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Letters of Paul (epistles)
c. AD 50–60; 7 undisputed· Book of the Bible· Books & writings
Mostly agreed by scholarsMost historians agree; some details uncertain.
Thirteen New Testament letters bear Paul's name, written to churches and coworkers about AD 50–60; scholars agree he wrote at least seven.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Paul wrote to churches he had founded or planned to visit, answering their questions and quarrels: food offered to idols, disorder at communion, marriage, the resurrection of the dead. He usually dictated to a scribe and added a line in his own hand (Galatians 6:11). The Bible orders them by length, Romans first, not by date. 1 Thessalonians, about AD 50, is probably the oldest surviving Christian writing.
Why it matters
They are the earliest Christian documents, written before the Gospels, and the main source of core doctrines: grace, faith, the church as Christ's body, and the meaning of Jesus' death.
Sources and history
Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon are undisputed. A papyrus book of the letters (P46) dates to about AD 200, and Clement of Rome cited 1 Corinthians around AD 96.
Questions and debates
Whether Paul wrote Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians and the Pastoral letters (1–2 Timothy, Titus) is debated; many scholars think followers wrote them in his name.
Inside this (1)
Connections (4)
▸Paul the Apostle wrote Letters of Paul (epistles)Historical record
The connection
Paul kept in touch with distant churches by letter, carried by coworkers like Timothy and Phoebe. He wrote to solve problems: the Galatians turning to circumcision, factions at Corinth, Thessalonians grieving their dead. Even critics admitted 'his letters are weighty and strong' (2 Corinthians 10:10).
When and where
Written about AD 50–60 from Corinth, Ephesus and prison, to churches in Greece, Asia Minor, Galatia and Rome.
Historical evidence
Seven letters are almost universally accepted as his on grounds of style, vocabulary and fit with his life; 2 Peter 3:15–16 already knows a collection of them.
Questions and debates
Six letters bearing his name are disputed. Hebrews, long credited to him in the East, almost certainly is not his. Some letters, like 2 Corinthians, may combine several notes.
▸Letters of Paul (epistles) include Letter to the RomansHistorical record
The connection
Romans stands first among Paul's 13 letters because it is the longest, about 7,100 Greek words. Unlike most of them, it goes to a church he did not found, so it sets out his message systematically rather than fixing local problems.
When and where
Written from Corinth about AD 57 and carried to Rome, probably by Phoebe, a deacon of the nearby port of Cenchreae (Romans 16:1–2).
Historical evidence
Its authorship is universally accepted; style and themes match Galatians and Corinthians. Romans 16:22 even names the scribe, Tertius, who wrote it down.
Questions and debates
Some early manuscripts end at chapter 14 or 15, or put the closing blessing elsewhere, suggesting the letter circulated in more than one form.
▸Letters of Paul (epistles) make up nearly half of The New TestamentHistorical record
The connection
Thirteen of the New Testament's 27 books bear Paul's name, fourteen if Hebrews is counted, as it long was. By length they are only about a quarter of the text, but their ideas on grace, faith and the church shape the whole.
When and where
Collected by about AD 100: 2 Peter 3:16 refers to 'all his letters', and Marcion's scripture (about 140) included ten of them.
Historical evidence
Early manuscripts such as P46 (about AD 200) contain the letters together, showing they circulated as a set.
Questions and debates
Who first collected Paul's letters, and when, is unknown; one theory credits Onesimus, the runaway slave of Philemon, possibly later bishop of Ephesus.
▸Letters of Paul (epistles) give the earliest written testimony to Resurrection of Jesus (Easter)Historical record
The connection
In 1 Corinthians 15, written about AD 54, Paul passes on a creed he had 'received': Christ died, was buried, was raised on the third day, then appeared to Peter, the Twelve, more than 500, James and finally Paul. This predates any Gospel by 15 years or more.
When and where
Written from Ephesus about AD 54 to the church at Corinth; the creed itself probably goes back to the 30s.
Historical evidence
Nearly all scholars accept 1 Corinthians as Paul's; its wording ('received', 'delivered') marks an older formula, perhaps learned in Jerusalem about AD 36.
Questions and debates
Paul does not explicitly mention an empty tomb and lists his own vision alongside the others; whether he meant a physical or a 'spiritual body' (15:44) is debated.