Who Wrote the New Testament Letters?

It is so commonly accepted as to not require further inquiry into the identities of individuals whose writings are the foundation of the Christian Church. These household names are so familiar to believers and non-believers alike such that the men known as Paul, Peter, John, James, and Jude are almost taken for granted. The question is rather how plausible is it that other, lesser known individuals may have had a greater impact on the doctrines of the ‘faith’ than one may realize at first glance.

The letter of Romans is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1), but in Romans 16: 22, it states,” I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. Additionally, the chapter continues as follows:

16: 7
Greet Andronicus and Junas, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

16: 11a, 13
Greet Herodian, my kinsman. . . Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.

16: 21
Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius (Cp. Acts 13: 1??) and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
NOTE: It would be quite unusual for Paul to call Timothy his fellow worker (Cp. I Timothy 1: 2, 18; II Timothy 1: 2; 2: 1).

The letter of I Corinthians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1), but there is a curious statement in 16: 20-21, which reads, “All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The greeting is in my own hand-Paul.” This comment would lead one to think that the apostle Paul might have only composed this little fragment unaided, and the rest of the epistle with the help of someone else, possibly Sosthenes (1: 1??)

The letter of II Corinthians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1), but there are a few interesting passages in it, too. Paul mentions that Titus is his brother
(Cp, 2: 13), but in his epistle to Titus, Paul refers to him as “his true child in a common ”faith” (Titus 1: 4). Of course Paul does also call Titus his partner and fellow worker (II Corinthians 8: 22). The evidence is stronger that the apostle Paul may have written this letter unaided because of the similar greeting found in I Corinthians that he uses here. II Corinthians 13: 12-13, states, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.(Cp. I Corinthians 16: 20-21).

The letter of Galatians is attributed to Paul (1: 1), but there is an eye-catching statement near the end of it in 6: 11, where he states, “See what large letters I am writing you with my own hand.” It would seem that once again the apostle have had help in his other correspondence; if this was not the case, then why keep mentioning it.

The letter of Ephesians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1)

The letter of Philippians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1)

The letter of Colossians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1) and is confirmed in 4: 18, which states, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.

The letter of I Thessalonians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1), and is confirmed in 5: 26, which states, “Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss (Cp. I Corinthians 16: 20-21; II Corinthians 12-13).”

The letter of II Thessalonians is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1), and is confirmed in 3: 17, which reads, “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. NOTE: Not only is Paul identifying himself as the author of the letter, but mentions a distinguishing mark (??), which is his signature of ownership and presumably one that the recipients of his letters can authenticate.

The letter of I Timothy is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1)

The letter of II Timothy is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1)

The letter of Titus is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1)

The letter of Philemon is attributed to the apostle Paul (1: 1), and is confirmed in 1: 19, which states, “I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. . .”

The letter to the Hebrews is one of the more obscure as to who authored it. Tradition credits the apostle Paul as the author, but that is unlikely. In all of Paul’s writing, he is readily identified, whereas this particular writer is not. This epistle seems to have come from Rome (13: 24), and Paul makes frequent mention of his imprisonment there (Acts 28: 16; Philippians 1: 13-14, 17; 4: 22;
II Timothy 1: 16-17; 2: 9), which this writing does not. There are a couple of things that seem to be indicated in the Hebrew letter, and that is, the unknown author has a great knowledge about the Jewish priesthood, temple services, and the Old Covenant.

The person with the most probable background to have composed this material is John Mark. The author would need to have priestly genealogy, which John does (Acts 4: 6; 12: 12; Colossians 4: 10). Paul’s letter to Timothy urges him to come soon, as he is about to approach death shortly; and for him to bring along Mark as well as the parchments (Cp. II Timothy 4: 6-9, 11, 13). John Mark, no doubt completed this one last mission for Paul before his death (??). If this is true, then a final letter would have been penned to the Hebraic Jews in Judea [Jerusalem] because Paul never really had an opportunity to share the gospel with them (Acts 19: 21; 20: 22; 21: 12-13, 27-31), and he also had a heavy heart as far as the salvation of Israel
(Romans 9: 1-4; 10: 1-2; 11: 13-14). Doubtless much of the information would certainly have come from John-Mark because of his lineage and it is presented in such a manner that even if his identity were known, it might have received a favorable response and legitimacy because of his priestly roots than coming from the Apostle Paul.

The author of James is unknown but tradition says it is James, the Lord’s [step??] brother (Cp. Matthew 13: 55; Galatians 1: 18; Jude 1) although there is no internal evidence to that fact (1: 1)

The letter of I Peter is attributed to the apostle Peter (1: 1), but Peter says, “Through Silvanus [Silas], our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly (5: 12), exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!”

The letter of II Peter is attributed to the apostle Peter (1: 1; 3: 1; II Peter 5: 12??)

The epistles of I, II, III and the Revelation are attributed to the apostle John (??), although there is no internal evidence to substantiate whether it was the Apostle John or another person named John. (Cp. Revelation 1: 1, 4, 9)

The epistle of Jude is attributed to Jude, brother of James [step-brother of Jesus??] (Cp. Matthew 13: 55; Galatians 1: 18; Jude 1)


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 11, 2008
pbks@hotmail.com