Sárospataki Füzetek 16. (2012)
2012 / 3-4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK
Catholic Epistle 1: The diasporic letter of James, the brother of the Lord. As has already been noted, this letter is addressed to refugees from the Jewish- Christian church of Jerusalem. The ‘twelve tribes’ mentioned in the address clearly do not refer to a Christian diaspora, but to the tribal relationships of Israel, in which the Christian believers had their roots. James follows a Jerusalem tradition of letters, full of instructions and advices, aimed at Jews living in the diaspora. He acts as a teacher of wisdom, in the style of Jesus himself. It is likely that this letter of exhortation was written before the convent in Jerusalem, and before the mission to the Gentiles began. Catholic Epistle 2: Peter’s circular letter from Babylon. Peter, having fled Jerusalem, had gone to another place’ (Acts 12:17). This place was not Rome, as is often thought. This idea is based on the book of Revelation, where Rome is compared with Babylon. However, the Babylon referred to at the end of 1 Peter denotes an actual place. To ensure that Herod could not find him, the apostle had to leave the territory of the Roman Empire. For that reason, he went to Babylon in Mesopotamia, where there was a Jewish community. From there he writes to Gentile Christians in Asia Minor, living in all regions of the address, arranged in an imaginary circle. Silas delivered this letter and provided further elucidation. Catholic Epistle 3: The testament of Simon Peter. As he felt the end of his life approaching, Peter wrote a second letter to the same readers as its precursor, a spiritual last will and testament. He warns against false teachers, who will try to turn back the clock on their Christian identity. Let no-one think that God will leave this evil unpunished. In the same manner as the world was once engulfed in a deluge of water, so the Almighty' will carry out his last judgement with all-consuming fire. Isaiah’s ancient promise will then be fulfilled: “we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13) Catholic Epistles 4, 5 and 6: Church mailfrom the eldest witness (John). The author of the second and third letters of John refers to himself as ‘the elder’. He is almost certainly the apostle John, the longest surviving witness to the resurrection (John 21:23). It is likely that the first letter was intended to commit to writing his apostolic witness to his own congregation. From his second and third letters, it is clear that John had intentions to visit a sister church. In order to ensure that he should be well received, he informs both the congregation (2 John) and its leader, Gaius (3 John), of his impending arrival. Catholic Epistle 7: The testament of Jude, the brother of James. Jude’s letter is one long and varied list of examples from Israel’s history (from both the Old Testament and Jewish tradition) providing documentary evidence that the wicked will not avoid their punishment: their sentence has long ago been determined and written down. Even though Jude’s letter bears strong resemblance to 2 Peter 2, Jerusalem the mother Church discussed by him: the letter to the Ephesians (according to Dunn written by a pupil of Paul), the letter of James and the first letter of Peter (Beginning from Jerusalem [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009], 11051166). 2012/3-4 Sárospataki Füzetek 29
