546 Read the Bible for Yourself 13: How to Read the Church Epistles Restitutio

This is part 13 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
Before getting to the Church Epistles, we'll begin with an overview of how letters were written, read, and performed. Then we'll see how they are arranged in our Bibles. We'll spend a good deal of time talking about occasion. Why did Paul write each letter? What was going on that prompted him to initiate the expensive and elaborate process of writing to them? Lastly, we'll briefly consider how to apply what we read to our lives.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg3tInZU9JY&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=13&pp=iAQB
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
Letters in the First Century

Letters written on papyrus with ink by a professional scribe (amanuensis)
Though most letters that have survived from the ancient world were short and to the point, Paul’s Epistles are extremely long.
Because there was no postal system, someone had to carry the letter to its destination.
Upon arrival, most people couldn’t read, so a professional would need to read it aloud.
This was difficult because there were no chapters, verses, paragraphs, punctuation, or spaces between words (scriptio continua).





Name


Greek Words


English Words


Verses


Chapters




Romans


7113


9506


432


16




1 Corinthians


6832


9532


437


16




2 Corinthians


4480


6160


257


13




Galatians


2232


3227


149


6




Ephesians


2424


3047


155


6




Philippians


1631


2261


104


4




Colossians


1583


1993


95


4




1 Thessalonians


1484


1908


89


5




2 Thessalonians


826


1065


47


3




Church Epistles in Chronological Order

Galatians 48
1 Thessalonians 49-51
2 Thessalonians 49-51
1 Corinthians 53-55
2 Corinthians 53-55
Romans 57
Philippians 62
Colossians 62
Ephesians 62

Developing Your Knowledge of the Greco-Roman World

Get background books like The World of the New Testament by Green and McDonald and Zondervan’s Illustrated Bible Background Commentary by Clinton Arnold.
Read the literature that has survived. Hundreds of volumes are available in the Loeb Classical Library.
Learn about archeology in the Mediterranean world around the time of Christ (Biblical Archeological Review).
Take a tour to visit the sites in Greece and Turkey (Spirit and Truth International).
Study the geography of the region on maps that show the correct place names for the first century.

Deciphering the Occasion

Each letter arose out of a specific circumstance. What was going on among the Christians in that city that caused Paul to write?
Galatians: Judaizers had visited churches Paul founded, telling people they needed to follow the law of Moses.
1 Corinthians: Chloe sent word of divisions in Corinth; Paul also received a letter asking specific questions.
2 Corinthians: false teachers had ensconced themselves in Corinth who criticized and undermined Paul.
Philippians: Epaphroditus brought Paul financial assistance from Philippi.

Reading the Church Epistles

The first time through, just get your bearings. Read for scope.
What’s going on in that church? What’s going on in that city? What