What are the Epistles?
The Epistles are a group of letters written to Christians during the early years of the church.
Written by Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude, they total twenty one books in the New Testament.
Some are named after the people in the town they were sent to.
These include Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians..
Some are named after the person or people they were sent to.
These include 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews.
The rest were named after the person who wrote them.
These include James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.
The author of each Epistle is known except for Hebrews.
No one knows for sure who wrote Hebrews.
Most of the Epistles were written to specific churches or people.
Some discussed the specific struggle that particular congregation or person was dealing with as a result of outside situations.
Some addressed conflict within a congregation.
Some offered encouragement within the face of religious persecution and injustice.
Others dealt with false doctrine and the importance of following Jesus’ teaching, not man’s.