The Letters to Timothy (as well as the Letter to Titus) is referred to as the “Pastoral Letters” in that they are addressed to pastors rather than to the Christian community at large. They are generally believed to have been written later in Paul’s life when is giving “mentorship” advice to pastors on the topics of correct doctrine and church organization.

Timothy was a companion to Paul on the second and third missionary journeys. In the course of those missions he was tasked as special envoy to several communities, but now he is apparently leading a Christian community in Macedonia. The letter instructs Timothy on his duty to restrain false and useless teaching and proposes principles pertaining to his relationship with the older members of the community and with the presbyters. The letter also reminds Timothy of the prophetic character of his office and encourages him in his exercise of it.  The first letter has lots of advice on liturgy, care of the poor, and othe challenges for the church.

The second letter is more personal and takes on the character of a final exhortation and testament from Paul to the younger Timothy. The letter recalls the missionaey days with Timothy. And reminds Timothy that preaching  of the gospel is where the church will succeed and fail. Paul urges the younger man to be steadfast despite adverse circumstances using his own imprisonment as an example. The letter suggests that Timothy should prepare others to replace himself as Paul has prepared Timothy to replace him.

Philippi, in northeastern Greece, was a city of importance in the Roman province of Macedonia. Due to its history, the city became a popular retirement community for Roman soldiers. On his second missionary journey, Paul established at Philippi the first Christian community in Europe ca. 49 or 50 AD (Acts 16:9–40). The account in Acts mentions Silas and Timothy as well as introduces us to Luke. Paul was imprisoned in Philippi for a time before being asked to “move on” at which point Paul traveled to Thessalonica.

Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi was written while he was in a prison somewhere (a topic debated by scholars). Much of the letter is devoted to instruction about unity and humility within the Christian community at Philippi and exhortations to growth, joy, and peace in their life together. 

The letter seems to be drawing to a close at the end of what we number as Phil 2, as Paul reports the plans of his helper Timothy and of Epaphroditus, and even Paul’s own expectation that he will go free and come to Philippi. Yet quite abruptly at Phil 3:2, Paul erupts into warnings against false teachers who threaten to impose on the Philippians the burdens of the Mosaic law, including circumcision. This contributes to more scholarly debate about the original end of the letter, whether the letter that we have was a combination of letters to Philippi or was a circular letter of some kind. In any case, the section that follows is a vigorous attack on the Jewish Christian teachers who are burdening Gentile believers with requirements of the Law. The letter delves into justification, the Christian life, and ultimate hope.

The location of Paul’s imprisonment when he wrote to the Philippians, and thus the date of the letter, are subject to scholar debate. Rather than repeat all the views, the earliest date is 55 AD with the latest date suggesting 63 AD.

Ephesians is the great Pauline letter about the church. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is Christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making God’s plan of salvation known throughout the universe. Yet this ecclesiology is anchored in God’s saving love, shown in Jesus Christ, and the whole of redemption is rooted in the plan and accomplishment of the triune God. 

Ephesians emphasize the unity in the church of Christ that has come about for both Jews and Gentiles within God’s household and indeed the key elements of church: one Lord, one faith, and one baptism – and the one God. Yet the concern is not with the church for its own sake but rather as the means for mission in the world. The gifts Christ gives its members are to lead to growth and renewal. Ethical admonition is not lacking either; all aspects of human life and relationships are illumined by the light of Christ.

This letter is considered one of the “Captivity Epistles” along with Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon, It has been dated to an imprisonment in Rome, likely in A.D. 61–63. Some of the key points of the letter are:

• God’s Eternal Plan and Spiritual Blessings (Eph 1:3-14)
• Unity in Christ (Eph 2:11-22)
• The Mystery of Christ and the Church (Eph 3:1-21)
• Christian Unity and Growth (Eph 4:1-16)
• Moral Living and the New Life in Christ (Eph 4:17-5:21)
• Marriage as a Reflection of Christ and the Church (Eph 5:22-33)
• Household and Social Relationships (Eph 6:1-9)
• The Armor of God (Eph 6:10-20)

Colossians is one of the Pauline letters that engages ongoing scholarly investigation. There are debates about authorship and the nature of the letter and we do not have a clear picture of the doctrines of the false teachers that Paul is arguing against.  What we do know is that the overall theological message of the letter stands out clearly enough, with its striking presentation of Jesus as the cosmic Christ and what it means for us as Christians to be free to serve him alone.

The teaching of the letter to the Colossians addresses the “Colossian heresy” which held that Jesus was another deity among their pantheon of deities. Paul, although he never had been in their community, his apostleship was known to them and so Paul took the opportunity to write to them about the unique and perfect work of redemption and reconciliation which Jesus accomplished by his death on the cross. Paul stresses that this is the source of the spiritual liberty enjoyed by all who by faith were united to him.

It has been said that Paul in this letter is doing two things at once: he is acting as the apologist for Christianity to the intellectual world of paganism at the same time as he is defending gospel truth within the church. As apologist to the Gentiles, he may have been the first to meet his pagan opponents on their own ground and use their language in a Christian sense, in order to show that the problems to which they unsuccessfully sought an answer elsewhere found their solution in the gospel

Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth provides us with a fuller insight into the life of an early Christian community of the first generation than any other book of the New Testament. Through it we can glimpse both the strengths and the weaknesses of this small group in a great city of the ancient world, men and women who had accepted the good news of Christ and were now trying to realize in their lives the implications of their baptism. Paul, who had founded the community and continued to look after it as a father, responds both to questions addressed to him and to situations of which he had been informed. In doing so, he reveals much about himself, his teaching, and the way in which he conducted his work of apostleship. Some things are puzzling because we have the correspondence only in one direction.

Paul established a Christian community in Corinth about the year 51, on his second missionary journey. After 1.5 years he received disquieting news about Corinth. The community there was displaying open factionalism, as certain members were identifying themselves exclusively with individual Christian leaders and interpreting Christian teaching as a superior wisdom for the initiated few. This led to a variety of issues and the community’s ills were reflected in its liturgy. In the celebration of the Eucharist certain members discriminated against others, drank too freely at the agape, or fellowship meal, and denied Christian social courtesies to the poor among the membership. To treat this wide spectrum of questions, Paul wrote this first letter from Ephesus about the year 56. 

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. All his argument centers on the destiny of Jesus, in which a paradoxical reversal of values is revealed. But Paul appeals to his own personal experience as well. In passages of great rhetorical power he enumerates the circumstances of his ministry and the tribulations he has had to endure for Jesus and the gospel, in the hope of illustrating the pattern of Jesus’ existence in his own and of drawing the Corinthians into a reappraisal of the values they cherish.