Topical Bible: Letters

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, letters hold significant importance as a means of communication, instruction, and encouragement among early Christians. The New Testament, in particular, contains numerous epistles, which are letters written by apostles and early church leaders to various individuals and congregations. These letters address theological issues, provide guidance for Christian living, and offer encouragement and correction.

Old Testament Context

While the Old Testament does not feature letters in the same way as the New Testament, written communication was still an essential part of ancient life. For instance, the account of King Hezekiah receiving a threatening letter from the Assyrian king Sennacherib is a notable example (2 Kings 19:14). Hezekiah's response was to lay the letter before the LORD in the temple, seeking divine intervention.

New Testament Epistles

The New Testament contains 21 epistles, traditionally attributed to apostles such as Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude. These letters are foundational to Christian doctrine and practice. They are typically divided into Pauline Epistles and General Epistles.

1. Pauline Epistles: The Apostle Paul is credited with writing 13 letters, addressing both specific churches and individuals. These include Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Paul's letters often begin with a greeting, followed by theological teachings and practical advice. For example, in Romans 1:7, Paul writes, "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

2. General Epistles: These letters are addressed to broader audiences and include Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude. They cover various topics, such as faith, perseverance, and warnings against false teachings. James 1:1 opens with, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings."

Purpose and Themes

The letters of the New Testament serve multiple purposes:

· Doctrinal Instruction: They provide foundational teachings on key Christian doctrines, such as salvation, grace, and the nature of Christ. For instance, Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes salvation by grace through faith: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

· Moral and Ethical Guidance: The epistles offer practical advice for living a Christian life, addressing issues like love, unity, and holiness. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

· Encouragement and Exhortation: The letters often encourage believers to remain steadfast in their faith amidst persecution and trials. Hebrews 12:1-2 urges believers to persevere: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

· Correction and Rebuke: Some letters address specific issues within the early church, correcting false teachings and improper behavior. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for tolerating immorality: "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and removed from your fellowship the man who did this?"

Historical and Cultural Context

Understanding the historical and cultural context of these letters is crucial for interpreting their messages accurately. The early church faced numerous challenges, including persecution, doctrinal disputes, and cultural differences. The letters address these issues, providing timeless principles that continue to guide Christians today.

Conclusion

While the New Testament letters were written to specific audiences in the first century, their teachings remain relevant for contemporary believers. They offer a rich source of theological insight, practical wisdom, and spiritual encouragement, forming a vital part of the Christian canon.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Letters

Luke 23:38 The Hebrews have certain acrostic poems which begin with the letters of the alphabet, ranged in order. The most considerable of these is Psalm 119:1-176, which contains twentytwo stanzas of eight verses each, all acrostic; that is, the first eight begin with Aleph, the next eight with Beth, and so on. Psalm 25:1-22 34:1-22, have but twenty-two verses each, beginning with the twentytwo letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Others, as Psalm 111:1-112:10, have one-half of the verse beginning with one letter, and the other half with the next. Thus, Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord,

Who delighteth greatly in his commandments.

The first half of the verse begins in the Hebrew with Aleph; the second with Beth. Psalm 37:1-40 145:21 are acrostic. La 1:1-5:22 are also in acrostic verse, as well as Proverbs 31:8-31. In John 7:15, the word "letters" means learning; the Jews said of Christ, Whence this man's qualifications to teach us the Scriptures, since he has not learned of the doctors of the law-

Paul speaks of "the letter" in distinction from "the spirit," Romans 2:27,29 7:6 2 1 Corinthians 3:6; contrasting the mere word of the law and its outward observance, with its spiritual meaning, and cordial obedience to it through the Spirit of Christ.

Epistolary correspondence seems to have been little practiced among the ancient Hebrews. Some few letters are mentioned in the Old Testament, 2 Samuel 11:14 Ezra 4:8. They were conveyed to their destination by friends or travelers, Jeremiah 29:3; or by royal couriers, 2 Chronicles 30:6 Esther 8:10. The letter was usually in the form of a roll, the last fold being pasted down. They were sealed, 1 Kings 21:8, and sometimes wrapped in an envelope, or in a bag of costly materials and highly ornamented. To send an open letter was expressive of contempt, Nehemiah 6:5. In the New Testament we have numerous examples of letters, from the pens of the apostles.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

LETTERS

let'-erz.

See ALPHABET; WRITING.

Greek

2762. keraia -- a little horn
... Feminine Transliteration: keraia Phonetic Spelling: (ker-ah'-yah) Short Definition:
an apostrophe Definition: a little hook, an apostrophe on letters of the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2762.htm - 7k

1121. gramma -- that which is drawn or written, ie a letter
... Word Origin from grapho Definition that which is drawn or written, ie a letter NASB
Word Usage bill (2), learning (1), letter (5), letters (3), writings (2). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1121.htm - 6k

4517. rhonnumi -- to strengthen, be strong
... Phonetic Spelling: (hrone'-noo-mee) Short Definition: I strengthen, farewell Definition:
I strengthen, render firm; imperative at the end of letters: farewell. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4517.htm - 6k

1992. epistole -- an epistle, a letter
... message. Word Origin from epistello Definition an epistle, a letter NASB
Word Usage letter (16), letters (8). epistle, letter. From ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1992.htm - 6k

5198. hugiaino -- to be sound, healthy
... [5198 () is opposite to having a debilitating sickness. Thus it became the ideal
way to open and close personal letters in ancient times -- ie ().]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5198.htm - 8k

1425. dusnoetos -- hard to understand
... 2 Pet 3:16: "As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which
are some things (1425 ), which the untaught and unstable distort, as they ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1425.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

107. iggereth -- a letter
... 106, 107. iggereth. 108 . a letter. Transliteration: iggereth Phonetic
Spelling: (ig-eh'-reth) Short Definition: letters. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/107.htm - 6k

2747. cheret -- engraving tool, stylus
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition engraving tool, stylus NASB Word
Usage graving tool (1), letters (1). graving tool, pen. ...
/hebrew/2747.htm - 6k

5612. sepher -- a missive, document, writing, book
... book NASB Word Usage Book (47), book (79), books (2), certificate (3), deed (6),
deeds (3), illiterate* (1), indictment (1), letter (14), letters (15), literate ...
/hebrew/5612.htm - 6k

Library

Letters of Catherine Benincasa
Letters of Catherine Benincasa. <. Letters of Catherine Benincasa
Catherine Benincasa. Anne Soulard, Charles Franks, Robert ...
//christianbookshelf.org/benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/

Select Letters of Saint Gregory Nazianzen
Select Letters of Saint Gregory Nazianzen. <. Select Letters of
Saint Gregory Nazianzen St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Schaff ...
//christianbookshelf.org/cyril/select letters of saint gregory nazianzen/

Basil: Letters and Select Works
Basil: Letters and Select Works. <. Basil: Letters and Select Works Basil.
Schaff, Philip (Editor) Table of Contents. Title Page. Preface. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/basil/basil letters and select works/

Letters of George Borrow
Letters of George Borrow. <. Letters of George Borrow George Borrow.
Edited by TH Darlow; Transcribed from the 1911, Hodder ...
//christianbookshelf.org/borrow/letters of george borrow/

The Confessions and Letters of St
The Confessions and Letters of St. <. The Confessions and Letters of St St.
Augustine. Table of Contents. Title Page. Preface. Prolegomena. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/the confessions and letters of st/

Works and Letters of St. Ambrose
Works and Letters of St. Ambrose. <. Works and Letters of St. Ambrose St.
Ambrose. Schaff, Philip (Editor) Table of Contents. Title Page. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/

Select Works and Letters or Athanasius
Select Works and Letters or Athanasius. <. Select Works and Letters or Athanasius
Athanasius. Table of Contents. Title Page. Editorial Preface. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/

Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux
Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux. <. Some Letters of
Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. ...
/.../bernard/some letters of saint bernard abbot of clairvaux/

LETTERS OF DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE
LETTERS OF DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE. <. LETTERS OF DIONYSIUS THE
AREOPAGITE Dionysius. Table of Contents. Title Page. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/dionysius/letters of dionysius the areopagite/

Letters of Athanasius,
Select Works and Letters or Athanasius. <. ... Chapter II. Letters
of Athanasius,. with Two Ancient Chronicles of His Life. ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/letters of athanasius.htm

Thesaurus

Letters (51 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia LETTERS. let'-erz. See ALPHABET; WRITING.
Multi-Version Concordance Letters (51 Occurrences). ...
/l/letters.htm - 23k

Acrostic (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A composition, usually in verse, in which the first or the last letters
of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word ...
/a/acrostic.htm - 15k

Writeth (26 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 21:8 And she writeth letters in the name of Ahab, and sealeth with his seal,
and sendeth the letters unto the elders, and unto the freemen, who are in ...
/w/writeth.htm - 14k

Spell (2 Occurrences)
... 12. (vt) To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or
print in order the letters of, esp. ... 14. (vi) To form words with letters, esp. ...
/s/spell.htm - 8k

Alphabet (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The letters of a language arranged in the customary order; the series
of letters or signs which form the elements of written language. ...
/a/alphabet.htm - 24k

Tobiah (14 Occurrences)
... He was a man of great influence, which he exerted in opposition to the Jews, and
"sent letters" to Nehemiah "to put him in fear" (Nehemiah 6:17-19). ...
/t/tobiah.htm - 13k

Post (26 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary. (1.) A runner, or courier, for the rapid
transmission of letters, etc. (2 Chronicles 30:6; Esther 3:13 ...
/p/post.htm - 19k

Type (12 Occurrences)
... 9. (n.) Such letters or characters, in general, or the whole quantity of them used
in printing, spoken of collectively; any number or mass of such letters or ...
/t/type.htm - 23k

Freemen (17 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 21:8 And she writeth letters in the name of Ahab, and sealeth with his seal,
and sendeth the letters unto the elders, and unto the freemen, who are in ...
/f/freemen.htm - 12k

Titus (15 Occurrences)
... "Both letters were addressed to persons left by the writer to preside in
their respective churches during his absence. Both letters...
/t/titus.htm - 29k

Resources

How should a Christian respond to chain letters? | GotQuestions.org

What is the shortest verse in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What does IHS mean? | GotQuestions.org

Letters: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Letters (51 Occurrences)

Luke 23:38
An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
(WEB KJV DBY WBS YLT)

John 7:15
The Jews therefore marveled, saying, "How does this man know letters, having never been educated?"
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

John 8:6
They said this, testing him, so that they might have something against him. But Jesus, with his head bent down, made letters on the floor with his finger.
(BBE)

John 8:8
And again, with bent head, he made letters on the floor.
(BBE)

Acts 9:2
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 15:23
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.
(KJV WBS)

Acts 18:27
And when he had a desire to go over into Achaia, the brothers gave him help, and sent letters to the disciples requesting them to take him in among them: and when he had come, he gave much help to those who had faith through grace:
(BBE)

Acts 22:5
As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 28:21
They said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 16:3
When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Corinthians 1:13
For in our letters we say no other things to you, but those which you are reading, and to which you give agreement, and, it is my hope, will go on doing so to the end:
(BBE)

2 Corinthians 3:1
Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
(WEB KJV WEY BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Corinthians 3:7
For if the operation of the law, giving death, recorded in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the eyes of the children of Israel had to be turned away from the face of Moses because of its glory, a glory which was only for a time:
(BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Corinthians 10:9
that I may not seem as if I desire to terrify you by my letters.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Corinthians 10:10
For, "His letters," they say, "are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Corinthians 10:11
Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Galatians 6:11
See with what large letters I write to you with my own hand.
(WEB WEY ASV YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Thessalonians 2:2
that ye be not quickly shaken in mind, nor be troubled, neither through spirit, neither through word, neither through letters as through us, as that the day of Christ hath arrived;
(YLT)

2 Thessalonians 3:17
The salutation by the hand of me, Paul, which is a sign in every letter; thus I write;
(See NIV)

2 Timothy 3:15
and that from a child thou hast known the sacred letters, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
(DBY)

2 Peter 3:1
This letter which I am now writing to you, dear friends, is my second letter. In both my letters I seek to revive in your honest minds the memory of certain things,
(WEY)

2 Peter 3:15
And be certain that the long waiting of the Lord is for salvation; even as our brother Paul has said in his letters to you, from the wisdom which was given to him;
(BBE)

2 Peter 3:16
as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those, there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
(WEB WEY BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 6:3
and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them.
(See JPS)

1 Kings 21:8
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 21:9
She wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 21:11
The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 10:1
Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and to those who brought up the sons of Ahab, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 19:14
And Hezekiah taketh the letters out of the hand of the messengers, and readeth them, and goeth up to the house of Jehovah, and Hezekiah spreadeth it before Jehovah.
(YLT)

2 Kings 20:12
At that time Berodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 30:1
Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 30:6
So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, You children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that have escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 32:17
He wrote also letters, to rail on Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 2:7
Moreover I said to the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 2:9
Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me captains of the army and horsemen.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 6:17
Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came to them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 6:19
Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 1:22
for he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language, that every man should rule his own house, speaking in the language of his own people.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Esther 3:13
Letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Esther 8:5
She said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right to the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Esther 8:10
He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by courier on horseback, riding on royal horses that were bread from swift steeds.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Esther 8:11
In those letters, the king granted the Jews who were in every city to gather themselves together, and to defend their life, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to plunder their possessions,
(WEB BBE)

Esther 9:20
Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both near and far,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Esther 9:25
but when this became known to the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS)

Esther 9:30
He sent letters to all the Jews, to the hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 8:1
And the Lord said to me, Take a great writing-board, and on it put down in common letters, Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
(BBE NAS)

Isaiah 37:14
And Hezekiah taketh the letters out of the hand of the messengers, and readeth them, and Hezekiah goeth up to the house of Jehovah, and Hezekiah spreadeth it before Jehovah.
(YLT)

Isaiah 39:1
At that time, Merodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and had recovered.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 29:25
Thus speaks Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, saying, Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 1:4
youths in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and endowed with knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability to stand in the king's palace; and that he should teach them the learning and the language of the Chaldeans.
(See RSV)

Daniel 1:17
Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
(See RSV)

Subtopics

Letters

Letters of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah

Letters of Recommendation

Letters: Claudius Lysias to Felix

Letters: King of Babylon to Hezekiah

Letters: King of Syria to King of Israel

Letters: Letters of Intercession by Paul and Philemon on Behalf of Onesimus

Letters: Luke to Theophilus (The Books of Luke and Acts)

Letters: Open Letter from Sanballat to Nehemiah

Letters: Rabshakeh to Hezekiah

Letters: Sennacherib to Hezekiah