Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection
Traditional Christian art depicts Paul the letter writer, pen in hand, attentive to the Spirit. We might think we know better and imagine him pacing in agitation as he rapidly dictates to a secretary his letter to the Galatians. But in reality neither of these pictures is accurate.\ In Paul's day, producing a letter was a time-consuming and costly business. And we have ample resources from the ancient world to piece together what it must have been like. A secretary was usually part of the...
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Traditional Christian art depicts Paul the letter writer, pensive and pen in hand, attentive to the Spirit. Contemporary students of Paul might imagine him pacing in agitation as he rapidly dictates to a secretary his letter to the Galatians. But in reality neither of these pictures is accurate. Randolph Richards gives us a truly informed look at the letter-writing process in Paul's day and offers a new and intriguing perspective on how this important portion of Christian Scripture came to be.
1A modern, Western Paul192Paul as a first-century letter writer323The tools of a letter writer474Secretaries in the first-century world595Paul's use of a secretary816Identifying inserted material947Weaving together a letter1098Classifying Paul's letters1229Analyzing Paul's writing style14110Preparing a letter for dispatch15611Dispatching the letter17112Paul's letter carriers18813Paul's use of his letter carriers20114Collecting Paul's letters21015Inspiration and first-century letter writing224
\ Doctor\ - Bruce Corley\ "For those who want an over-the-shoulder look into Paul's world, this is the book. Richards guides the reader with a sure hand, sifting through a wide array of ancient texts and artifacts to reconstruct an engaging picture of Paul's letter writing. But there are bonus features: one also learns about life in the city and marketplace; travel by land and sea; customs at home, school, and in the company of friends; and a host of other topics. Rarely does a book this size offer so many insights, sometimes challenging common opinion but always illuminating. This treasure trove, written in readable style with eye-catching pages, will attract students of Paul and Greco-Roman history again and again."\ \ \ \ \ Arthur G. Patzia"A comprehensive, impressive, insightful, informative and engaging account of letter writing in the ancient world with primary emphasis on the composition and collection of Paul's letters. Richards builds upon—but expands—his earlier work (The Secretary in the Letters of Paul, 1991) by including additional information about the mechanics of writing letters (all the 'nuts and bolts'), the role of coauthors and colleagues (such as Timothy, Sosthenes, Tertius, Silas), and the significance of preformed material and interpolations for understanding issues of Pauline authorship. The book is the fruit of sound historical research and cautious scholarship. It is a major contribution to the field, bound to be read with profit and treasured by teachers, pastors and students of the New Testament."\ \ \ E. Earle Ellis"Amplifying his astute monograph, The Secretary in the Letters of Paul (1991), Dr. Richards offers here an insightful, well-organized and very readable study of an important issue in New Testament research. He is at his best in the discussion of secretaries and their tools in the ancient world. While not all will agree with every viewpoint expressed, all can profit from this important contribution to our discipline."\ \
