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

Paul has always been my hero. He told us to imitate him (1 Cor 4:16). Aside from Christ himself, perhaps no one else has impacted the world like Paul. 1 fear that many of us place Paul on such a high pedestal (just a few inches below Jesus) that we believe it impossible to imitate him. This motivates me to study the details of Paul’s life, particularly those details that provide a more realistic picture of the flesh-and-blood Paul. My hope and prayer is that, after reading this book, you will see Paul more clearly and thus be encouraged to imitate him.

When we read Paul’s letters without any thought as to how they came to be, we are at risk of reading our culture, customs, values and ideas back onto Paul. Once, as I stood in the ruins of a workshop on a dusty side street in Pompeii, 1 wondered if such things had any relevance for Paul. Then 1 noticed that the windows were fairly small and 1 thought, “Those wouldn’t give enough light to write a letter.” In much the same way this book is designed to help us see Paul in the real world and in his world. I have not written this for my fellow scholars, although I think they will find some of the ideas interesting. Rather, 1 have written to the serious reader of the New Testament. I have tried to avoid technical jargon—as much as is possible when talking about Greco-Roman letter writing.

This project has consumed much of my free time for the last three years, and 1 was not the only one who sacrificed. I want to thank my wife, Stacia, and our two sons, Josh and Jacob, who in times past have followed me around the United States, through the jungles of Indonesia, and now to rural Arkansas. They are my greatest treasures and my biggest fans. While in Italy recently, they wanted to see the Vatican but instead followed behind me as I rummaged through the ruins of some apartments in Ostia. That’s true love. I am also privileged to teach with some outstanding colleagues and scholars; “iron sharpens iron,” and they have motivated me by their words and by setting the standards high. Several must be singled out for a special word of thanks: Scott Duvall, Danny Hays, Preben Vang and Marvin Pate. The university’s administration encourages us to publish by providing resources, and yet it never pressures us. I remain thankful to those who were my teachers on Paul almost twenty years ago: Earle Ellis, W. D. Davies, Bruce Corley and Robert Sloan. My students over the years also have shaped my thinking on Paul in the crucible of the classroom. My student assistant, Brandon O’Brien, a man whose mind and wit are equally sharp, prepared the indexes, caught mistakes, and brought humor and perspective on many a long afternoon. I am indebted to him. Dan Reid at InterVarsity has been a gentleman-scholar. His kind encouragement and keen insights have made this a better manuscript. With so many helpful friends, there should be no mistakes left in the book, but 1 managed to sneak in a few.

E. Randolph Richards - Paul and first-century letter writing: secretaries, composition, and collection

InterVarsity Press, 2004. - 252 pp.

ISBN 0-8308-2788-9

E. Randolph Richards - Paul and first-century letter writing: secretaries, composition, and collection - Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

Ancients and Their Letters

Sources of Information

Paul Loved to Write Letters

Other Books on Paul and Letter Writing

Why Read This Book?

1. A Modern, Western Paul

Modem Models of Paul the Letter Writer
Underlying Assumptions in Both Modern Models
Problems with Modern Models
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

2. Paul as a First-Century Letter Writer

Paul as the Leader of a Mission Team
Paul and His Coauthors
The Letter Writer’s Office
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

3. The Tools of a Letter Writer

Writing Materials
Desks
Notes and Notebooks
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

4. Secretaries in the First-Century World

How Common Were Secretaries?
How Did Secretaries Work?
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

5. Paul’s Use of a Secretary

Describing Paul’s Secretary
Identifying Paul’s Secretary
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

6. Identifying Inserted Material

Modem Concepts of Plagiarism and Copyright
Preformed Material
Interpolations
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

7. Weaving Together a Letter

Weaving Inserted Material into a Letter
The “Author” and Inserted Material
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

8. Classifying Paul’s Letters

Public or Private: Classifying Greco-Roman Letters
Paul’s Letter as a Greco-Roman Letter
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

9. Analyzing Paul’s Writing Style

The Writing Style of Paul
Stylistic Differences Because Paul Used a Secretary
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

10. Preparing a Letter for Dispatch

Making a Copy
Preparing the Dispatched Copy
Estimating Paul’s Cost to Write a Letter
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

11. Dispatching the Letter

Signing the Letter
Folding and Sealing the Letter
Carrying the Letter
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

12. Paul’s Letter Carriers

Identifying Paul’s Carriers
The Logistics of Carrying Paul’s Letters
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

13. Paul’s Use of His Letter Carriers

Additional Tasks of a Letter Carrier
The Availability of a Carrier
Paul’s Developing Use of Letter Carriers
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

14. Collecting Paul’s Letters

Formation of the Pauline Corpus
Retaining Personal Copies
Copies and the Codex
Collections from Retained Copies
The Collection of Paul’s Letters
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

15. Inspiration and First-century Letter Writing

Letter Writing and Inspiration
Conclusions for Paul as a Letter Writer

Conclusion

Bibliography

Modem Authors Index

Subject Index

Scripture Index

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