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Inspired Content, Dubious Authorship
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Readings for Daily Masses in Weeks 8 - 9 in Ordinary Time, Year II
Ancient Greek on parchment - Free Library of Philadelphia
Over the course of two weeks, we hear from four of the shorter New Testament epistles. 1 Peter, Jude, and 2 Peter are categorized as "catholic" epistles, and 2 Timothy is considered a "pastoral" epistle. For more on these various categories of epistles, please refer to this other page on the authorship of the New Testament Epistles.NOTE that in 2022 we hear from 1 Peter on only two weekdays before the Lenten season readings begin on Ash Wednesday. The other readings for the 8th and 9th weeks in Ordinary Time are skipped. Ordinary Time, the 10th week, resumes after Pentecost.
Please use the links below to jump to a particular epistle.
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If We Don't Know the Author, Why Use the Letter?
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Thoughts on the Pseudepigraphic ("Reverse Plagiarism") Epistles
Man in a Bowler Hat - Rene Magritte
All four of these epistles have named authors, but most scholars argue that none of these books were written by the authors named. When people hear that the names of the authors of sacred scripture have been fabricated, they may question why these books are included in the Bible.
The criterion for including a book in the biblical canon is not its authorship, but its content. The Bible only includes books that multiple generations of people agreed speak to who God is and how we are called to relate to God. Each of these books—even if the authorship is in question—enriches our understanding of the ultimate purpose of our lives. In other words, we believe that each of these works was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It may help to contrast these with some of the books excluded from the New Testament because the Christian community found claims in those books that were at odds with the deposit of faith.The truth is, there are very few books in the Bible of which we have high confidence in their authorship. The books with the highest level of scholarly consensus about authorship are Sirach and the seven authentic Pauline epistles. The percentage of contemporary scholars agreeing on the claimed authorship of other books varies, from a fairly high level of confidence in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, to almost universal skepticism about Proverbs and the Song of Songs. Nevertheless, we hold that all these books contain essential truths about our relationship with God.
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1 PETER (Monday - Friday of Week 8)
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"Although you have not seen him, you love him." (1 Peter 1:8)
Although 1 Peter is considered a "catholic" (universal) letter, it is addressed to Christian communities in five provinces in Asia Minor. Ancient Christians accepted that this was written by Peter the Apostle, but modern scholars are more skeptical. Peter was probably martyred no later than 67 AD, and yet this letter speaks of widespread persecutions, which did not start until the reign of the Emperor Domitian in 81. The letter is written in sophisticated Greek and references the Septuagint translation of the Jewish scriptures, instead of the Hebrew version more commonly used in Judea. Lastly, it seems unlikely that Peter would have written to communities founded by Paul while Paul was still alive.
1 Peter repeatedly combines teachings about mercy with exhortations to Christians enduring persecutions. The letter can be broken into three sections. The first section (1:3 - 2:10) speaks of both the graces and the responsibilities of the baptized, including our relationship with the unseen Christ. The second section (2:11 - 4:11) urges Christians to cooperate with secular institutions whenever possible, even recognizing that Jesus himself submitted to suffering and persecution at the hands of the Roman government. The last section (4:12 - 5:11) exhorts all Christians to foster a spirit of humility, saying, "Whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name" (4:16).
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JUDE (Saturday of Week 8)
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"Through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority." (Jude 25)
Christ Pantocrator mosaic - Cefalù Cathedral, Sicily
Jude is the last of the catholic epistles in the Bible. At only 25 verses, it is significantly shorter than James,
1 & 2 Peter, and 1 John, but slightly longer than 2 & 3 John. The author is identified in verse 1 as "Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James." If the author were either of the men named "Jude" or "Judas" listed among the 12 apostles in the gospels, he would almost definitely have identified himself as such. Therefore, the only other biblical possibility is the Jude mentioned in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55 as one of Jesus' "brothers," along with "James, the brother of the Lord." Nothing else is known about this person named Jude, so there is no way to determine if the author is who he claims to be.
Jude claims to be writing to a universal audience, but he seems to be writing to a particular community or set of communities struggling with false teachers promoting gnosticism. The letter ends with the eloquent doxology: "to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come."
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2 PETER (Monday & Tuesday of Week 9)
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The Transfiguration - Carl Heinrich Bloch
Despite the author's claims in 1:18 of witnessing Jesus' Transfiguration and in 3:1 that this is his second letter, few contemporary scholars believe that Peter the Apostle wrote 2 Peter. In fact, as Origen of Alexandria attests in the 3rd century, few ancient Christians believed it! The letter refers to the apostles as "our ancestors" (3:2 - 4) and speaks of the unexpected delay in the second coming of Christ, a concern that would not have been prevalent during Peter's lifetime. Many scholars posit that 2 Peter was written after 100 AD, perhaps even after 125 AD.
The first and third chapters of 2 Peter are positive exhortations about knowledge, God's promises, and the virtues of faith, hope, and love. Between those, chapter two condemns false teachers. Christians have long noted the similarities between Jude 4 - 16 and 2 Peter 2:1 - 18. The scholarly consensus is that
2 Peter borrows from Jude, since 2 Peter omits Jude's references to the apocryphal works of The Assumption of Moses (9) and The Book of Enoch (14 - 15).
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2 TIMOTHY (Wednesday - Saturday of Week 9)
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The Martyrdom of St. Paul (quoting 2 Timothy 4:7 underneath)
Robert Reid (Church of St. Paul the Apostle, New York)The apostle Timothy was a frequent companion of Paul, mentioned in each of chapters 16 - 20 of the Acts of the Apostles, as well as in 10 epistles. Paul saw himself as Timothy's mentor, describing the younger man's relationship with him "as a child with a father, he served along with me in the cause of the gospel" (Philippians 2:22).
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Both 1 & 2 Timothy purport to be letters of advice written by Paul late in his life to Timothy, instructing him on becoming the bishop (Greek: episkopos, meaning "overseer") of all the Christians in the city of Ephesus. However, contemporary scholars frequently question if the author—and the recipient—of these letters are as claimed. All three of the Pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) use different vocabulary than Paul's authentic letters, and they speak about church leadership structures that didn't exist yet at the time of Paul's death.
No matter the actual author and recipient of this letter, 2 Timothy is a much more personal letter than
1 Timothy or Titus. Paul speaks with genuine concern for Timothy's welfare, advising him on the virtues necessary to be a good pastoral leader (2:16 - 26). He repeatedly exhorts Timothy not to be fearful or ashamed (e.g., 1:7). Such references make us question if the name "Timothy" is a nickname for the apostle, since the name has the same root as "timid" and "timorous." -
As the leader of the churches in Ephesus, Timothy will undoubtedly face personal attacks when confronting false teachers. Paul speaks from his own personal experience. He advises Timothy to rely on the scriptures, on his authority in proclaiming the Word, and on Church teaching. Paul reflects on the joys and the sufferings of his own ministry, concluding with an analogy from sporting competitions: "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith" (4:7).
Paul ends the letter with some personal concerns, asking Timothy to come visit him, and to bring along the cloak and reading materials he left behind (4:13).
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The response to the first reading during these weeks is always from the Book of Psalms. The gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of Mark, chapters 10 - 12.
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