What Is An Epistle? An epistle (epistolē, “letter”) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians are usually referred to as epistles. Those...
Pauline Epistles The Pauline epistles, also called Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. Among these epistles are some of the earliest extant Christian documents. They provide an insight into the beliefs and controversies...
Spiritual Gift A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata) is a concept in Christianity that refers to an endowment or extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit. These are believed by followers to be supernatural graces which individual Christians need (and needed in the days of the Apostles) to fulfill the mission of the Church. In the...
Acts Of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (Actūs Apostolōrum), often referred to simply as Acts, or formally the Book of Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the...
Authorship Of the Pauline Epistles This article covers the Authorship of the Pauline Epistles. The Pauline epistles are the fourteen books in the New Testament traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, although many dispute the anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews as being a Pauline epistle. There is nearly universal consensus in...
Authorship Of the Bible This article is about modern scholarly approaches to the composition of the biblical texts and authorship of the Bible. Table I gives an overview of the periods and dates ascribed to the various books of the Bible. Tables II, III and IV outline the conclusions of...
Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus are the earthly appearances of Jesus to his followers after his death and burial. Believers point to them as proof of his resurrection and identity as Messiah, seated in heaven on the right hand of God (the doctrine of the Exaltation...
Historicity of Jesus The historicity of Jesus is the question of Jesus of Nazareth can be regarded as a historical figure. Virtually all New Testament scholars and Near East historians, applying the standard criteria of historical-critical investigation, find that the historicity of Jesus is effectively certain, although they differ about...
Historical Jesus The term “historical Jesus” refers to the reconstruction of the life and teachings of Jesus by critical historical methods, in contrast to religious interpretations. It also considers the historical and cultural contexts in which Jesus lived. Virtually all scholars of antiquity accept that Jesus was a historical figure, and attempts to deny his historicity have been...