What was the reason that Paul wrote the letters?

Answer 1

Pauline epistles

Thirteen epistles have been attributed to Paul. At least seven of these epistles are widely considered to be genuine, and five have been shown by computer analysis to contain exactly the same writing or dictation style: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philemon and Galatians.

• Romans was written by Paul to the church in Rome, Italy.
• 1 and 2 Corinthians were written by Paul to the church in Corinth, Greece.
• Galatians was written by Paul to the church in Galatia, Asia Minor.
• Philemon was written by Paul to his friend Philemon.

The two that may, with some confidence, have been written by Paul, but do not match the style of Galatians are Philippians and 1 Thessalonians.

• Philippians may have been written by Paul to the Philippian church.
• 1 Thessalonians may have been written by Paul to the church in Thessalonia.

2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus are sometimes referred to as pseudo-Pauline epistles. If they were written by an anonymous author long after the time of Paul, as the majority of critical scholars believe, they were intended to be found and attributed to Paul - they were not really written to the churches whose names these epistles bear. After all, if they were sent to those churches when they were really written, the churches would simply have known that they did not come from the long-dead Paul.

The pseudo-Pauline epistles were written for sound theological reasons, but they were to be read by a wider audience in the times of their real authors. By attributing these epistles to Paul, their authors gained considerable credibility and support for the messages they were trying to convey.

Hebrews

Hebrews was also at one stage attributed to him, but that is too clearly not the case. It was never attributed to him until late in the second century. It is now called the Epistle to the Hebrews because it has long been considered to be an epistle written to Christian Jews. However, apart from the ending that was added by a later editor, Hebrews does not really appear to have been a letter or epistle at all. It may have been a sermon.

Other epistles

Other epistles are attributed to James, John, Jude and Peter. The authenticity of some or all of these is disputed.

• The Epistle of James appears to have been written to the Christian Jews of the diaspora.
• The First Epistle of John does not appear to have been addressed. Some scholars believe that this epistle was written in layers, with the oldest layer being a Jewish document dating from pre-Christian times.

• The Second Epistle of John appears to have been addressed to "the elect lady".

• The Third Epistle of John appears to have been addressed to a person called Gaius.

• The Epistle of Jude appears to have been a general epistle to all the faithful.

• The First Epistle of Peter appears to have been written to the communities in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia (the Roman province of Asia was part of what is now known as Asia Minor) and Bithynia.

• The Second Epistle of Peter does not appear to have been addressed.

Answer 2

Another answer from our community:Regardless of any controversy regarding authorship or date, the reasons for the writing of the Epistles fall into three broad categories as summarized below:

1. They were written as stated to a particular group of people at a particular time, even if in some cases this is unknown or uncertain to us today. They thus often addressed particular issues of theology, or morality or church practice relevant to the people to whom they were addressed.

2. A secondary purpose, not always entirely separate from the first, is to declare or define the Christian teaching on a particular matter for the church at large. Thus, even though in most cases addressed to particular people at particular times, they were also widely circulated among the churches at large.

3. Thirdly, in the grand plan of things, the epistles were addressed to God's people for all places for all time, until the end of the age. This is why they are authoritative, even today, for Christian believers. This latter purpose, in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit is why they can still be as relevant and applicable today as they ever were, whenever the relevant circumstances arrive.

Answer 3

His reasons varied, depending on how the Holy Spirit inspired him, and the particular needs of the recipient churches or people. Many common themes appear, but each letter has its uniqueness, too. Briefly, some qualities that stand out:

Romans is a masterful presentation of the doctrine of Christ's gospel; "required reading" for anyone considering becoming a Christian, and a true literary classic by any honest standard.

The Corinthian letters contain strong words of rebuke, correction and exhortation to a church in danger of losing its way.

Galatians is particularly concerned with adhering to the pure gospel of Christ, rebuking and shunning its perversion by any and all manner of false teaching. Doctrinally rich, it includes strong words of caution and warning.

Ephesians includes a presentation of the "mystery of [God's] will," wherein the redemptive plan is revealed more fully.

Philippians speaks more of Paul's joy, with words of encouragement, than any other letter. Ironically, Paul wrote this letter from prison.

That gives the idea. All of the epistles are this way; not just Paul's, but the "general" epistles as well. Each contributes its own piece toward the completion of the "whole picture" of God's Word.

Answer 4

Paul's writings are the major source of Christian theology. "When I first came to you," says Paul to the Corinthians, "I determined that I would know nothing among you except Jesus the Messiah, and him crucified." He taught human beings are alienated from God. They rejected God and established themselves as the ultimate authority. Paul's answer to humankind's alienation is the Son God sent. Christ is the model for all human kind, the image of God. Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is the focal point of all Paul preached and wrote.

(Unfortunately we only have Paul's answers written in reply to to concerns and questions raised by individual churches and individuals, but not the actual questions themselves.)

Answer 5

Pauline epistles

Thirteen epistles have been attributed to Paul. At least seven of these epistles are widely considered to be genuine, and five have been shown by computer analysis to contain exactly the same writing or dictation style: Philemon, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians and Galatians.
Philemon was written by Paul to his friend Philemon, asking him to care for Osemis. Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians and Galatians appear to have been written to churches with which Paul was involved, to provide timely advice and guidance. It has also been suggested that the real purpose of these epistles was to seek help for the poor Christians of Judea, perhaps as a result of the famine of 44-48 CE.

The two that may, with some confidence, have been written by Paul, but do not match the style of Galatians are Philippians and 1 Thessalonians. If accepted as authentic Pauline epistles, they would also have been written by Paul to provide timely advice and guidance to the members of those churches.

2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus are sometimes referred to as pseudo-Pauline epistles. If they were written by an anonymous author long after the time of Paul, as the majority of critical scholars believe, they were intended to be found and attributed to Paul - they were not really written to the churches whose names these epistles bear. After all, if they were sent to those churches when they were really written, the churches would simply have known that they did not come from the long-dead Paul. The pseudo-Pauline epistles were written for sound theological reasons, but they were to be read by a wider audience in the times of their real authors. By attributing these epistles to Paul, their authors gained considerable credibility and support for the messages they were trying to convey.

Hebrews Hebrews was also at one stage attributed to Paul, but that is clearly not the case. It was never attributed to him until late in the second century. It is now called the Epistle to the Hebrews because it has long been considered to be an epistle written to Christian Jews. However, apart from the ending that was added by a later editor, Hebrews does not really appear to have been a letter or epistle at all. It may have been a sermon.

Other epistles Other epistles are attributed to James, John, Jude and Peter. The authenticity ofthese is disputed. The First Epistle of John is believed by some scholars to have been written in layers, with the oldest layer dating from pre-Christian Judaism.

Answer 6

Paul preached for over twenty years, but as far as we know only wrote his genuine epistles during quite a short period of time. This may have been when he was not able to travel because of incarceration or illness. Certainly, the letter to Philemon had some urgency and was probably written from prison.

The letter to the Galatians, the two letters to the Corinthians and the letter to the Romans all mention a collection for which Paul was willing to make significant effort and perhaps sacrifice some of his political capital. This was an undertaking clearly of major importance to Paul and may have required letters, as well as his personal visits and those by emissaries.

Answer 7

to preach and teach the pure word of god to the people of all nations.

Answer 8

Paul wrote his letters to teach people in the new churches he established, to correct errors in those churches and to encourage the people in those churches