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.
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.
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.
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:
No, the Book of Acts was written after the Epistles in the New Testament. The Epistles were letters written by various apostles to early Christian communities, while Acts is a historical account of the early Christian church written by Luke.
Yes, he was.
The New Testament is divided into five main sections: the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), Acts of the Apostles, Pauline Epistles (letters written by Paul), General Epistles (letters written by other apostles), and Revelation. Each section covers different aspects of Christianity, from the life and teachings of Jesus to the early church's development and teachings.
The New Testament is divided into five main sections: the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles (letters written by various authors), the Book of Revelation, and the Book of Hebrews.
The New Testament is divided into the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles (letters), and Revelation. These sections collectively provide teachings, narratives, and guidance for Christians based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
A:The New Testament epistles are named for the apostles in whose names they were written or the apostles the second-century Church Fathers believed to have written them. The apostles are: Paul, James, Peter, John and Jude. The apostle Paul certainly wrote some of the epistles named for him, but scholars believe that the other epistles were all written pseudepigraphically, not by the apostles whose names they now bear.
Epistles
Based on events portrayed in Acts of the Apostles, Paul's epistles are traditionally thought to have been written between 48 and 62 CE. However, the text of Paul's own epistles suggests that some of his epistles might have been written somewhat earlier - between 44 and 48 CE.
* The Gospels* The Acts of the Apostles* The Letters* The book of Revelation
The Acts of the Apostles which details the history of the early church is between the Gospel accounts and the epistles.
AnswerApart from what can be discovered from Paul's epistles and Acts of the Apostles, we know nothing about the fates of the apostles. It was almost as if they never really existed, so it is no wonder that future generations of Christians created elaborate stories around the persecution and martyrdom of each of the apostles. However, there is no good reason to believe that the apostles were really persecuted or demonised.
Donald Guthrie has written: 'Pastoral Epistles (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)' 'Kommentar zur Bibel. AT und NT in einem Band' 'The apostles' -- subject(s): Apostles, Bible, History of Biblical events 'Jesus the Messiah' -- subject(s): Biography 'Apostles, The' 'Guthrie New Testament Reference Set' 'The Epistle to the Hebrews (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)' 'New Testament introduction; the Pauline Epistles' -- subject(s): Introductions, Bible 'New Testament introduction' -- subject(s): Introductions, Bible 'The Pastoral Epistles'
Most of the books of the New Testament were written by apostles or other disciples of Jesus Christ. Matthew the apostle wrote a gospel. John the apostle wrote a gospel, three epistles and Revelation. Peter the apostle wrote two epistles, although recent scholarship has indicated that "2 Peter" was written many decades after his death by a follower. James and Jude each wrote an epistle, but they are probably not the two apostles by those names but two others known as brothers of the Lord. Mark, a follower of Peter, wrote a gospel. Luke, a follower of Paul, wrote a gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Paul, an apostle but not one of the twelve who followed Jesus Christ during his public life, wrote 13 epistles. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is unknown.
He did not "write" it but spoke it when the apostles asked him how they should pray.
Paul himself, in his epistles, never mentioned his birthplace. The Acts of the Apostles, written some decades later, has Paul say that he was from Tarsus.
No way! they DID NOT WRITE the BIBLEI think the apostles wrote the New Testament!!!
The New Testament is divided into five main sections: the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles (letters written by various authors), the Book of Revelation, and the Book of Hebrews.