Opening Paul's Letters: A Reader’s Guide to Genre and Interpretation

It is sometimes easy to forget that the books of the Bible are not really "books" at all but individual documents composed in a wide array of literary genres. This clear, concise, and accessible text on the Pauline Letters orients beginning students to the genre in which Paul writes. The book compares and contrasts Paul's letters with ancient and modern letters, revealing the distinctive conventions, forms, and purposes of Paul's Epistles. It focuses on the literary genre of the letter in ancient Greece and Rome, providing an overview of subjects, strategies, and concerns of immediate relevance for readers who wish to understand Paul in his ancient context. Discussion questions and sidebars are included.

• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Paul's Cultural Contexts
• 2. Letter Genres
• 3. How Paul Writes: Organizing a Letter and Making an Argument
• 4. Paul's Audiences
• 5. How Paul Reads the Old Testament
• 6. Pseudonymity: Did Paul Write Paul's Letters?
• Epilogue: Beyond Paul
• Appendix 1: Dating Paul's Letters
• Appendix 2: Defining Authorship
• Indexes