Introduction to the Letters of the Apostle Paul

Paul was the only apostle who had not previously been one of Jesus‘ disciples.

On the contrary, he initially persecuted Jesus‘ followers with great zeal because he considered their belief that he was the Messiah of Israel to be a dangerous heresy. For him, this was a crime worthy of death, as his approval of the stoning of Stephen shows.

Paul belonged to the strictest religious group in Judaism, the Pharisees. He studied under Gamaliel, the most important Jewish rabbi of the first century. This makes him the only one of the apostles who could be described as a scholar of the Scriptures; today we would probably say that he was the only educated theologian.

Paul experienced his calling, through the risen Christ himself, on a journey to Damascus, the purpose of which was to suppress the proclamation of the Good News even abroad and to exterminate its messengers.

Paul received from Jesus a previously hidden revelation of God’s purpose for our present age of grace, the time between Jesus‘ ascension and his return in power and glory as Lord of lords, the Lion of Judah.

This plan of God consists of gathering a people of his own, consisting of Jews and all Gentile nations.

The bride of Jesus, the body of Christ, of which he himself is the head.

In his letters, Paul explains the gospel of grace to us in detail. The knowledge that our salvation, justification before God, and thus eternal life, comes solely from faith in the sacrificial death of his Son.
He further teaches us in his writings what the life of each individual person and the entire church should look like in order to bear witness to this faith.

The Pauline letters are often divided into ministerial letters, prison letters, and pastoral letters:

1. The “ministerial” letters

These were written during the early period of Paul’s ministry, between approximately 50 and 58 AD.

These letters include the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, the First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians, the Epistle to the Romans, and the Epistle to the Galatians.

They deal primarily with topics such as preaching God’s word to the Gentiles, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and, of course, practical matters such as the sanctification of one’s own life, as well as encouragement and exhortation to remain steadfast in the face of persecution.

2. The “Prison” Letters

Paul wrote these letters from his imprisonment in Rome between 60 and 62 AD.

They include the letters to the Philippians, the Colossians, the Ephesians, the private letter to Philemon, and, if it is from Paul, the letter to the Hebrews.

These letters are characterized by a high content of practical instruction.
In addition, a central theme is the false teachings that were conveyed by people belonging to Judaism and that demanded strict adherence to laws and regulations. Here Paul explains that the old covenant found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and established a new covenant for all peoples.
Another focus is the apostle’s comfort and encouragement to the churches to patiently hold fast to the Good News even in times of tribulation and persecution, because the coming reward will far exceed all present hardship and will wipe out all suffering.

The Pastoral Letters

The last letters written by the apostle toward the end of his life between 64 and 67 AD.
The Pastoral Letters got their name because they mainly contain specific instructions for leaders (Latin pastores, meaning shepherds).

They are addressed to his close former colleagues Timothy and Titus, who are now working as leaders in churches.
First came the first letter to Timothy, followed presumably by the one to Titus, and then, as probably the last of his letters, Paul wrote a second one to Timothy.

In these Pastoral Letters, Paul writes again in detail about the duties of a church leader, the organization within the churches, and protection against dangerous heresies such as Gnosticism (= knowledge/enlightment).