The New Testament attributes 13 letters to St. Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.” 2 Thessalonians 3:17
In the New Testament 13 letters are attributed to St. Paul in the following order: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
This arrangement reached its final shape over time but was definitively established in the 4th century. Most commentators agree they are not now in the order in which they were written. The principle of the ordering was based on the length of the books beginning with the longest, Romans. The list also seems to make a distinction between the letters that were written to a community, and those written to an individual. Sometimes the letter to the Hebrews also appeared in the list, but even by the 4th century there was a doubt as to whether Hebrews was written by Paul.
There is some debate among scholars as to whether Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Thessalonians were written by Paul, even though the texts say that Paul wrote them. They may have emerged from within groups familiar with Paul’s teaching who wanted to preserve his legacy and keep it updated for new situations. Likewise, scholars question whether the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) were written by someone else as they claim to have come from Paul but there is no signature, so to speak. These debates rest on details such as vocabulary and style, theology and the matters being discussed. Given that they are all read as part of the Church’s lectionary, they are included here.
We have therefore grouped them according to their clusters since in every case there is a continuity and development of theme between the first and second letters to a particular church.
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