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The apostolic letters. The New
Testament contains twenty-one in all. They are divided into two classes.
. Paul's Epistles, fourteen
in number, including Hebrews. These are not arranged in the New
Testament in the order of time as to their composition, but rather
according to the rank of the cities or places to which they were sent.
Who arranged them after this manner is unknown. Paul's letters were, as
a rule, dictated to an amanuensis, a fact which accounts for some of
their peculiarities. He authenticated them, however, by adding a few
words in his own hand at the close.
. The epistles to Timothy and
Titus are styled the Pastoral Epistles.
· The Catholic or General
Epistles, so called because they are not addressed to any particular
church or city or individual, but to Christians in general, or to
Christians in several countries. Of these, three are written by John,
two by Peter, and one each by James and Jude.
It is an interesting and
instructive fact that a large portion of the New Testament is taken up
with epistles. The doctrines of Christianity are thus not set forth in
any formal treatise, but mainly in a collection of letters.
"Christianity was the first great missionary religion. It was the first
to break the bonds of race and aim at embracing all mankind. But this
necessarily involved a change in the mode in which it was presented. The
prophet of the Old Testament, if he had anything to communicate, either
appeared in person or sent messengers to speak for him by word of mouth.
The narrow limits of Palestine made direct personal communication easy.
But the case was different when the Christian Church came to consist of
a number of scattered parts, stretching from Mesopotamia in the east to
Rome or even Spain in the far west. It was only natural that the apostle
by whom the greater number of these communities had been founded should
seek to communicate with them by letter."
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