Why did the apostles write the epistles?

Answer 1

A:

The New Testament epistles can be divided into two distinct, major groups - genuine epistles and pseudepigraphical epistles, and the purpose of each group is very different from the other.

Most New Testament scholars regard Paul's epistles known briefly as Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians to be the only genuine epistles in the Bible. The Epistle to Philemon was written to a Christian slave-owner on behalf of an escaped slave whom Paul was sending back to his master. The remaining epistles in this group were written to Christian communities as communications to exhort, praise and criticise as necessary.

Readers are surprised to discover that the great majority of the New Testament epistles were not written by the persons to whom they have been attributed and were therefore also not written to the supposed recipients. It had become the practice to write in the name of a long-dead apostle, because the message of the epistle would be more readily accepted if it was believed to have been written by one of the apostles. In each case, they were intended to direct Christians generally as to proper conduct or belief, according to the real author. The generally recognised pseudo-Pauline epistles are Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus. The other pseudepigraphical epistles are James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Jude.

The book known as the Epistle to the Hebrews is anonymous and so should not be regarded as pseudepigraphical, except to the extent that at one time it was erroneously attributed to the Apostle Paul. Its purpose is unclear. It may have been a sermon, or it may have been intended as a primitive gospel.

Another perspective:

The overall purpose of the epistles is the same as the purpose for all scripture: to provide "doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). By this provision, the Bible gives its devoted student everything s/he needs to know to be "pleasing to God" (the meaning of "righteous"). It should be noted that light or skeptical reading or "study" won't do, though; the Bible must be viewed through humble eyes to be of any true benefit.

More specifically, the New Testament epistles expound upon what was then the "new" gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ by more fully revealing God's eternal purpose in general, specifically the expedience of Christ's sacrifice in the plan of salvation, God's call through that sacrifice, and man's proper response to it. In so doing, these inspired letters go into great detail on Christ's true church and the spiritual comportment of its members. It must be noted that the epistles - without exception - were written to those who had already believed and obeyed the gospel of Christ. For this reason, much of what is said about "being saved" in the epistles does not and can not apply to anyone who has not also obeyed the gospel just as the original recipients had. Also without exception, their obedience had included being baptized, which is a major theme that runs throughout the epistles. Christ's church is fully realized and explained in the letters, and its members are educated, reprimanded, and encouraged.

Answer 2

The Epistle to the Ephesians was not actually written to the Ephesians, but was an encyclical to the Church as a whole. In contrast to Paul's own use of the term church (ekklesia, congregation), which he used only to refer to a local congregation, the author of Ephesians used the term in the singular to refer to the universal Church, and the opening address to the Ephesians is probably a late addition. Ephesians is supposedly addressed to a community of only Gentile Christians, but scholars doubts whether such a community yet existed in Pauline times.

The Epistle to the Ephesians copied much material from the pseudo-Pauline letter to the Colossians, which was in turn written sometime during the 70s.

Answer 3

A:Paul is believed to have written seven of the thirteen epistles attributed to him: Romans, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Philippians and Philemon. Apart from Philemon, the remainder were written to help and encourage churches with which Paul communicated. In Philemon, Paul was interceding on behalf of an escaped slave who had become a Christian.

There are also other epistles attributed to James, John, Jude and Peter, although it is unlikely that any of them was actually written by the apostle to whom they are attributed. These were written as encyclicals to the Church as a whole, not to individual communities:

• There is some uncertainty as the when James was written, so it is possible that the apostle James or James the brother of Jesus wrote it, except that it only mentions Jesus twice, in places where the reference could have been a later interpolation. The author identifies himself as a servant of God, whereas to tell us that he was an apostle or the brother of Jesus would have assisted enormously in having his message accepted. Also, the author seems never to have met Jesus.
• The three epistles now attributed to John appear to have been written in the second century, some time after the gospel also attributed to John later in the second century. The first of these seems to have been written as a result of a split in the Johannine community and rails against those who took a different path.
• Jude, 1 Peter and 2 Peter are collectively known as the Petrine epistles because they are so similar. In fact, 2 Peter copied almost all of Jude, which can readily be identified as a second-century epistle. The author of 1 Peter seems to be a different person to the author of 2 Peter.

Answer 4

The Apostles wrote the Epistles to provide guidance, instruction, and encouragement to the early Christian communities. Their letters addressed specific issues, answered questions, and reinforced key Christian teachings. The Epistles also served to strengthen the faith of believers and promote unity within the church.