The letters of Paul are the earliest Christian documents in existence. Seven of them are accepted by nearly all critical scholars as written by Paul himself. They were written AD 48–62, within twenty to thirty years of the crucifixion, and they are our window into the first generation of the church.
Reading Paul well requires understanding what kind of document you are reading. These are not theological treatises. They are letters — occasional documents written to specific communities in specific situations, addressing specific problems.
The Seven Undisputed Letters
Seven letters are accepted by nearly all critical scholars as written by Paul. These are sometimes called the “undisputed” or “authentic” Pauline letters.
The Seven Letters
The other letters attributed to Paul — Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, and Titus — are debated. Some scholars accept all of them as Pauline. Some accept only some. Most scholars regard the Pastorals (1–2 Timothy and Titus) as written by a later follower of Paul, using his name and preserving his teaching.
The Genre: The Ancient Letter
Paul’s letters follow the standard form of Greek and Roman letter-writing: a greeting, a thanksgiving or blessing, the body of the letter, and a closing with personal greetings. Paul adapted the form: his greetings were longer than typical, and his thanksgivings often introduced the theological themes of the letter.
But Paul did not write the letters as literature. He wrote them to be read aloud to communities of Christians who had specific questions and specific problems. This is why the letters can seem abrupt, digressive, or unclear to modern readers — we are reading one side of a conversation, without access to the other side.
How to Read Paul
Reading Suggestions
What to Look For
In the letters, look for:
- Earliest materialPaul preserves earlier traditions: the creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7, the words of institution in 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, and the hymn in Philippians 2:6–11.
- Personal detailsPaul’s letters contain specific details about his journeys, his co-workers, and the churches he founded. These details can be checked against Acts and against the historical record.
- The gospel claimPaul’s central claim is always the same: Jesus died for sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to witnesses. He summarizes it in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7 as a tradition he received.
- His own transformationPaul never stops being amazed that he, the persecutor, became the apostle. His conversion is his constant reference point.
Why Paul Matters
Paul’s letters are the earliest Christian documents in existence. They are the closest thing we have to a firsthand account of what the first Christians believed and how they lived. They also preserve the earliest Christian creed, dated to within 3–5 years of the crucifixion — far too early for legend to have replaced the original story.
Understanding Paul as a letter-writer, addressing specific situations in specific communities, opens his letters to modern readers in a way that reading them as theological essays cannot. He was writing to real people, about real problems, in real places. And in the middle of those letters is the claim that changed the world.
