Editing Paul the Apostle (section)

=== Authorship ===
{{Main|Authorship of the Pauline epistles}}
[[File: Probably Valentin de Boulogne - Saint Paul Writing His Epistles - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright=1|''Paul Writing His Epistles'', a 17th portrait by [[Valentin de Boulogne]]]]
[[File:Paul Apostle.jpg|thumb|upright=1|[[Russian Orthodox]] [[icon]] of the Apostle Paul, an 18th-century [[iconostasis]] of [[Transfiguration of Jesus|Jesus' transfiguration]] in the [[Kizhi]] Monastery in [[Karelia]], Russia]]
Seven of the 13 letters that bear Paul's name, [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]], [[1 Corinthians]], [[2 Corinthians]], [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]], [[Philippians]], [[1 Thessalonians]] and [[Epistle to Philemon|Philemon]], are almost universally accepted as being entirely authentic and dictated by Paul himself.{{sfn|Sanders|2019}}{{sfn|Aune|2010|p=9}}{{sfn|Dunn|Rogerson|2003|p=1274}}{{sfn|Perkins|1988|pp=4–7}} They are considered the best source of information on Paul's life and especially his thought.{{sfn|Sanders|2019}}

Four of the letters (Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) are widely considered [[pseudepigraphical]], while the authorship of the other two is subject to debate.{{sfn|Aune|2010|p=9}} Colossians and 2 Thessalonians are possibly "Deutero-Pauline" meaning they may have been written by Paul's followers after his death. Similarly, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus may be "Trito-Pauline" meaning they may have been written by members of the Pauline school a generation after his death. According to their theories, these disputed letters may have come from followers writing in Paul's name, often using material from his surviving letters. These scribes also may have had access to letters written by Paul that no longer survive.{{sfn|Sanders|2019}}

The authenticity of Colossians has been questioned on the grounds that it contains an otherwise unparalleled description (among his writings) of Jesus as "the image of the invisible God", a Christology found elsewhere only in the Gospel of John.{{sfn|MacDonald|Harrington|2000|p=58}} However, the personal notes in the letter connect it to Philemon, unquestionably the work of Paul. Internal evidence shows close connection with Philippians.{{sfn|Prat|1911}}

Ephesians is a letter that is very similar to Colossians but is almost entirely lacking in personal reminiscences. Its style is unique. It lacks the emphasis on the cross to be found in other Pauline writings, reference to the [[Second Coming]] is missing, and [[Christian views of marriage|Christian marriage]] is exalted in a way that contrasts with the reference in 1 Corinthians.<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Corinthians|7:8–9}}</ref> Finally, according to [[Raymond E. Brown|R. E. Brown]], it exalts the Church in a way suggestive of the second generation of Christians, "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" now past.{{sfn|Brown|1984|p=48}}

The defenders of its Pauline authorship argue that it was intended to be read by a number of different churches and that it marks the final stage of the development of Paul's thinking. It has been said, too, that the moral portion of the Epistle, consisting of the last two chapters, has the closest affinity with similar portions of other Epistles, while the whole admirably fits in with the known details of Paul's life, and throws considerable light upon them.{{sfn|Aherne|1908}}

Three main reasons have been advanced by those who question Paul's authorship of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, also known as the [[Pastoral Epistles]]:
# They have found a difference in these letters' vocabulary, style, and [[Christian theology|theology]] from Paul's acknowledged writings. Defenders of the authenticity say that they were probably written in the name and with the authority of the Apostle by one of his companions, to whom he distinctly explained what had to be written, or to whom he gave a written summary of the points to be developed, and that when the letters were finished, Paul read them through, approved them, and signed them.{{sfn|Aherne|1908}}
# There is a difficulty in fitting them into Paul's biography as it is known.{{sfn|Barrett|1963|pp=4ff}} They, like Colossians and Ephesians, were written from prison but suppose Paul's release and travel thereafter.{{sfn|Prat|1911}}
# 2 Thessalonians, like Colossians, is questioned on stylistic grounds with, among other peculiarities, a dependence on 1 Thessalonians—yet a distinctiveness in language from the Pauline corpus. This, again, is explainable by the possibility that Paul requested one of his companions to write the letter for him under his dictation.{{sfn|Prat|1911}}