Sárospataki Füzetek 16. (2012)

2012 / 3-4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK

RH.íl. (HOB) VAN HOUWELINGEN

11. Seven Catholic Epistles

‘Catholic Epistles’ (or ‘General Epistles’, as they are sometimes referred to,) is the collective term for a group of seven letters that bear the names of their authors only, and not those to whom they were addressed. Traditionally, these letters are ascribed to James, Peter, John and Jude. In some later manuscripts, the word ‘xciQcAtxóc' was sometimes added to their superscription. Hence, the catholic epistle of James, etc. Many modern commentaries and introductions do not deal with these letters as a unified whole; instead, after covering the gospels, the Pauline epistles and the Johannine writings, they assume that what remains is a random assortment of leftover letters. At the time of the fourth century church fathers, however, published lists of the canon grouped these as a collection of seven so-called Catholic Epistles, each of them identified by name.30

The manuscript tradition of the New Testament displays a remarkable phenomenon in relation to these letters. In the great majority of manuscripts, they immediately follow the book of Acts, before the Pauline letters, even. We see this in the codex Alexandrinus, the codex Vaticanus, the codex Ephraemi Rescriptus as well as in the Majority Text. The book of Acts and the Catholic Epistles have a very close connection.31 In the Greek canon we see the same thing. It is only under the influence of the Latin tradition (as laid down in the text of the Vulgate) that the Pauline letters precede the Catholic Epistles for the first time. Bearing in mind that the attention of the Western European reformers was largely directed towards Paul’s instruction concerning justification by faith, it must be said that in the study of the New Testament, the Catholic Epistles have often been overshadowed by the letters of Paul. 32

In the fourth century, when describing the death of James, the brother of the Lord, Eusebius mentions seven missionary letters. The first of these was written by James; his brother Jude is also understood to have written one of these seven. There were some doubts about James. These did not seemingly concern its content, as it was freely used in the churches. There was, however, a lingering degree of uncertainty as to its authorship. The ancient authors consulted by Eusebius could provide no definite answer to this question, nor about the letter of Jude. Nonetheless, and after some initial hesitation, the churches accepted the authenticity of the seven Catholic Epistles, and with that the recognition of James as author. Eusebius writes as follows:

30 Cyril, Epiphanius, Athanasius, Jerome, Gregory. See http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon8.html.

31 It is true that in the codex Sinaiticus and in a number of minuscules the book of Acts is placed between the Pauline letters and the Catholic Espistles, but that does not detract from this connection. See further: Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament. Its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987), appendix II: Variations in the Sequence of the Books of the New Testament; David Trobisch, Die Endredaktion des Neuen Testaments. Eine Untersuchung zur Entstehung der christlichen Bibel (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1996), 35-57; D.C. Parker,An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts (Cambridge: University Press, 2008), 283-310.

32 The codex Alexandrinus nicely shows how the letter of Jude was regarded as the conclusion of the book of Acts plus the Catholic Epistles. On the last page of Jude, the manuscript displays a flowery decoration, with this caption: The epistle ofJude. The acts of the holy apostles and the Catholic [Epistles] (IOYAA EniSTOAH. nPAXEIZ TON ATION A Id OSTOA UNKÁI KA0OAIKAI). The next page begins with Paul’s letter to the Romans.

6 SÁROSPATAKI Fi