Meaning of EPISTLES

Name given to 21 books of the NT. The oldest epistles predate the Gospels. Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians around the year 50 AD.

The epistles are messages written by the apostles, and are addressed:

(a) to specific churches, dealing with questions of doctrine and practice;

(b) to individuals, although exposing topics of great importance;

(c) to all believers in general, not to a single person or church.
With the exception of that addressed to the Hebrews and 1st John, the epistles, following the custom of the time, are headed by the name or title of the author, followed by that of the recipient, individual or church, and the greetings.

The epistles are divided into three groups, but this classification has no absolute value and does not in any way exclude a different mode of classification.

(a) Pauline epistles.
The first 13 letters begin with the statement that the sender is Paul himself, alone or assisted by his collaborators such as Sosthenes (1 Cor. 1:1), Timothy (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1 ; Col. 1:1; Phm 1), or Silvanus and Timothy together (1 Thes. 1:1; 2 Thes. 1:1).

Paul usually employed a secretary who wrote at his dictation (Rom. 16:22). The apostle puts the greeting in his own hand which he says serves as a testimony to the authenticity of each letter (1 Cor. 16:21; Col. 4:18; 2 Thes. 3:17).

The Epistle to the Galatians is the exception to this rule, since it was all written by the same hand of the apostle (Gal. 6:11).

(b) Pastoral Epistles.
Within the group of Pauline epistles there are three letters called Pastorals: the two epistles to Timothy and the one addressed to Titus. Their recipients are the people whose name they bear; These letters give instructions regarding the organization and administration of the churches; They also indicate the way to resolve the individual problems of the members of the Church.

(c) Universal Epistles.
Five epistles have a general audience: that of James, the two of Peter, 1st John and that of Jude. But the early Church designated 7 epistles as Catholic: the 5 already mentioned above, plus the 2nd and 3rd of John (Eusebius, Hist Ecle. 2:23), although the latter two were addressed to separate individuals.

The term "Catholic" was used in its original sense of "universal", denoting a circular addressed to all congregations. The "elect lady" and the elderly Gaius, recipients of the 2nd and 3rd epistles of John, possibly represent the Church as a whole.

The epistolary form was not a mere literary device chosen because of how suitable it could be for a doctrinal exposition. Most of the epistles were written in the manner of ordinary letters; They emanate from personal circumstances and the author's initiative (cf. Philemon and 2nd John).

They were written to respond to letters, or, based on reports from outside, to resolve problems in certain churches (1 Cor. 1:11; 2 Cor. 7:5-7; 1 Thes. 3:5, 6) .

But they are suitable for all those who find themselves in similar circumstances. Paul requested that certain of his letters be read by people other than the recipient whose name they bore (Col. 4:16). The apostles declared that their epistles are the very Word of God (1 Thes. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:12).

From the beginning of the Christian era, they were elevated to the same position as other sacred writings. In the year 68 AD. Peter claimed that Paul's epistles were part of the Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:15-16); and, in the year 115, Polycarp cites at the same time the Psalms and the Epistle to the Ephesians as equally belonging to the Holy Scriptures. (See CANON).

The titles of the epistles did not appear in the original writing; They were added later; They do not appear in the first mss. and are not part of the inspired text.

Most of these titles come from the first verse. That of the Epistle to the Hebrews, however, comes from its tenor, since its character shows that it was especially addressed to Christians coming from Judaism.