The Bible uses a very “human” way to communicate God’s word: letter writing. But how do we know these letters – mostly written by the Apostle Paul – really are God’s word? How could it be that the divine would speak through simple mail?
Meet our guests
Dr Peter Head is a tutor in New Testament Studies at Wycliffe Hall, as part of Oxford University. According to his Oxford profile, Dr Head is “famous for his fastidious tidiness, stylish dress sense, attention to deadlines and quirky sense of humour”. His current research looks at the role of letter carriers in the Apostle Paul’s epistolary communication.
Links
Letter writing isn’t just a sentimental form of communication: it was a method that Christians believe God used to communicate with people.
Oxford academic Dr Peter Head helps us unpack the history of this timeless form of communication, and why it is that Christians believe this very “normal” way of communicating was utilised by the God of the universe.
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Check out these helpful links below for more info on what was discussed in this episode.
To Read
- This document explains how the few copies of ancient literature we have today survived the test of time.
- CPX has preserved John’s tweet journey through Paul’s Epistle to the Romans – check it out here.
- This cool article documents the history of letter writing.
- We’ve got our article on the history of the epistles. Check it out here.
- Here’s the story of the world’s oldest surviving letter written by a Christian – and it includes a shopping list!
To Watch
- The Bible Project has produced this great video on the historical context of the Epistles.
- And here’s a video by them on the literary context of these famous letters.
- Check out this TEDx Talk by Elspeth Kenny on the lost art of letter writing.
- Ever wondered about the origin of letters? ‘Rob Words’ is here to Undeceive you!
To Listen
- The Writer Files pulls back the curtain on the mystery of how to e a wordsmith (and a better letter writer). Check it out here.
- Here’s an interesting interview with New Testament scholar N.T. Wright on Paul’s work.
- We’ve covered Paul in detail before too – here’s our episode Paulos Apostolos.
And finally …
- Check out the second episode of Undeceptions – ‘Old Papers‘ – for more writing history!
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