Episode Paul, the Letter Writer | Week 1
Many Christians today imagine the apostle Paul sitting down at a desk one afternoon in a quiet room all by himself and writing a letter to one of the first-century churches he started on one of his missionary journeys. A letter we now have included in our New Testament. And when he finished writing that letter, he signed it, sealed it, and put it in the mail. That is the way we write letters, or the way our grandparents wrote them. But is that how Paul wrote his letters in the first century? Join the Discover the Word group as our friend Randy Richards joins us to show us how basically every aspect of that scenario about writing letters is wrong. In these conversations called “Paul, the Letter Writer,” we’ll discover what letter writing was like in the first century, and how that influences how we read Paul’s letter today.
Chapter 1
Most Christians imagine the apostle Paul sitting at a desk in a quiet room, writing his letters to the first-century churches. But is that really how it happened? In this chapter, you’ll hear author and scholar Randy Richards share his extensive research on first century letter writing. It may change the way you read Paul’s letters!
Chapter 2
The role of secretaries and other helpers is often overlooked. We tend to focus on the person in charge. But most people don’t accomplish great things on their own! In this chapter, you’ll meet some of the people behind the scenes who helped Paul write his letters.
Chapter 3
All Scripture is “God breathed.” But the letters written by Paul and delivered to the churches passed through many hands along the way. So, how can we be certain they are accurate and reliable? In this chapter, you’ll hear Randy Richards explain how these letters were written and preserved for us!
Chapter 4
Language is a tricky thing. Words can take on new meanings over time, through translation, and across cultures. So how can we really know what the Bible says? In this chapter, you’ll dig into the language of Paul’s letters.
Chapter 5
In Paul’s letters, we come across quotations from the Old Testament Law and Prophets that tie these inspired writings together. In this chapter, you’ll examine Paul’s words to see how these ancient texts are connected.