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Paul the Letter-Writer (Good News Studies)

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In the first part of this book the author provides a comprehensive survey of academic thought concerning the composition of Paul's letters including the use of secretaries and collaborators, the parts of a typical letter, and the forms/types of letters in Paul's day. He defends or refutes some of the positions discussed providing examples from letters and NT documents of the period. This section provides little room (110 pages of text) for detailed analysis leaving some issues for others to address. Consequently his detailed arguments focus primarily on issues that support the premise found in the second and final section of the book. The final section of the book supports the premise that Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians were prepared for distribution by the Apostle Paul and his secretary as a single literary unit, an authorized collection of his letters with a single purpose and theme. There are many proofs and conjectures provided to support this position. His work deserves consideration and evaluation by others in this field of study.

Murphy-O'Connor has rendered a significant service to the study of New Testament, and especially Pauline, epistles. With chapters on the process of and materials for writing, and on the main consistent parts of ancient letters, we are given a survey from non-biblical to biblical epistles that is an important contribution to the whole field. Especially interesting is the author's account of the use of secretaries and the preservation of letters in the first century.