St. Paul was not one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus. Nevertheless, his contribution to the New Testament was great. Besides the Four Gospels and the Book of Revelation, there are 21 Letters or Epistles in the New Testament. Of these 13 are attributed to St. Paul as the author.

The Letters/Epistles usually begin with a greeting and an identification of the sender and of the recipients. It is followed by a prayer, usually in the form of a thanksgiving. The body of the letter provides an exposition of Christian teaching, based on the specific problems or circumstances prevailing in the community.

Of the thirteen Letters attributed to St. Paul,

  • There are 9 Letters written to the communities:
    • Romans, I & II
    • Corinthians
    • Galatians
    • Ephesians
    • Philippians
    • Colossians, I & II
    • Thessalonians
  • There are 4 Letters written to the Individuals:
    • I & II Timothy,
    • Titus
    • Philemon
  • Of the 13 Letters of St. Paul
    • 4 of them are called “Captivity Letters”, because they were written while St. Paul was imprisoned:
      • Ephesians
      • Philippians
      • Colossians
      • Philemon
    • 3 of the Letters are known as “Pastoral Letters.” They are called so, because they were written to individuals, who were appointed as head (Bishops) of the community, about caring of the flock:
      • I & II Timothy
      • Titus
    • The other 6 Letters are known as doctrinal letters, because they teach doctrines of Christian faith.
      • Romans
      • I & II Corinthians
      • Galatians
      • I & II Thessalonians

With this brief introduction to the Letter of St. Paul, I will share with you, next, the theme explained in each of the Letters.

May The Word of God be the light to our life

Fr. Arul Joseph V.


3 Comments

Jenny · October 14, 2019 at 4:51 am

I’m amazed I found this blog post! Wonderfully formatted and top quality information. I am thirty four years post Traumatic Brain Injury. I may not be a saint, but God truly performed a miracle in my life when he saved my life. My TBI and the day I was BAPTIZED with water are the same day seventeen years later. I was two months at my baptismal.

Myra · January 18, 2021 at 8:29 pm

I’m a cradle Catholic but feel I have no knowledge and understanding of St. Paul’s teachings. Protestants seem way more appreciative of his teachings. I would like to dip my toe into his teachings but of the resources I have found, the resources break it down into Corinthians, Philippians, etc. Don’t know to begin. I am not an academic so not looking for something out of my league.

Typically, I love Tim Gray’s explanations on other topics and he has some resources on Formed.org regarding 1 Corinthians and Philippians. Do you have any advice for me or areas to direct me to?

Appreciate your thoughts and time, Myra

    Fred · October 13, 2022 at 4:27 pm

    Hi Myra,

    I would recommend Brant Pitre’s The Apostle Paul: Unlocking the Mysteries of His Theology. Look it up at catholicproductions.com. It’s a paid course but a very informative one and it’s very well worth the price. And oh, by the way, yes, Protestants may seem more appreciative of his teachings because they hardly focus on the 4 Gospels, and would rather focus on Pauline theology, thinking that the entire Bible should be read through the lens of Paul and/or they are under the false assumption that their beliefs are spelled out in the Pauline letters. Based on observation, around 60-80% of their preaching center on Pauline letters, 30-10% on the OT, and 10% or less on the 4 Gospels (detailing Jesus Christ’s teachings, life, ministry, death, and resurrection). So much for being Christians. They might as well call him Paul Christ. Not to disrespect him or anything, and special as he is, he is not Jesus Christ. Anyway, as I was saying, Brant Pitre’s course is outstanding. And contrary to popular belief, Catholic beliefs are perfectly consistent with Pauline theology. We’re actually appreciative of his teachings; that’s why we mostly have him in our Second Readings every Mass.

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