Letters Found in The New Testament

Question

What are the general characteristics of letters as they are found in the New Testament? How important for interpretation are the historical and literary contexts for these documents? Why did first century writers employ the genre of letters when writing to other Christians? What specific issues must the interpreter take into consideration in order to discover the main principles of a New Testament letter? Do all the letters of the New Testament follow the same form? If not, give a list of some that do not and define their distinctive elements.

Response

The letters of the New Testament exhibit five general characteristics. Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays suggest the New Testament letters are comparable to other ancient letters in that they substitute for personal visits and are situational, painstakingly crafted and delivered, and intended for Christian believers.[1] Without a basic understanding of the general characteristics of the New Testament letters, the reader lacks the necessary perspective and assumptions for interpretation.

The importance of the historical and literary context for the interpretation of the New Testament letters should not be underestimated. Regarding literary context, William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard state, “the intended meaning of any passage is the meaning that is consistent with the sense of the literary context within which it occurs.”[2] The New Testament letters are no exception to this rule as no verse or phrase parsed out of a sentence, paragraph, chapter, or even the entire Bible can be understood in isolation. Further, proper interpretation of New Testament letters is particularly sensitive to historical context due to their occasional nature. Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard explain that the historical context is necessary to reconstruct the occasions of the letter in order to appropriately delineate between the timeless principles and those that are culturally limited.[3]

The New Testament writers employed the genre of letters when writing to other Christians in order to accomplish a number of tasks. Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard suggest that some of the reasons why writers used letters were to express an exhortation, provide an introduction or recommendation, construct a diatribe, craft an apologetic, or even to create a familial communication.[4] For example, Paul asks two hypothetical questions in Romans 3:1: What is the advantage of being a Jew and what is the benefit of circumcision? The questions setup the author’s answers, which provide an example of Paul’s use of a letter as a diatribe against his opponents.

Three specific issues should be taken into consideration by the interpreter when attempting to discover the theological principles of a New Testament letter. Jack Kuhatschek suggests to first identify the theological principles explicitly stated by the author, then identify why the author gave the specific instruction to discover the theological principle, and finally, identify the broader context to assist in locating the theological principle.[5] By identifying the theological principles, the interpreter provides a bridge to a contemporary audience.

Not all New Testament letters follow the same form. Duvall and Hays grant that New Testament letters follow a similar form as contemporary letters, which include an introduction, body, and a conclusion.[6] However, exceptions occur. For example, the book of Hebrews often appears to reflect that of a sermon rather than a letter, and the book of James appears, at times, to represent a collection of proverbs rather than the standard format of a letter.

Bibliography

Duvall, J. Scott, and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004.

Kuhatschek, Jack. A Message for All Time: Understanding & Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Our Daily Bread Ministries, 2015.

References

[1] J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 252–57.

[2] William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 214.

[3] Ibid., 427.

[4] Ibid., 430–31.

[5] Jack Kuhatschek, A Message for All Time: Understanding & Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Our Daily Bread Ministries, 2015), 28–29.

[6] Duvall and Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible, 257–59.