EPISTLE
T
he word “epistle” means letter. It’s written to specific individuals or groups as a formal treatise or for purposes such as answering questions, resolving problems, and encouragement. The fact that the New Testament is so largely composed of letters distinguishes it from all other sacred writings of the world. With the exception of the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation, the New Testament is epistle. This literary type is important to understand because we derive most of our biblical doctrine from the epistles and they decipher much of the Old Testament and Gospels. Interpreting Epistles First, read an epistle like you would any letter, in one sitting. Interpret the words literally and pay close attention to understand the recipient(s), the author’s flow of logic, terms, tone, and clues to the specific occasion and issues. Biblical epistles followed a format common in ancient Greco-Roman letters: 1. Opening salutation containing writer's name, the recipient's name, and a greeting
2. A prayer, blessing, or thanksgiving 3. The body of the letter (what the sender wanted to say that occasioned the letter) 4. Final greeting and farewell Not every epistle will include all four of these characteristics—and missing elements may be significant! For example, in Galatians 1:1–6 Paul changes the format and omits prayer, thanksgiving, and blessing. This helps underscore and communicate his distress over the actions of the Galatian church members. Next, ask questions. Reading these letters is like listening to one end of a phone conversation. We read Paul’s answers and now need to figure out the questions and issues involved. Who wrote the passage? Who is speaking? Who is the audience? What does the passage say? What is the main subject? What is the immediate context? What is the overall idea the author is writing about? When was it written? When do the events occur? Paying attention to verb tenses helps here.
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by steve johnson
