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David Battle
Pauline Epistles:
Commonly Accepted
Romans 1 & 2 Corinthians Galatians Philippians 1 Thessalonians Philemon
Commonly Rejected
Debated
Ephesians Colossians 2 Thessalonians
Pauline Epistles:
Ancient Consensus
The Early Church and the Church Fathers only question whether Hebrews was written by Paul.
The content of Hebrews is conceptually similar to Paul in both message and theme. The book gives no claim to authorship. The writer of the books seems to be associated with Paul.
Pauline Epistles
The Early Church and Pseudonymity
The test of apostolicity caused many books to be rejected. Pseudonymous works were rejected.
Turtullian reports of a Bishop who was removed form office because he wrote Acts of Paul and Thecla. Serapion (A.D. 180), the Bishop of Antioch, rejected The Gospel of Peter because it was written pseudonymously.
Pauline Epistles:
The Psudopigrapha are known as a collection of rejected works. Many works of great Church Fathers were also kept from the canon.
Clement (c. A.D. 110) Ignatius (c. A.D. 117) Polycarp (d. A.D. 155)
During Pauls First Imprisonment: Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians (Acts 21:17-28:31) Around Pauls Second Imprisonment: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus
Epistolary Literature
Epistolary Form
Epistolary literature follows a basic from.
Opening
Sender, Recipient, Salutations, and Prayer
Body
Longest part
Closing
Travel plans, Greetings, Benediction, Autograph
Epistolary Form
Body
Longest part
Closing
Travel plans, Greetings, Benediction, Autograph
Epistolary Literature
When reading Epistles
Look for clues to the situation that is being addressed. Look for major themes that pull together the various topics. Think in terms of paragraphs not single verses.