Paul, the Letter Writer

Karl P. Donfried
"Stirewalt's Paul, the Letter Writer not only provides a wealth of useful parallels and examples from ancient epistolography but also offers rich insight into Paul's apostolic ministry viewed through his letter-writing activity."

John Reumann
"As a classicist and New Testament scholar, Luther Stirewalt has long been involved in the 'American renaissance' of Pauline epistolography. In this book he stakes the claim that official correspondence from the Greco-Roman world had more of an influence on what Paul wrote than did personal letters or friendship forms. The apostle is therefore 'an official in the religious citizenry,' in the network of 'councils and people.' Major implications are suggested, letter by letter, for new understandings of Paul."

Ben Witherington III
"It is always a good thing when a scholar is able to relate any portion of the New Testament to its social context in a way that sheds fresh light on the biblical text. M. Luther Stirewalt has done work in the primary sources such that he brings to bear a clear understanding of the way personal and official letters were formed and how they functioned in the Greco-Roman world. The Paul that emerges from Stirewalt's careful research is a highly literate person who has creatively adapted the letter form to his own unique purposes. This book should prove helpful to scholars and laypersons who wish to locate Paul and his letters within the context of communication in the first-century world."