Paul's Large Letters

Paul's Autographic Subscription in the Light of Ancient Epistolary Conventions

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies, New Testament, Study
Cover of the book Paul's Large Letters by Professor Steve Reece, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Professor Steve Reece ISBN: 9780567669087
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: December 15, 2016
Imprint: T&T Clark Language: English
Author: Professor Steve Reece
ISBN: 9780567669087
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: December 15, 2016
Imprint: T&T Clark
Language: English

At the end of several of his letters the apostle Paul claims to be penning a summary and farewell greeting in his own hand: 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Philemon, cf. Colossians, 2 Thessalonians. Paul's claims raise some interesting questions about his letter-writing practices. Did he write any complete letters himself, or did he always dictate to a scribe? How much did his scribes contribute to the composition of his letters? Did Paul make the effort to proofread and correct what he had dictated? What was the purpose of Paul's autographic subscriptions? What was Paul's purpose in calling attention to their autographic nature? Why did Paul write in large letters in the subscription of his letter to the Galatians? Why did he call attention to this peculiarity of his handwriting?

A good source of answers to these questions can be found among the primary documents that have survived from around the time of Paul, a large number of which have been discovered over the past two centuries and in fact continue to be discovered to this day. From around the time of Paul there are extant several dozen letters from the caves and refuges in the desert of eastern Judaea (in Hebrew, Aramaic, Nabataean, Greek, and Latin), several hundred from the remains of a Roman military camp in Vindolanda in northern England (in Latin), and several thousand from the sands of Middle and Upper Egypt (in Greek, Latin, and Egyptian Demotic). Reece has examined almost all these documents, many of them unpublished and rarely read, with special attention to their handwriting styles, in order to shed some light on these technical aspects of Paul's letter-writing conventions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

At the end of several of his letters the apostle Paul claims to be penning a summary and farewell greeting in his own hand: 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Philemon, cf. Colossians, 2 Thessalonians. Paul's claims raise some interesting questions about his letter-writing practices. Did he write any complete letters himself, or did he always dictate to a scribe? How much did his scribes contribute to the composition of his letters? Did Paul make the effort to proofread and correct what he had dictated? What was the purpose of Paul's autographic subscriptions? What was Paul's purpose in calling attention to their autographic nature? Why did Paul write in large letters in the subscription of his letter to the Galatians? Why did he call attention to this peculiarity of his handwriting?

A good source of answers to these questions can be found among the primary documents that have survived from around the time of Paul, a large number of which have been discovered over the past two centuries and in fact continue to be discovered to this day. From around the time of Paul there are extant several dozen letters from the caves and refuges in the desert of eastern Judaea (in Hebrew, Aramaic, Nabataean, Greek, and Latin), several hundred from the remains of a Roman military camp in Vindolanda in northern England (in Latin), and several thousand from the sands of Middle and Upper Egypt (in Greek, Latin, and Egyptian Demotic). Reece has examined almost all these documents, many of them unpublished and rarely read, with special attention to their handwriting styles, in order to shed some light on these technical aspects of Paul's letter-writing conventions.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Waking Samuel by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book On a Wing and a Prayer by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book William by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Getting the Joke by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Education in West Africa by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book International Sales Law by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book The British Welfare Revolution, 1906-14 by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book The Racket by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Mad Dog Moonlight by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book On Creativity, Liberty, Love and the Beauty of the Law by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Brecht and the Writer's Workshop by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Dark Skies by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Cherry Blossom Dreams by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book Devised and Directed by Mike Leigh by Professor Steve Reece
Cover of the book The Science of Right in Leibniz's Moral and Political Philosophy by Professor Steve Reece
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy