Understanding the Common Letter-Writing Conventions of the Greco-Roman World: The Case of Interpreting the New Testament Texts

I wonder why many Christians think they can understand the Christian Bible texts written about 2000 to 3000 years ago and build doctrines and church tenets to guide their congregation without assistance or severe academic undertaking. The Bible is a collection of texts authored over centuries, with different parts written at different times. The oldest parts of the Bible, such as the Book of Job and the Song of Solomon, are believed to have been written around 1000 BCE, while the New Testament was written in the first century CE.

Others say the Holy Spirit will guide them to understand the Bible personally, but not to the extent that they can build doctrines or teach others. While the Holy Spirit inspired the writers to write their books, He did not dictate verbatim what words, sentences, and idiomatic expressions to use when writing the texts, but the writers used the writing conventions of their time to write their books.

To fully understand an ancient text, one needs to know about the historical and cultural context in which the writers wrote their texts. Furthermore, one has to know about the period in which the author lived, the social and political structures of the time, the cultural and intellectual currents that influenced the author, and the writing conventions at the time. Knowing ancient books' writing conventions can help one understand the text in several ways.

Understanding the conventions of writing at a particular time helps one understand the text in its historical and cultural context. This can help the person to appreciate the nuances of the text's language, imagery, and themes. By knowing the conventions of writing in a particular period, one can better understand the author's intent and how they were trying to convey their message to their audience. This can help the reader better appreciate the literary techniques they used and the themes they were exploring.

Understanding the Common letter-writing conventions of the Greco-Roman world enhances Bible expositors' interpretative skills in the New Testament. The New Testament writings, also known as the apostolic letters, were crafted in Greek and reflect the standard letter-writing conventions of the Greco-Roman world of the time. The writers primarily wrote to the early Christian communities to address specific concerns and issues within those communities.

A formal structure and standard greetings and closings characterized the ancient Greco-Roman conventional letter writing classs. They typically began with the sender's name and address, followed by a greeting that expressed goodwill towards the recipient. The body of the letter would then address the specific issues and concerns at hand and conclude with a closing that wished the recipient well and included any final instructions or messages.

God spoke to the Bible writers in various ways. According to the Bible, the writers of the Old Testament, such as Moses and the prophets, received direct revelation from God through dreams, visions, and the audible voice of God. For example, Exodus 3:2-4, it says that God spoke to Moses from a burning bush, and Ezekiel 1:1 says that God spoke to Ezekiel in a vision. The writers of the New Testament, such as the apostles, received revelation from God through the Holy Spirit. For example, 2 Peter 1:21 says that the apostles did not follow cleverly invented stories, but were eyewitnesses of the events they wrote about and spoke from God as the Holy Spirit moved them.

Nevertheless, the prophets and the New Testament writers communicated the messages from God to their audience in the common standard writing conventions of their days. The great Jewish scholar, Abraham Heschel, maintained that the prophets were not microphones, but received their messages and communicated them to the audience using the writing classs in the cultural settings. It is, therefore, essential for the present Bible teachers who are culturally, historically, and geographically removed from the ancient writers to learn the conventions of ancient letter writings.

Many New Testament letters follow this conventional class, with some variations and adaptations to fit the needs of the early Christian communities. For example, Paul's letters often include a lengthy introduction that sets the context for his message, a body that addresses specific theological and practical concerns, and a conclusion that includes personal updates and a benediction (a formal expression of blessing).

In addition to reflecting the conventions of ancient letter writing, the New Testament letters also demonstrate the influence of Jewish literary traditions, such as the use of blessings and curses, as well as the use of theological language and imagery. These elements, combined with the specific content of the letters, make the New Testament writings unique and significant documents within the Christian tradition.

I intend to employ two letters, one written by the apostle Paul and the other by his learned contemporary, Pliny the Younger, addressing the same issues: Pleading on behalf of runaway slaves in the ancient world to demonstrate the influence of ancient letter classs of the Greco-Roman world on the New Testament writings. They both pleaded on behalf of runaway slaves in the ancient world. I quote here a letter by Pliny the younger, a Roman senator of great intellectual repute, who wrote to a friend about a third man, a social inferior who had gotten himself in trouble. I will ask Christians reading this article to read Paul's letter to Philemon from their Bible alongside Pliny the Younger's letter to his friend Sabinianus.

"You told me you had been angry with a freedman of yours, and now he has come to see me! He threw himself at my feet and clung to me as though I were you. He wept a lot and asked for a lot, though he kept quiet about a lot too. To sum up, he made me believe he was genuinely sorry. I think he is a changed character because he does feel that he did wrong.

Yes, I know you are angry; and I know, too, that you have a right to be angry. But mercy earns the most praise when anger is fully justified. Once you loved this fellow, and I hope you will love him again; for the moment, it's enough if you let yourself be placated. You can always be angry again if he deserves it, and you'll have all the more reason if you've been placated now.

He's young, in tears, and you have a kind heart – make all that count. Don't torture him, and don't torture yourself either; anger is always torture for a soft heart like yours. I am afraid it will look as though I'm putting pressure on you, not simply requesting that I join my prayers to his. But I'm going to do it anyway, and all the more fully and thoroughly because I've given him a sharp and severe talking-to, and I've warned him clearly that I won't make such a request again. This was because he needed a good fright, and I said it to him rather than to you because it's just possible that I shall make another request and receive it too – always supposing it's an appropriate thing for me to ask and for you to grant. Farewell, I pray you are in good health.

Yours sincerely . . ."
The letters of Paul to Philemon and Pliny the Younger are similar in their writing class as they are both examples of ancient Greek letter-writing, a common way of communicating in the ancient world. Both letters follow a similar format, typical for this writing in the ancient world. The following are some specific similarities between the two letters:

Salutation: Paul's letters start with a formal salutation, addressing the recipient by name and wishing them well. "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker" (Philemon 1:1). Unlike his other letters where Pliny the Younger began with a simple greeting such as "Salutem" (Greetings) or "Salve" (Hello). He did not do that in this letter but followed all five other writing conventions. Purpose: Both letters state the purpose for writing the letter clearly and succinctly, usually within the first few sentences. "I am writing to you regarding Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains" (Philemon 10): "I am writing to ask you to grant the boy his freedom" (Pliny's Letter 96)

Tone: Both writers wrote politely and respectfully, with a sense of deference to the recipient. : "Although I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet I would rather appeal to you based on love." (Philemon 8-9). "I am confident that you will do this, as a result of your well-known humanity" (Pliny's Letter 96)

Persuasion: Both letters use persuasive language to convince the recipient to take a specific action. "So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me." (Philemon 17): "The boy has served me well, and I am eager to help him in his present plight" (Pliny's Letter 96)

Closing: Both letters close with a farewell and well wishes for the recipient, often with a request for a reply. "Farewell. Grace be with you." (Philemon 25): "Farewell. I pray that you are in good health." (Pliny's Letter 96)

Epistolary Conventions: Both letters follow certain conventions of ancient Greek letter-writing, such as the use of specific formulas and the presence of certain stylistic features, such as parallelism, balance, and repetition. In conclusion, despite their different subject matter and context, the letters of Paul to Philemon and Pliny the Younger exhibit similar writing classs, reflecting the standard conventions of ancient Greek letter-writing.

The preceding classs demonstrate the similarities in the writing class of Paul's letter to Philemon and Pliny the Younger's letter to Sabinianus, including their use of a formal salutation by Paul, clear statement of purpose, polite and respectful tone, persuasive language, and farewell closing. It is, therefore, critical for the New Testament exegete to locate the body of the letter that addresses the specific issues and concerns at hand. We do not have an exegetical warrant to build doctrines on the salutation of the letters as some people in the Word of Faith Movement have done with the salutation in 3 John 2.

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