Letters of St. Paul

Paul has regarded himself as responsible, in addition to the churches he established, for “all the churches” he knew (2 Cor 11:28) and corresponded with them. This was a period during which, except the military service, people had to rely on other people going in the same direction of their letters to correspond with others. He has also visited most of them once or more. Carrying the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ to Gentiles, Paul’s letters to his fledgling congregations reveal their internal tension and conflict. Paul writes letters to people everyday trying to deal with the circumstances in which they are living. He gives advice and instruction and encouragement for living. If the Corinthian community is suffering from too much division and strife he turns it into a ‘letter of instruction on harmony and unity’. In the case of Thessalonian congregation when they are not sure about what is going to happened to them he turned it into a ‘letter of consolation comfort’. In the case of Galatian community when they seemed to be ready to turn their back on Paul entirely and became much more Jewish in their orientation he turn into a ‘scolding parent’ and blister them with purple prose about how they cannot turn back on the Gospel of Christ that he had given them.