Letters and letter writing / / Peter Arzt-Grabner.

• Superior document: Papyri and the New Testament, vol. 2
• VerfasserIn: Arzt-Grabner, Peter, 1959-
• Place / Publishing House: Paderborn, Germany : : Brill Schöningh,, [2023]; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: First edition.
• Language: English
• Series: Papyri and the New Testament ; v. 2.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (485 pages)

New Testament letters are compared with private, business, and administrative letters of Greco-Roman antiquity and analyzed against this background. More than 11,800 Greek and Latin letters - preserved on papyrus, potsherds, and tablets from Egypt, Israel, Asia Minor, North Africa, Britain, and Switzerland - have been edited so far. Among them are not only short notes by writers with poor writing skills, but also extensive letters and correspondences from highly educated authors. They testify to the literary skills of Paul of Tarsus, who knew how to make excellent use of epistolary formulas and even introduced new variations. They also show that some New Testament letters clearly fall outside the framework of standard epistolography, raising new questions about their authors and their genre. The introductions and discussions offered in this volume reflect the current state of the art and present new research results. The volume also presents over 130 papyrus and ostracon letters newly translated in their entirety. --From the publisher.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- Papyrological and Epigraphical Abbreviations -- Other Ancient Texts -- Frequently Cited Literature -- Dear Reader, -- Chapter 1 Papyrology and Letter Writing: A Short History -- Chapter 2 Papyrus Letters and the Letters of the New Testament -- Length and Clarity -- Educational Level and Language Skills -- Private, Literary, and Official Letters -- A Closer Look #1: Paul of Tarsus and Other Emotional Letter Writers -- Chapter 3 Letter Types -- Ancient Epistolary Theorists and Model Letters -- Modern Attempts of Classification -- Letters of Recommendation -- Chapter 4 Letter Writers -- Authors, Scribes, and Secretaries -- Multiple Senders -- Drafts and Corrections -- Letters as Representations of Their Authors -- A Closer Look #2: Tertius, the Scribe of Romans -- Chapter 5 Letter Sections, Formulas, and Clichés -- Layouts -- The Letter Opening -- Opening Greeting -- Forms of Address -- Multiple Addressees -- Health Wish and Prayer Report -- Motif of Remembrance -- Transitions from Letter Opening to Letter Body -- The Letter Body and Its Parts -- Formulas and Clichés of the Introductory Part of the Letter Body -- Report of Joy -- Thanksgiving Report -- Explanation for a Postponed Visit -- Complaint about Astonishing Behavior -- A Closer Look #3: Paul's Complaint in Gal 1:6-7 -- Formulas and Clichés of the Middle Part of the Letter Body -- Disclosure Formulas -- Requests and Commands -- References to Previous Messages and Current Letters -- Responses to Letters and Messages -- Moral Instructions -- A Closer Look #4: Denial of Permission in 1 Tim 2:12 and 1 Cor 14:34 -- Formulas and Clichés of the Concluding Part of the Letter Body -- Announcement of Visit or Invitation to Visit the Letter Sender -- Final Requests or Reminder of Main Concern -- Offer to Meet the Addressee's Needs -- The Letter Closing.

Secondary Greetings -- Final Health Wish and Final Prayer Report -- Final Greeting -- A Closer Look #5: Paul's Handwriting -- Optional Additions -- Postscript -- Dating -- Address -- Sealings and Stamps -- Chapter 6 Transport and Reception of Letters -- Appended Letters and Multiple Letters on a Single Papyrus -- Bearers of Letters and Their Roles -- Signs of Authenticity -- Reading -- Chapter 7 Some General Conclusions -- Chapter 8 The Letters -- A Note on the Provided Data and Translations -- Explanation of Diacritical Sigla -- Pre-forms of Letters and Early Letters (VI-IV BCE): [2.52]-[2.55] -- Letter from the Ptolemaic Period (323-30 BCE): [2.56] -- Letters from the Early Roman Empire (30 BCE-late II CE): [2.57]-[2.167] -- Letters from the Third and Fourth Centuries CE: [2.168]-[2.188] -- Glossary -- Additions to and Corrections of Edited Papyri, Ostraca, and Tablets -- Indexes -- Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca, and Tablets -- New Testament.