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Archaeology and the Epistles

How accurate are the epistles from an archaeological and historical point of view? We can be thankful
that much background information is available about these writings that confirms their authenticity.

by Mario Seiglie

In the previous three installments of this series we covered events described in the book of Acts. We now turn our attention to the apostolic writings, better known as the epistles, addressed to specific individuals or congregations or larger groups of people.

How accurate are the epistles from an archaeological and historical point of view? We can be thankful that much background information is available about these writings that confirms their authenticity.

The apostolic letters

One of the first questions that comes to mind when examining the epistles is how they compare with the style and composition of other writings of the same era.
In the 20th century archaeologists discovered many private letters dating from the apostles' time that show the prevailing style of writing and correspondence. Written on papyrus, they corroborate that the apostles' letters are written in the style common in those days.
Scholar William Barclay notes about Paul's writings: "It is a great pity that Paul's letters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written ... The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for their preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last for ever so long as moisture does not get at it.

"As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paul's letters reproduce exactly that pattern" (Daily Study Bible, Bible Explorer software, notes on Romans 1:1, emphasis added throughout).

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn34/archaeologyepistles.htm


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