An epistle is a formal letter, often used in the Christian New Testament, attributed to authors such as Paul, Peter, and John. The word comes from Greek, meaning “letter” or “message.” Paul wrote 13 epistles, but authorship of some is disputed. Epistles generally follow a formal structure, but can vary in length and style.
An epistle is a letter, but more specifically, it is most often used with a series of letters in the Christian New Testament, some of which have been largely attributed to the Apostle Paul, although there is considerable debate as to how many he wrote . Others would come from Peter and John, among others. Very rarely used outside the biblical context, an epistle is generally considered a formal letter rather than a personal one.
The word epistle comes from the Old English epistol, itself borrowed from the Latin word epistula or epistola. The word originates in Greek, where it meant letter or message. It also included part of the Greek verb meaning “to send.”
The most common place to find the terminology is in the Bible, where most of the epistles have been attributed to Paul. In total, Paul was thought to have written 13 epistles, most of which were addressed to churches with which he had personal contact during his travels, and which were recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the Christian New Testament. . While Paul’s authorship of eight of the epistles is generally not disputed, some have had trouble ascribing other epistles to him. Those epistles with questionable authorship include Ephesians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus.
There is no set rule for when something qualifies as an epistle, although writing is considered more formalized than a personal letter. In the Bible, for example, epistles generally include a greeting, a word of thanks in remembrance of those to whom it is addressed, the main body often broken down into several main points, followed by a conclusion, and perhaps some advice or instruction for getting through the day. – today’s problems and situations. The end of Biblical epistles might include personal instructions for individuals and some general good wishes, but that is not true in every case. The same structure, or general outline, is followed in nearly all of the epistles.
Likewise, an epistle need not be of a certain length. Some are written in poetic form and can be very short or even long poems. Others are written to convey large amounts of information and can be quite lengthy. The length of the writing is entirely a function of the author, which he must determine when he has adequately addressed the key points.
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