It is worth noting that some epistles are much tougher to grasp. Galatians, for example, resists simple interpretation. First, there were two areas called Galatia in ancient Rome. Second, we don’t really know who the opponents were that Paul wrote against and what exactly they taught. We get general ideas, but we need to be cautious here.

Why do Romans and Philemon feel so different? A distinction given by Adolf Deissmann helps make sense of this and sharpens our ability to read the NT well.

Deissmann distinguishes between letters and epistles (public writing). He points out that “A letter is something non-literary, a means of communication between persons who are separated from each other” (Light from the Ancient East, 228). And he distinguishes it from the epistle: “An epistle is an artistic literary form, a species of literature, just like the dialogue, the oration, or the drama” (229).

In fuller form, Deissmann writes:

“The epistle differs from a letter as the dialogue from a conversation, as the historical drama does from history, as the carefully turned funeral oration does from the halting words of consolation spoken by a father to his motherless child — as art differs from nature. The letter is a piece of life, the epistle is a product of literary art” (230).

One can see this distinction fairly easily in the ancient world. Short, personal letters tend to approximate our e-mails today. But there are a literary class of epistles such as those written by Seneca.

Seneca clearly wrote not only to a person but also to an audience of other hearers. This would be a public letter (epistle). While Deissmann was too strict in his distinction between a letter and an epistle, the general idea that some letters were written for the public and some were written to individuals (or groups) is sound.

And this distinction explains why we might read epistles like Romans as a public writing, while a work like Philemon feels more like a personal letter. They are the same form (a letter) but with different expectations for readership. Paul expected the various Roman congregations to read his letter and presumably many more Christians, and so he wrote Romans like a public epistle; by contrast, when he wrote to Philemon about Onesimus, he likely had a personal audience in mind (Philemon and the Colossae circle of Christians).

Both letters, however, are occasional in that they are written for specific occasions. With all that said, there is no reason to believe that Paul or others only expected local Christians to read their occasional letters.

While Paul’s letter to the Colossians was indeed written to a specific church or set of churches, its content (the supremacy of Christ) surely impacts all believers. Paul must have known his letters would be read by many. Even if not, the Spirit intended them to be read by the Church, and so we do so today.

Exegetical Implications

There are both exegetical (principles for interpretation) and hermeneutical (what it means today) implications of ancient letter writing for reading the New Testament epistles.

First, authors wrote occasional letters in the New Testament for a reason, due to a specific occasion. Paul wrote Romans to gather support for his Spanish mission (Rom 15:24). In so doing, he lays out his missionary theology that centres on how both Jews and Gentiles are saved by the same Gospel via justification. Discerning this occasion for writing is really the first step in reading an ancient letter well.

Second, by recognizing the occasion, we can discern more closely the author’s intent in writing. In Romans, Paul demonstrates his Gospel to the Romans to ensure that they knew it before he arrived and sought financial support for his Spanish mission.

Third, by discerning the occasion (and so the audience) and then the author’s intent in writing, we can begin the work of uncovering the author’s argument. In Romans, Paul for instance develops an argument that begins with the Gospel as redeeming both Jew and Gentile who together are under sin. He then moves to justification, sanctification, glorification, and more besides these before turning to practical implications of his Gospel (Rom 12–16). The epistle begins and ends with a call to the obedience of faith to the nations (Rom 1:5; 16:26), which is in line with his missionary purpose.

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