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CATHOLIC LETTERS

The seven NT letters of James, 1–2 Peter, 1–2–3 John, and Jude. Gk. katholikós, “catholic” or “general,” denotes a letter sent to a number of churches spread out geographically or to the Church universal (almost in the sense of an encyclical). Such a letter is distinct from one sent to local churches in a community or to individuals (as were the letters of Paul). Although 2 John addresses a local congregation and 3 John addresses an individual, these letters were so closely associated with 1 John that they were included along with it within the Catholic Letters.

The designation Catholic Letters can be traced back to the late 2nd century c.e. to Apollonius (Eusebius HE 5.18.5) and was applied to a general letter, canonical or not. For example, Origen calls the Epistle of Barnabas a catholic epistle because it is not addressed to any one congregation (Contra Cels. 1.63). Thus, at first “Catholic Letters” did not denote the authority or canonical status of these seven letters as if to distinguish them as orthodox rather than heretical. Neither did the designation suggest universal recognition of their authority, for while they were called “catholic” their inclusion in the canon was being disputed. However, by the 4th century the designation was used to specify these seven as a collection (HE 2.23.24-25), probably in order to distinguish them from the Pauline collection. As the seven letters were canonized, “catholic” began to denote their authoritative and canonical status, something reflected in their occasional designation as “canonical epistles” (epistolae canonicae).

Bibliography. B. M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament (Oxford, 1987); R. W. Wall and E. E. Lemcio, The New Testament as Canon. JSNTSup 76 (Sheffield, 1992), 161-83.

Duane F. Watson

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CATHOLIC LETTERS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)