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Scarlet_Teardrops Captain
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 Posted: Fri May 01, 2026 1:01 pm
Good afternoon, everyone! Happy Friday! I hope you're having a wonderful day. heart
Did you know that there is debate about Pauline authorship of certain epistles in the New Testament? The degree of debate depends on the epistles, and authorship is more contested for some than others. Let's split them up cleanly.
Moderately Contested
Ephesians
Colossians
2 Thessalonians
Strongly Contested
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
The reasons Pauline authorship for Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians is contested are simple: vocabulary shifts (in the Greek), stylistic differences (particularly in Ephesians), and a shift in theological tone. This shift in theological tone is important. Let's break it down by each letter:
Ephesians - more focus on a universal church
Colossians - more focus on a cosmic Christ
2 Thessalonians - shift from urgency of Christ's return to a delay
Despite this, there are still many scholars who argue that these epistles fit within the range of the Pauline corpus. The next three, however, are harder to argue for.
Now, the reasons that Pauline authorship for 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus (called the pastoral epistles) is contested are even stronger. One of the most important is a technical one in the Greek - a big shift in vocabulary. These letters contain a high number of words that are not found in any of Paul's other letters. Compounding with this is a shift in theological emphasis, a dramatic change in tone, a focus on administration, and even a change in personality. Add a strained timeline for when the letters could have plausibly been written, and the question of Paul's authorship of the pastoral epistles becomes pronounced.
Are you familiar with this debate? What's your take on the matter? You don't have to spend hours researching - make it off the cuff, if you want. Let's talk about it!
Bonus question: Who do you think wrote Hebrews? Serious theories, but there are no wrong answers! 3nodding
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 12:27 pm
I didn't realize there was so much debate about this! Personally I don't think it's unusual if someone's letters have stylistic differences...mine do that all the time! It kinda depends on the headspace I'm in or who I'm talking to.
I'll have to do some study before I would have any other input, but this is a great starting point and really interesting to learn about.
P.S. Hebrews is 100% my girl Priscilla wink
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Scarlet_Teardrops Captain
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2026 6:46 am
Elora Lore I didn't realize there was so much debate about this! Personally I don't think it's unusual if someone's letters have stylistic differences...mine do that all the time! It kinda depends on the headspace I'm in or who I'm talking to. I'll have to do some study before I would have any other input, but this is a great starting point and really interesting to learn about.
P.S. Hebrews is 100% my girl Priscilla wink
I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts. Especially about Priscilla authoring Hebrews! 3nodding
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