Letters of St. Paul

In addition to the Acts of the Apostles, the letters of St. Paul are another essential source for understanding his apostolic mission and, by extension, his personality and theological insights. These letters provide a more personal and immediate account of his ministry, offering insight into his relationship with the early Christian communities he helped establish. Written around the same time as the events they describe, these letters complement the more condensed narrative of Acts and help fill in the gaps in our knowledge about his travels and teachings. As the earliest works of the New Testament, they are invaluable to our understanding of early Christianity.

St. Paul’s surviving correspondence forms a relatively small but significant collection of writings. These include nine letters addressed to specific Christian communities, one private letter (Philemon), and three pastoral letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus) aimed at his close associates. Among these, three letters—Galatians, Colossians, and Ephesians—are addressed to churches in Anatolia. While scholarly opinion is divided on the authenticity of the latter two, Galatians is universally recognized as genuine. It’s important to note that the letters and Acts seem to be independent of each other, despite the fact that the letters existed during the time Acts was written.

St. Paul viewed himself as responsible not just for the churches he personally founded but also for all the churches he was familiar with (2 Corinthians 11:28). He maintained a correspondence with these communities, which may have also included visits, ensuring that they remained faithful to the teachings of Christ. During this period, aside from the military postal system, people had to rely on travelers to carry messages to distant locations. In the Roman Empire, particularly during times of relative peace, such opportunities for communication were abundant, allowing Paul to maintain his far-reaching correspondence.

St. Paul wrote his letters in Koine Greek, the common language of the Hellenistic world, which had been spread by the conquests of Alexander the Great and continued to be the lingua franca across the Roman Empire. Though Paul’s Greek was functional, it was not as polished as the more refined style of St. Luke, the author of Acts. Like many of his contemporaries, Paul would have dictated his letters to professional scribes who were skilled in writing.

Paul himself noted that forgeries of his letters were circulating, which is why, in some of his letters, he emphasized his personal signature to authenticate his writings (2 Thessalonians 3:17). His reference to the large script he used in Galatians 6:11 is often mistakenly interpreted as evidence of poor eyesight, but in reality, it was a deliberate measure to ensure the authenticity of his communication. This practice further highlights the challenges Paul faced in protecting the integrity of his messages and combating false teachings that threatened the early Christian communities.