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Paul and first-century letter writing: secretaries, composition and collection

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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 picture. But so were notes, drafts, corrections and careful rewrites, not to speak of scratchy pens, sooty ink and coarse papyrus. Interestingly, there is evidence that Paul involved his missionary team in the writing of letters. And then came the delivery over land and sea, the reading and circulation, as well as the epistolary afterlife of copying, collecting and storing

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Availability

171111132

227.067 RIC p

Z. HANDIMAN

Available

Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

227.067 RIC p

Publisher

Illinois : InterVarsity Press., 2004

Collation

252p.; 23 cm.

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

1-84474-066-8

Classification

227.067

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

-

Edition

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Subject(s)

EPISTLES OF PAUL (NT) - CRITICISM

Specific Detail Info

N/v

Statement of Responsibility

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