Introduction to the first letter of Peter The 60th book of the Bible, the 21st in the New Testament The recipients mentioned in 1 Peter are located in western, central, and northern Asia Minor (modern-day Anatolia in Turkey).The letter primarily addresses Messianic Jews (keyword: Diaspora in chapter 1, verse 1), though it also specifically addresses…
Introduction to the letter of James The 59th book of the Bible, the 20th in the New Testament The Epistle of James also differs from the other epistles in the New Testament.There are no personal greetings at the end, and the sections do not flow into one another; rather, they are individual topics strung together….
Introduction to the letter to the Hebrews The 58th book of the Bible, the 19th in the New Testament The Epistle to the Hebrews is special in several ways.The title “To the Hebrews” is not part of the book itself; it was likely chosen in the 2nd century because of the text’s extensive references to…
Introduction to the letter to Philemon The 57th book of the Bible, the 18th in the New Testament The Epistle to Philemon is Paul’s only personal letter and also the shortest letter in the New Testament. In this letter, the apostle asks Philemon to forgive his slave Onesimus and to welcome him as a brother….
Introduction to the letter to Titus The 56th book of the Bible, the 17th in the New Testament Along with 1 and 2 Timothy, the Epistle to Titus is one of the so-called Pastoral Epistles.The Epistle to Titus is addressed to a close associate of Paul, who had already accompanied him to the Council of…
Introduction to the second letter to Timothy The 55th book of the Bible, the 16th in the New Testament The Second Letter to Timothy, like the First Letter to Timothy and the Letter to Titus, is one of the Pastoral Epistles, in which Paul offers much instruction to church leaders. Nevertheless, it differs from the…
Introduction to the first letter to Timothy The 54th book of the Bible, the 15th in the New Testament Like the Epistle to Titus, the two Epistles to Timothy are among the Pastoral Epistles that Paul wrote toward the end of his life, in which he provides guidance on church life and, in particular, on…
Introduction to the second letter to the Thessalonians The 53rd book of the Bible, the 14th in the New Testament In terms of subject matter, it is similar to the first letter to the Thessalonians. It was written not long after that, presumably in the same year, and also from Corinth. First, Paul offers comfort…
Introduction to the first letter to the Thessalonians The 52nd book of the Bible, the 13th in the New Testament Thessalonica, now known as Thessaloniki, was an important trading city in northern Greece and also the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. Paul visited the city on his second journey and spent several months…
Introduction to the letter to the Colossians The 51st book of the Bible, the 12th in the New Testament In this letter, Paul writes to a church that was not founded by him personally, but by Epaphras, one of his disciples.Epaphras delivered this letter, along with the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to…