The New Testament In Its World – NT Wright and Mike Bird – Early Christian Letters & Hebrews

The New Testament can be divided up into three main sections. First, there is the evangelium, the four canonical gospels. Second, there is the Paulinium, the thirteen letters attributed to Paul, plus the epistle to the Hebrews (which sounded sufficiently Pauline to justify placing it there). Third, there is the apostolos, which normally includes the Acts of the Apostles and the Catholic Epistles, with the apocalypse of John often following after.

While these groupings make sense, we might want to tinker with them. First, although the Acts of the Apostles was normally grouped with the Catholic Epistles (in the manuscripts known as 74, 0166, 307, 945, 1409), it is not unknown for it to be joined to the four gospels (45, 53), especially since Luke-Acts comprises a narrative and theological unity. Second, despite the best efforts that went into imagining Paul as the author of Hebrews, it is not in fact Pauline, though it has some interesting similarities to his writing; so we think it best to place Hebrews among the Catholic Epistles. Third, while one might be inclined to create a distinctive Johannine corpus comprised of the gospel of John, the letters of John, and the apocalypse of John, we nevertheless think it best to keep these Johannine writings where they are, in order to ensure a more even distribution of the Johannine witness across the New Testament.

On top of that, while the apocalypse does not belong within the Catholic Epistles, its apocalyptic texture and prophetic message should not disguise the fact that it has the features of an encyclical epistle, composed to instruct and assure several congregations.2 Thus the apocalypse of John is a natural sequel to the Catholic Epistles. It forms a fitting end to the Christian Bible, with its vision of creation redeemed, renewed, and restored to its original purpose of worshipping God, and of the redeemed community summing up creation’s worship and reigning with God and the ‘lamb’ in the new heaven-and-earth reality. In our presentation, then, the Catholic Epistles include Hebrews, James and Jude, 1–2 Peter, and 1–3 John, with the apocalypse of John artificially attached to round off the New Testament canon.

In the ancient world, letter-writing was largely a substitute for personal presence. The Greek sophist Libanius wrote, ‘Now, it would be sweeter to be able to see each other, but neither is the second-best choice trivial, namely to send and to receive a letter’, and ‘When you look at my letter, think that you are looking at me.’3 There was a wide variety of ancient letters. The New Testament epistles mirror this variety. We can loosely suggest the following: a protreptic discourse in letter form (Romans), circular letters (Ephesians, 1 John), Diaspora letters (James, 1 Peter), a letter of commendation (Philemon; 3 John), a letter of rebuke (Galatians), a paraenetic letter (2 Peter), a letter of warning (Jude), and letters of friendship (Philippians; 2 John).

Christian letters are also similar to the general form of hellenistic letters with a greeting, thanksgiving, main body, and benediction. Yet, while some New Testament letters are of a comparable length to the mundane letters of family life and commerce (especially Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude), the New Testament letters are often much longer than most standard letters, conveying sermon-like content (for example Hebrews, James, 1 John), comprising theological treatises (for example Romans, Ephesians), or representing lengthy responses to complicated social situations (for example 1–2 Corinthians).

It seems clear that a significant number of early Christians were highly literary and quite bookish. This was partly inherited from Judaism, which had its own culture of sacred texts and other valued texts that led on from them. But it was also driven by frequent communications and exchanges between various Christian assemblies across the Roman empire. This propensity to share opinions and concerns is evident in the apostolic decree noted in Acts 15, in the Pauline correspondence, in the letters to seven churches in Revelation 2—3, and in somewhat later examples such as the letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, the letters of Ignatius, and the flurry of letters associated with the Quartodeciman controversy in the late second century.

Christians wrote letters to one another precisely because they were conscious of being a worldwide movement, one that crossed geographical and ethnic boundaries. They felt to some degree invested in, and even responsible for, other believers.4 The Catholic Epistles are part of this literary and social phenomenon, with letters composed to assemblies both near and far, to help sort out existing problems and to encourage fellow-pilgrims in their life of faith.

TABLE 29.1: EARLIEST COPIES OF THE CATHOLIC EPISTLES AND THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN*

Book	Siglum	Manuscript name	Date	Contents
Hebrews	46	P.Chester Beatty II	c. AD 200	1.1—9.16; 9.18—10.20, 22–30; 10.32—13.25
James	20 23	AM 4117 P.Oxy. 1171 P.Oxy 1229	3rd century 3rd century	2.19—3.9 1.10–12, 15–18
Jude	72	Bodmer VII-VII	3rd/4th century	complete
1 Peter	72	Bodmer VII-VII	3rd/4th century	complete
2 Peter	72	Bodmer VII-VII	3rd/4th century	complete
1 John	9	P.Oxy 402	3rd century	4.11–12, 14–16
2 John	B	Vaticanus	4th century	complete
3 John	B	Vaticanus	4th century	complete
Revelation	98	P.IFAO II 31	c. AD 200	1.13–20

* Hill and Kruger 2012.

In some surviving early manuscripts (see Table 29.1), the Catholic Epistles are usually headed with the designation ‘epistles’ or ‘catholic epistles’ with a further mention of James, Peter, John, and Jude as the authors.5 The Catholic Epistles are ‘catholic’ (Greek katholikē, meaning ‘according to the whole [world]’, coming into Latin as the loan-word catholicus) in the sense of being applicable to the universal church, that is, the church ‘catholic’.6 Strictly speaking, the Catholic Epistles are not general or encyclical letters; they are written to specific addressees, such as Jewish Christians in a rural setting (Jas. 2.1–7; 5.16), marginalized Christians in Asia Minor (1 Pet. 1.1), or specific leaders in Asian house-churches (2 Jn. 1; 3 Jn. 1). While Hebrews, 1 John, 2 Peter, and Jude are without explicit addressees, they are occasioned by a specific situation discernible in each letter. That said, these letters do exhibit a valuable blend of pastoral assurance and moral exhortation that transcends their original audiences. In particular, the sermonic and paraenetic character of Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, and 1 John certainly makes them conducive to a wide and ‘catholic’ readership.

THE CANONICAL FUNCTION OF THE CATHOLIC EPISTLES
There is a certain intra-canonical logic to the Catholic Epistles. For a start, the epistle to the Hebrews makes a good transition from the Pauline letters to the Catholic Epistles proper. Hebrews is a ‘word of exhortation’,7 one that is influenced by Pauline themes, perhaps even stemming from the Pauline circle, yet the argument and imagery proceeds in a direction that is quite unlike anything Paul himself ever wrote. Hebrews is thus an effective bridge between the Pauline and catholic collections. When the New Testament is seen as a whole, it reminds readers that the two letter-collections are interdependent.8 James is something of a rehearsal of Jesus’ teachings, particularly about caring for the poor; the letter lays out a clear and practical mode of discipleship. James is an important warning against reducing Christian faith to the cerebral and creedal realms: faith without works is dead. Jude affirms the confessional and the practical. The letter insists on the importance of contending for a common and holy faith, warning against licentiousness and urging readers to keep themselves in God’s love. The two Petrine letters describe the church as a redeemed and royal people, which must live up to the high vocation required by its election and calling. Although Jesus’ followers face harassment and persecution, they know that Christ has died for them, he has left them an example, and in the fullness of God’s time he will return to complete the work of new creation. The Johannine letters are principally about the continued witness to the Word and the legacy of love in the churches. According to John the elder (if he is indeed the author), following Jesus means walking in the light, loving one another, and spurning the world and its antichrists. Love confronts error with the light of truth.

Another function of the Catholic Epistles is to present a comprehensive witness to Jesus and an exhortation to discipleship beyond that which was expressed in the Pauline corpus. These letters stem from the Jerusalem ‘pillars’ of James (the brother of Jesus), Peter, and John (see Gal. 2.9) and another relative of Jesus (Judah, normally known by his anglicized version ‘Jude’). The Catholic Epistles remind us, then, that Paul is not, so to speak, the only apostolic show on tour. Although Paul was very careful to marry the assurance of the gospel with the necessity of moral transformation (see for example Rom. 6.1–23; 8.1–11; Gal. 5.6; Eph. 2.10), he himself was quite aware that he was open to the accusation of fostering antinomianism or inadvertently promoting a kind of lukewarm easy-believism (Rom. 3.8; 6.1–2).

The Catholic Epistles are also characteristic of a particular species of apostolic exhortation. Most of Paul’s letters were written to relatively young congregations, ones that either he had planted himself, or his co-workers and wider circle of supporters had recently cultivated. However, the Catholic Epistles appear to have been written to established churches facing duress, perhaps even to second-generation believers in the midst of external hardship and internal division. Among the addressees of the Catholic Epistles are some, it seems, who may be waning in their enthusiasm for a future eschaton, becoming lax in their moral discipline, driven into doubt by in-house rivalries, tempted perhaps by persecution to give up meeting together, or possibly even contemplating giving up altogether. The Catholic Epistles, then, address a particular set of circumstances, including social dislocation (Hebrews), poverty (James), cultural alienation (1 Peter), external hostility combined with internal schism (1–3 John), as well as intrusive disruption (2 Peter, Jude).

BLAST FROM THE PAST: AUGUSTINE ON HOW THE CATHOLIC EPISTLES BALANCE OUT PAUL
In the fifth century, Bishop Augustine of Hippo wrote a work about the correct relationship between faith and works. He declared at one point:

Even in the days of the Apostles certain somewhat obscure statements of the Apostle Paul were misunderstood, and some thought he was saying this: ‘Let us do evil that good may come from it’ [Rom. 3.8] because he said: ‘Now the law intervened that the offense might abound. But where the offense has bounded, grace has abounded yet more’ [Rom. 5.20] . . . Since this problem is by no means new and had already risen at the time of the Apostles, other apostolic letters of Peter, John, James and Jude are deliberately aimed against the argument I have been refuting and firmly uphold the doctrine that faith does not avail without good works. (Aug. Fid. Op. 21, cited in Nienhuis 2007, 2)

As a literary collection, the Catholic Epistles function much like the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament: a diverse and distinct witness to God. Although each of the Catholic Epistles has its own context, content, and unique features, some common themes emerge:

1. the Old Testament authorizes the church’s kerygma and validates the church as God’s royal and holy people;
2. suffering is the crucible that tests and refines authentic faith;
3. genuine faith is characterized by perseverance, love, obedience, and transformation;
4. believers are called to keep the teaching of Jesus and follow the example of Jesus;
5. Jesus’ death cleanses believers from the contamination of sin;
6. Jesus’ resurrection brings believers into a living hope;
7. Jesus’ ascension marks him out as the lord of the universe;
8. elders should shepherd the church with gentleness and compassion;
9. the church must be vigilant against allowing licentiousness to gain a foothold;
10. the church should guard against inadequate accounts of Christ’s person and work;
11. the church should be characterized by holiness and hospitality;
12. the church should face Christ’s return with confidence in receiving its reward of eternal life.

In sum, the Catholic Epistles are focused on bringing adolescent congregations to maturity in Christ. They aim to equip these congregations with a deep and enduring faith, as robust as it is contagious, in a hostile and volatile environment.

All of the quotes and all the material within this post are taken directly from “The New Testament In Its World” by NT Wright and Mike Bird, Zondervan and SPCK.
The New Testament in Its World
An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians
N. T. Wright (Author) , Michael F. Bird (Author) Page Count:992
Format:Hardcover, Cloth
ISBN:9780310499305
Release:November 19, 2019