How to read an ancient letter collection
Prolegomena to a narrative critical study of the Letters of Paul.
SBL International conference, Lahti, Tuesday 7/21/99
(David Trobisch, Bangor Theological Seminary)
In researching my dissertation over a decade ago, I studied about two hundred letter collections, published between 300 BC and 400 CE. These collections contained more than three thousand letters, written by more than one hundred different authors. At the time, I was interested in learning more about the first editions of these collections. I produced a theory concerning the birth and growth of the Corpus Paulinum by understanding the typical development of letter collections in antiquity. My study was published in 1989. [Die Entstehung der Paulusbriefsammlung: Studien zu den Anfängen christlicher Publizistik NTOA, 10 (Freiburg, Schweiz: Universitätsverlag, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 1989).]
As I worked my way through letter collection after letter collection, I attempted to read the letters on their own merit and not let secondary literature interfere with my reading experience. More often than not I found this very boring.
However, as soon as I permitted myself to read the editors' introduction, I would usually begin to enjoy the experience.
[Excellent examples are Hans von Soden and Henneke Gülzow's introductions to the corpus of Bishop Cyprians letters.] The editors would provide me with a framework that placed a specific letter in time and space. They told me who the letter writer was, where and why those letters were written.It did not matter whether they were talking about the implied author, and the fictional setting of the letters or about the historical author and the historical setting. As long as I knew who wrote, when and why, I was happy.
It is this narrative framework of letter collections that I want to talk about today.
The narrative frame of the collection guides the audience. It helps them select the appropriate reading from the many possible readings of the text.
Let me give an example. The first edition of the letters of Ignatius appears to have been published by Polycarp of Smyrna early in the second century. In his cover letter to the Philippians Polycarp writes:
PolPhil 13:2
We are sending to you the letters of Ignatius that were sent to us by him together with any others that we have in our possession, just as you requested. They are appended to this letter.
To a later reader these sentences make clear who produced the collection - Polycarp. "Letters of Ignatius that were sent to us by him together with any others that we have in our possession" informs the readers that the originals were taken from the archives of Bishop Polycarp.
You will be able to receive great benefit from them, for they deal with faith and patient endurance and every kind of spiritual growth that has to do with our Lord.
"You will receive great benefit from reading them!" Here the bishop does a little advertising for his new book:
As for Ignatius himself and those with him, if you learn anything more definite, let us know.
This sentence provides the readers with the date of publication. Polycarp does not yet know what has become of Ignatius. The letters were published soon after Ignatius had left the region.
This information sets the readers up for a very specific story. A modern editor of the letters of Ignatius may sum up the narrative frame -- answering who, when and why -- in the following way:
At the beginning of the second century, during the reign of emperor Trajan (98-117), Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria, was arrested and was sent to Rome via Asia Minor in the custody of a detachment of ten soldiers [IgnRom 5:1 he calls them "leopards"]. In Rome Ignatius would be tried. He expected to receive the death penalty.
There is a northern route and a southern route through Asia Minor. The guards decided to take the northern route, which led them through Philadelphia and Smyrna, bypassing Christian congregations in the cities of Ephesus, Magnesia, and Tralles which lay along the southern route.
During his stay in Smyrna, however, delegations from these southern congregations arrived, and Ignatius responded to this show of support by sending a letter to each of the three churches-- Ephesus, Magnesia and Tralles. He sent a fourth letter ahead to the church in Rome, announcing his impending arrival there.
In these letters Ignatius expressed his concern for the church in Antioch whithout explaining the conflict in detail that had led to his arrest. And he asked the addressed congregations to pray for the Antioch church.
The guards and their prisoner next stopped at Troas, where Ignatius received good news from Antioch. Again without giving any details. He sent letters back to the two churches he had visited on the northern route, Philadelphia and Smyrna, and to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, asking each to send messengers with letters of congratulations to the church of Antioch.
From Troas,Ignatius crossed over to Europe and arrived in Philippi. The Philippians sent a letter to Polykarp. They took the opportunity to ask Polycarp for copies of other letters written by Ignatius.
[[Some letter collections express an editorial perspective. Tiro is presented as the publisher of Cicero's letters, Plinius as the editor of his own letters, Horatius as collector and editor, preparing his own letters for his publisher, the brothers Sosii. The letters of Ignatius portray Polycarp as their publisher.]]
In response, Polykarp basically combined the letters which he and his congregation had received in Smyrna with copies of those letters that Ignatius had written from Smyrna, along with a copy of the letter to the Philadelphians that Ignatius had written from Troas. Polycarp sends this collection to the Philippians and adds a cover letter of his own.
The preceding description is the basic narrative framework you may typically find in an introduction to a modern edition of the Letters of Ignatius.
The story behind the letters of Ignatius is quite elaborate and conveys numerous details. How do editors arrive at their conclusions?
They follow one basic reading instruction:
If there is more than one possible answer to a specific question, and if the letter does not answer it, choose the answer given by another letter of the same collection.
Let me demonstrate this rule with an example from Ignatius' letter collection. To the Ephesians he writes:
I am devoted to … those whom … you sent to Smyrna, from where I am writing to you, with … love for Polycarp as well as for you. (IgnEph 21:1)
The readers are informed that Ignatius is writing from Smyrna to Ephesus. However, they cannot be sure where Polycarp belongs. The words "I am writing with love for Polycarp as well as for you" could be understood in at least three ways: Polycarp is with Ignatius in Smyrna. Polycarp is with the addressee in Ephesus. Or, Polycarp is part of the delegation from Ephesus.
Which one of the three options is the correct one? "I am writing with love for Polycarp as well as for you" is open to any of these three possibilities.
To the Magnesians Ignatius writes:
The Ephesians greet you from Smyrna, from where I am writing you. They, like you, are here for the glory of God, and have refreshed me in every respect, together with Polycarp, bishop of the Smyrnaeans. (IgnMagn 15:1Cf. IgnTral 13:1)
The readers now know which of the three options is the correct one: Polycarp is the bishop of Smyrna and should not be associated with the Ephesian congregation.
The implied reading instruction is: If there is more than one possible answer to a specific question, choose the answer given by another letter of the same collection.
Of course, it is possible that Ignatius stayed in Smyrna more than once, many years apart. It is conceivable that Polycarp originally was from Ephesus and that he did lead a delegation to Smyrna. In this case the two letters would refer to different situations. But readers are not supposed to read letters of a collection that way.
How to read a letter collection? Read the letters together and not against each other. Let the context interpret.
A narrative can tell a story in different ways, for example by jumping from one setting to the next, without filling the gap in time and place, permitting the readers to make the connections. This is how a story is told if it is told through letters.
It is like letting photographs tell a narrative. Or like putting a story on stage. Literary critics like Aristotle and Plato form their literary theories by reflecting on theatre. The ancient novel writer Heliodor extensively uses stage jargon to guide his readers through the plot. Letter collections tell the story by showing one scene, closing the curtain , then opening it again for the next scene. They expect their audience to fill in the gaps.
Letter collections are a genre and quite different from a single letter. Narrative critical terms like plot, characters, theme, and settings can appropriately be used to analyze and describe a specific letter collection.
A Word About Fictional and Spurious Letters
Most Greek letter collections published in antiquity strive for a distinct literary quality and are, in fact, fictional. Ten years ago I dismissed most of these artistic fabrications because I was interested in a historical-critical approach. Only now I gradually begin to understand how much I missed from a historical-critical perspective.
During my study I did not come across a single author whose collection of letters consisted solely of genuine material. Every author had at least one spurious writing among his letters. In this respect the canonical collectin of the Letters of Paul are very typical for the genre.
Collections of fictional letters are a very valuable resource when studying how the narrative framework guides readers through a letter collection. And in examples like the two New Testament letter collections, which contain spurious and genuine material side by side, the inauthentic letters seem more interested in establishing a narrative framework than the authentic ones.
A letter like 2 Timothy, held to be spurious by most interpreters, contains very valuable information for a reconstruction of the narrative frame.
Let us turn our attention to the Letters of Paul.
Publishers of letter collections may play with the fact that the readers know how the story ended. Polycarp's letter collection for example does not have to recount the death of the protagonist, Ignatius. Ignatius' martyrdom is probably the reason why the readers bought and studied this book in the first place.
And as is the case with many other ancient letter collections, not all questions are answered in the Letters of Paul either.
Just as readers of Ignatius' letters never are informed what Ignatius was charged for with when arrested, readers never learn the reason for Paul’s incarceration. What was Paul charged with? People do not get arrested without reason. This is even more disconcerting because the authorities do not harass other Christian missionaries. According to the letter to the Philippians, they "proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition … intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment" (Phil 1:17). Why are other Christian missionaries not arrested? And why do they intend to increase Paul's suffering? Why was Paul in prison, anyway?
Paul writes several letters from prison. But only one of them, 2 Timothy, gives the name of the city, Rome. "When Onesiphorus arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me" (2Tim 1:17). There are many different possibilities for where Paul may have been imprisoned. Besides Rome, Ephesus and Caesarea are two other popular suggestions. The context of the collection, however, mentions only one place: Rome. Following the rule: If there is more than one possible answer to a specific question, choose the answer given by another letter of the same collection, the readers will assume that all the letters from prison are written from Rome.
And once you are set up that way you may find corroborating text passages like the mentioning of "Cesar's household" (Phil 4:22) or the "praetorian guard" (Phil 1:2).
Another gap in the narrative is the outcome of Paul's fund raising efforts. Readers see Paul struggle to organize a collection for Jerusalem in Romans, 1.2 Corinthians, and Galatians. They learn that Paul planned to bring the money to Jerusalem in person and that he is not sure whether this gift will be acceptable to the saints (Rom 15:31). The next thing the readers know, Paul is in prison in Rome. And he offers not one word of explanation. What happened during his trip to Jerusalem.
1 Thessalonians gives the readers the following background: Paul had visited the Thessalonians and traveled to Athens.
"We decided to be left alone in Ahtens; and we sent Timothy … to encourage you for the sake of your faith. … But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news…" 1 Thess 3:1.2.6
When Paul writes 1 Thessalonians, Timothy had returned from his trip. A question readers may raise is, where is Paul as he writes this letter? 1 Thessalonians is usually considered the oldest of the extant letters of Paul. This is certainly plausible on historical grounds, but it is not the solution suggested by a narrative critical analysis.
Remember: If there is more than one possible answer to a specific question, choose the answer given by another letter of the same collection.
In the Corinthian letters Paul sketches a trip from Ephesus via Troas through Macedonia to Corinth (Ephesus 1 Cor 16:8, Troas 2 Cor 2:12, Macedonia 2 Cor 7:5, Corinth 2 Cor 13:1). This is the same route Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians. Although there is the possibility that the text of 1 Thessalonians reflects an earlier trip -- most historical critical interpreters place this letter on an earlier trip -- or a later one, the context of the collection only elaborates on one trip. As a consequence readers will conclude that Paul is in Corinth as he writes to the Thessalonians. (This is the conclusion of the scribe of miniscule 81, which mentions Corinth as the place where Paul writes.)
Another writing, notorious for its difficulties to be placed historically is the letter to the Hebrews.
As far as the manuscript tradition is concerned, Hebrews is always part of the Letters of Paul. Moreover, until the eighth century Hebrews was placed between 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy. It formed the last letter written to a group, preceding Paul's letters to individuals. It is placed right in the heart of the collection.
So the question this letter raises from a narrative critical point of view is not whether Paul wrote it or not. The other letters clearly indicate to readers of the collection that Hebrews is a letter of Paul. The question is: Where and when did Paul write this letter?
At the end of Hebrews, brothers from Italy are mentioned who send their greetings (Hebrews 13:24). And Paul is expecting Timothy to arrive soon.
"I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free; and if he comes in time, he will be with me when I see you." Heb 13:23
A similar situation is reflected in 2 Timothy. In 2 Timothy, Paul is in prison in Rome (2 Tim 1:17), which explains the greetings from Italy. Paul asks Timothy to visit him soon.
"Do your best to come to me soon." 2 Tim 4:9
Although, of course, a historical point of view opens many other possibilities for locating Paul as he wrote his letter to the Hebrews, the context of the letter collection will instruct the readers to opt for Rome. This conclusion makes Hebrews one of the last letters Paul wrote before he died.
I chose these examples from the letters of Paul to show you how significantly a narrative critical approach differs from traditional historical approaches.
William Beardslee in his important work, Literary Criticism of the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1970), decides not to deal with the letter form although it is so prominent in the New Testament. He argues that the letter "has problems not closely related to those of the narrative form" (ix f.).
I hope to have demonstrated to you today that the letter collections of the New Testament actually should be discussed as a narrative form. A narrative critical study of the Letters of Paul and the General Letters is not only a possible task but a very promising one as well.
Literature
Beardslee, William A., Literary Criticism of the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1970) ix f. concedes that he "omits, for instance, one very important form, the letter, which has problems not closely related to those of the narrative form".
Gülzow, Henneke, Cyprian und Novatian: Der Briefwechsel zwischen den Gemeinden in Rom und Karthago zur Zeit der Verfolgung des Kaisers Decius, BHTh 48 (Tübingen: Mohr, 1975).
Lodge, David, The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts (New York: Penguin Viking, 1993).
Soden, Hans von, Die Cyprianische Briefsammlung: Geschichte ihrer Entstehung und Überlieferung, TU 25,3 (Neue Folge 10.Bd, 3.Heft) (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1904).
Trobisch, David. Die Entstehung der Paulusbriefsammlung: Studien zu den Anfängen christlicher Publizistik, NTOA, 10 (Freiburg, Schweiz: Universitätsverlag, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 1989)