The catholic epistles (also called the general epistles) are seven epistles of the New Testament. Listed in order of their appearance in the New Testament, the catholic epistles are:
Traditional epistle name | Author according to the text (NRSV) | Traditional attribution[1] | Modern consensus[1] | Addressee(s) according to the text (NRSV) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Epistle of James | "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" | James, brother of Jesus | An unknown James | "To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion"[2] |
First Epistle of Peter | "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ" | Simon Peter | Maybe Simon Peter | "To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia"[3] |
Second Epistle of Peter | "Sim(e)on Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ" | Simon Peter | Not Simon Peter | To all Christians[4] |
First Epistle of John | anonymous | John, son of Zebedee | Unknown | To fellow Christians[5] |
Second Epistle of John | anonymous | John, son of Zebedee | Unknown | "To the elect lady and her children"[6] |
Third Epistle of John | anonymous | John, son of Zebedee | Unknown | "To the beloved Gaius"[7] |
Epistle of Jude | "Jude" (or "Judas"), "a servant," (Gk. slave), "of Jesus Christ and brother of James" | Jude, brother of Jesus | An unknown Jude | To all Christians[8] |