Paul the Letter-Writer
His World, His Options, His Skills
Published on 1. January 1994
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-0-8146-5845-1 (ISBN)
Description
Paul's letters are intensely human documents. In the examination of such basic human questions as What did he write the letters with?" "Did he use a secretary to record them?" and "What was his personal writing style?" much real information can be gathered regarding his thought without intimidating the average reader.
Scholar Jerome Murphy-O'Connor has put together such a work, one that, tapping into his knowledge of classical Greek and Latin writings, addresses the physical nature of a first-century letter as well as the actual composition, presentation, and question of authorship collaborative or other of the Pauline letters. The formal features of the letters and their organization show the extent to which Paul adapted current epistolary conventions. At the same time, they draw attention to his mood while writing and his relationship with the recipients. Father Murphy-O'Connor also investigates the question of how these letters, written to widely scattered churches, were brought together to form the Pauline canon.
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, OP (1935-2013), was a professor of New Testament at the famous Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem since 1967. A frequent lecturer in summer sessions in the United States, he had written widely on Paul's life and theology. In addition to his 1 Corinthians and Becoming Human Together: The Pastoral Anthropology of St.Paul, The Liturgical Press has published his St. Paul's Corinth: Texts and Archaeology, which does for Corinth what this book does for the Pauline letters: reveal their character.
Scholar Jerome Murphy-O'Connor has put together such a work, one that, tapping into his knowledge of classical Greek and Latin writings, addresses the physical nature of a first-century letter as well as the actual composition, presentation, and question of authorship collaborative or other of the Pauline letters. The formal features of the letters and their organization show the extent to which Paul adapted current epistolary conventions. At the same time, they draw attention to his mood while writing and his relationship with the recipients. Father Murphy-O'Connor also investigates the question of how these letters, written to widely scattered churches, were brought together to form the Pauline canon.
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, OP (1935-2013), was a professor of New Testament at the famous Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem since 1967. A frequent lecturer in summer sessions in the United States, he had written widely on Paul's life and theology. In addition to his 1 Corinthians and Becoming Human Together: The Pastoral Anthropology of St.Paul, The Liturgical Press has published his St. Paul's Corinth: Texts and Archaeology, which does for Corinth what this book does for the Pauline letters: reveal their character.
Reviews / Votes
This book is packed with useful information and challenging new proposals that should be carefully considered by scholars.Journal of Biblical Literature This book will be a standard for decades.The Theological Educator Readers interested in Paul will love this book.The Bible TodayMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Collegeville, MN
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
216 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8146-5845-1 (9780814658451)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (1935-2013), was one of the world's foremost authorities on the writings of Saint Paul of Tarsus. He had been a professor of New Testament at the Ecole Biblique of Jerusalem since 1967. He was the author of numerous works, including St. Paul's Ephesus, St. Paul's Corinth, and Paul the Letter-Writer, all published by Liturgical Press.
Content
Contents
Introduction vii
1. Putting Pen to Paper 1
The Tools of a Writer's Trade 1
Paul Used a Secretary 6
First-Century Secretaries and Their Skills 8
Recorder 8
Editor 13
Substitute Author 14
Collaborators as Coauthors 16
1 and 2 Thessalonians 19
First Corinthians 20
Second Corinthians 24
The "I" Sections 27
The "W" Sections 28
2 Cor 10-13 30
Other Letters 31
Coauthorship in Practice 33
A Pauline Style? 34
Note-Takers and Church Tradition 35
Sending a Letter 37
2. Organizing a Letter 42
Letters or Epistles? 42
Address 45
Sender 45
Recipient 49
To A Church 50
To the Members of a Church 51
To Individuals 52
Opening Greeting 53
Thanksgiving 55
Greek Papyrus Letters 56
The Form of the Thanksgiving 57
Thanksgivings in the Body of the Letter 59
The Absence of a Thanksgiving 60
Thanksgivings as Introductions 62
The Body of the Letter 64
Rhetorical Criticism of Letters 65
The Three Types of Oratory 65
The Rhetorical Classification of the Pauline Letters 69
The Components of a Deliberative Speech 71
Exordium 73
Narratio 73
Digressio 74
Propositio 74
Confirmatio 74
Peraoratio 77
The Rhetorical Schema Applied to the Pauline Letters 77
Misuse of the Rhetorical Schema 79
The Importance of the Propositio 83
Chiasm and Concentric Composition 86
Concentrically Structured Documents 88
Concentrically Structured Parts of Documents 90
Epistolary Classification of Letters 95
Conclusion 98
The Final Blessing 99
Greetings 102
The Position of the Greeting 103
The Source of the Greeting 104
The Recipients of the Greeting 106
Greeting with the Kiss 108
The Peace Wish 109
Postscripts 110
3. Collecting the Letters 114
The Evolutionary Theory 114
The Big Bang Theory 116
Was Paul Involved? 118
The Order and Length of the Letters 120
The Length of the Letters 120
The Order of the Letters 122
Creating the Collection 126
Collection A 127
Collection B 128
Collections A and B 129
Collection C 129
Abbreviations 131
Bibliography 134
Indices
Classical Literature 145
New Testament 147
Subjects 149
Introduction vii
1. Putting Pen to Paper 1
The Tools of a Writer's Trade 1
Paul Used a Secretary 6
First-Century Secretaries and Their Skills 8
Recorder 8
Editor 13
Substitute Author 14
Collaborators as Coauthors 16
1 and 2 Thessalonians 19
First Corinthians 20
Second Corinthians 24
The "I" Sections 27
The "W" Sections 28
2 Cor 10-13 30
Other Letters 31
Coauthorship in Practice 33
A Pauline Style? 34
Note-Takers and Church Tradition 35
Sending a Letter 37
2. Organizing a Letter 42
Letters or Epistles? 42
Address 45
Sender 45
Recipient 49
To A Church 50
To the Members of a Church 51
To Individuals 52
Opening Greeting 53
Thanksgiving 55
Greek Papyrus Letters 56
The Form of the Thanksgiving 57
Thanksgivings in the Body of the Letter 59
The Absence of a Thanksgiving 60
Thanksgivings as Introductions 62
The Body of the Letter 64
Rhetorical Criticism of Letters 65
The Three Types of Oratory 65
The Rhetorical Classification of the Pauline Letters 69
The Components of a Deliberative Speech 71
Exordium 73
Narratio 73
Digressio 74
Propositio 74
Confirmatio 74
Peraoratio 77
The Rhetorical Schema Applied to the Pauline Letters 77
Misuse of the Rhetorical Schema 79
The Importance of the Propositio 83
Chiasm and Concentric Composition 86
Concentrically Structured Documents 88
Concentrically Structured Parts of Documents 90
Epistolary Classification of Letters 95
Conclusion 98
The Final Blessing 99
Greetings 102
The Position of the Greeting 103
The Source of the Greeting 104
The Recipients of the Greeting 106
Greeting with the Kiss 108
The Peace Wish 109
Postscripts 110
3. Collecting the Letters 114
The Evolutionary Theory 114
The Big Bang Theory 116
Was Paul Involved? 118
The Order and Length of the Letters 120
The Length of the Letters 120
The Order of the Letters 122
Creating the Collection 126
Collection A 127
Collection B 128
Collections A and B 129
Collection C 129
Abbreviations 131
Bibliography 134
Indices
Classical Literature 145
New Testament 147
Subjects 149