What are Epistles?

This is entry #139 of 150 from my book, Sunday School Catch-Up, available onAmazon! Letters written by leaders in the first century church, spanning from Romans to Jude in the New Testament layout. These letters were authored by Paul, James (most likely the brother of Jesus), Peter, John the apostle, Jude the brother of Jesus, and perhaps one other person. (Tradition holds Paul as the author of Hebrews but, unlike his other letters, the author is not identified in the text, and some verses may indicate he was not involved. Though a long-debated issue, it is not possible to know for certain who wrote the book and it does not change its standing in the canon.) The letters are not ordered chronologically. Instead, Paul's letters come first and are divided into letters to churches and letters to individuals and are further ordered by length. Due to its authorial ambiguity, Hebrews is placed at the end of the confirmed Pauline letters and before the rest (known as the General Epistles). The remaining letters of James through Jude are also arranged by a combination of length and author. (For example, 1 John is longer than Jude so it comes first, and 2 and 3 John also precede Jude since they are connected to 1 John by authorship.) Share Subscribe now