• Titus

The letters on which modern scholars are about evenly divided are: (Redirected from 1 Timothy) This article or section should be merged with Second Epistle to Timothy The First Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... This article or section should be merged with First Epistle to Timothy The Second Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... The Pastoral Epistles are often considered together, as each throws light upon the others. ...

• Ephesians
• Colossians
• Second Thessalonians

An anonymous letter that nearly all modern scholars agree was probably not written by Paul is: The Epistle to Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New Testament, written by Paul at Rome about the same time as that to the Colossians, which in many points it resembles. ... The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... The Epistles to the Thessalonians, also known as the Letters to the Thessalonians, are two books from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ...

• Hebrews

For full details, see Authorship of the Pauline epistles. Jump to: navigation, search The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbreviated Heb. ... A 19th century picture of Paul of Tarsus The Pauline epistles are those books in the New Testament that are traditionally attributed to Paul of Tarsus. ...

Non-canonical Pauline Epistles

Several non-canonical epistles exist claiming or having been claimed to have been written by Paul. Most, if not all, scholars reject their authenticity. They include

• Third Epistle to the Corinthians
• Epistle to the Laodiceans
• Third Epistle to the Thessalonians
• Epistle of the Corinthians to Paul
• Epistle to the Ionians

Texts also exist which, whilst not strictly epistles, nethertheless claim to have been written by (or about) Paul. These include The Third Epistle to the Corinthians is a pseudepigraphical text alleging to have been written by Paul of Tarsus. ... Jump to: navigation, search Wikisource has original text related to this article: Epistle to the Laodiceans An Epistle to the Laodiceans is found in some editions of the Vulgate, known only in Latin, purporting to be the epistle of Paul to the Laodiceans mentioned in the Epistle to the Colossians. ... The Epistle of the Corinthians to Paul is a work from the New Testament apocrypha. ...

• Acts of Paul and Thecla
• Acts of Peter and Paul
• First Apocalypse of Paul
• Second Apocalypse of Paul
• Gospel of Paul
• Sermon of Paul
• Book of spells of serpents

The Acts of Paul and Thecla (Acta Pauli et Theclae) is an apocryphal story of St Pauls influence on the young virgin, Thecla. ... The Acts of Peter and Paul is a late text from the New Testament apocrypha, thought to date from after the 4th century. ... The Epistle to the Romans is one of the epistles, or letters, included in the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. ... The Book of spells of serpents would be considered part of the apocrypha, (Non-canonical Pauline Epistles) which are mentioned in many ancient sources, but for which no known text has survived. ...

External link

• Early Christian Writings: Introductions and e- texts