How many books make up the Pauline epistles?
The Pauline epistles consist of thirteen books of the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle. Scholars dispute the authorship of several of them.
Questions about Pauline epistles
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Which Pauline epistles did Paul actually write, according to most scholars?
Most scholars believe Paul personally wrote seven of the thirteen epistles: Galatians, Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Philemon, Philippians and First Thessalonians.
Why do scholars doubt that Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews?
Hebrews does not read like any of Paul's other epistles in style or content, and unlike the others it never claims Paul as its author. From the 16th century onward, opinion steadily moved against Pauline authorship, and few scholars today ascribe it to him.
Did Paul write his epistles himself or use secretaries?
Paul explicitly states in multiple epistles that he used secretaries, sometimes naming them. Scholars believe he may have suffered a physical impediment such as vision loss or damaged hands, and he may have relied on a team of readers as well.
What lost letters of Paul are mentioned inside the Pauline epistles?
Paul's surviving letters point to at least four letters that no longer exist: an earlier letter to Corinth possibly referenced at First Corinthians 5:9, a third letter to Corinth called the Severe Letter referenced at Second Corinthians 2:4 and 7:8-9, an earlier letter to the Ephesians referenced at Ephesians 3:3-4, and a possible letter to the Laodiceans referenced at Colossians 4:16.
Who first collected Paul's letters into a single set?
The scholar David Trobisch argues it is likely that Paul himself first gathered his own letters together for publication. That collection later circulated separately before becoming part of the New Testament.