It may aid us in making these epistles of Paul seem like real and living messages to recall, in general, some of the peculiar conditions and problems which called them forth.
The Problems of the Early Church as Reflected in Paul’s Epistles
Paul’s Life and Character as Reflected in his Epistles
The epistles of Paul furnish a most valuable supplement to the narrative of his life as found in the Book of Acts. His language often reflects the time when he was “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious” (1 Tim. 1:13), and we see him carrying the same fiery zeal—tempered into a calm, steady flame of Christian love—into his missionary labors.
The Apostle Paul before His Conversion
We approach the apostle of the Gentiles who decided the victory of Christianity as a universal religion, who labored more, both in word and deed, than all his colleagues, and who stands out, in lonely grandeur, as the most remarkable and influential character in history.
Peculiarities of the Pauline Epistles
The epistles of Paul were written to particular persons, churches, or groups of churches and dealt with the special circumstances and needs of their readers. What do we know?
Epistles in the Early Christian Church
Some of the most important literature of antiquity exists in the form of letters. The correspondence of men prominent in political and literary life often throws a clear light upon the conditions of the age. The letters preserved to us in the New Testament are not less interesting than this letter of Pliny for the historical information they convey.
The Character of the Apostle Peter
Simon, as he was originally called, or, as he was afterward named, Peter, was the son of the fisherman Jonas. He was a native of Bethsaida in Galilee, and a resident of Capernaum, where he followed his father’s occupation.
CHURCH HISTORY: (Monasticism) The Monastic Life as a Vocation from God? Biblical?
Monasticism in Christianity, which provides the origins of the words “monk” and “monastery”, comprises several diverse forms of religious living. Is monasticism biblical? You need not read the entirety of the article, but the first eight paragraphs are significant if you want to know what the Bible really says.
EARLY CHRISTIANITY: The Apostle Paul and the Mission to the Gentiles
Commissioned by Jesus to be an apostle to the nations, Paul zealously carried out his assignment. Paul, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. [THIS ARTICLE IS 141 PAGES!]
EARLY CHRISTIANITY: The Church at Antioch, Origin of the Christian Name
Antioch of Syria is located along the Orontes River in modern-day Turkey. At one time, this Hellenistic city was one of the largest in the Roman world. Antioch of Syria played an important role in the book of Acts.
THE APOSTLE PETER: A Fisher of Men
It was quite befitting, therefore, that our Lord should explain to his fisher friend the momentous and glorious ministry that awaited him, through the calling in which he had been engaged from boyhood, and which had so many points of resemblance with the work of winning souls.