the New Testament shows) to give their writings the authority
associated with Paul’s name (Schnelle 1998: 276–348). These
forgeries are usually referred to as the deutero-Pauline (that is,
‘secondary Pauline’) letters to distinguish them from the other
seven Pauline letters believed to be the apostle’s genuine compo-
sitions. Indeed, some scholars make a further distinction marking
out the Pastoral Epistles as a group separate from the other
deutero-Pauline letters (Ehrman 1997: 242–3, 320–39).
The authenticity of the genuine Pauline letters is judged
by a variety of means: their written style and vocabulary are
regarded as consistent; their theological content is coherent; and
they address matters that historians regard as plausible concerns
for Christian communities in the 50s when Paul was active (e.g.
Ehrman 1997: 242–310). By contrast, the inauthentic letters differ
in terms of style, structure, and content. At times, they even
contradict statements in the genuine letters. For example, whereas
the genuine letters talk of salvation and the resurrection of Christ’s
followers in the futuretense, as experiences to which Christians
can look forward (Romans5.9–10 and 6.4; 1 Corinthians 3.15
and 5.5), the deutero-Pauline epistles speak about such matters
in the pasttense, and therefore as experiences which Christians
feel they have already achieved (Colossians2.12;Ephesians2.5).^3
Similar problems attach themselves to the ascriptions of the
remaining five letters in the New Testament (one each by James
and Jude, one addressed to the Hebrews, and two by Peter).^4 Of
course, many of these arguments about authorship are subjec-
tive. They depend in large measure upon the extent to which
scholars agree that specific characteristics (such as style, vocab-
ulary, and content) are sufficient to establish the authorship of a
particular document. Not all scholars agree with the verdicts
I have set out above. As a consequence there is much debate
about the attribution of many of the letters contained in the New
Testament.^5
Further problems arise when we begin to consider the dates
of the various books in the New Testament. In modern bibles, the
books are so arranged that the gospels come first, followed bySOURCES AND THEIR INTERPRETATION
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