dustIng off a Pseudo-hIstorICal letter:
re-thInkIng the ePIstolary asPeCts of the
aPoCryPhal ePIstle to the laodICeans1
Philip l. tite
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Introduction
the impact that the apostle Paul had on the early Christian imagination
cannot be overstated. not only did he establish a vibrant network of com-
munities in the mid-first century, engage in, if not elicit, debates central
to defining the Christian identity vis-à-vis the gentile mission, and write
what would become foundational texts for the nascent canon, but by the
second century Paul would become one of the key authority figures to
invoke as diverse communities and individuals fought over normative sta-
tus. It is no wonder that his legacy was perpetuated by the preservation,
collection, and wide distribution of a Pauline corpus along with narrative
retellings of his life. It is during this period of admiration, appropriation,
social and doctrinal debate, and simple creative excitement that several
pseudonymous letters were written in Paul’s name, some of which eventu-
ally found a place within the new testament canon and some of which
were relegated to the dusty shelves of even dustier church historians.
one of those relegated texts is the apocryphal epistle to the laodiceans,
which has almost universally been the object of scholarly disdain.2 this
1 the following essay is an abbreviated version of my book, The Apocryphal Epistle to
the Laodiceans: An Epistolary and Rhetorical Analysis (tent 7; leiden: Brill, 2012). exegeti-
cal points, epistolary parallels, and methodological implications are more fully presented
in my longer study. a brief comment on the latin text and translation used in this study
(and printed in the appendix): I have largely followed the latin text as presented by Bur-
net, following lightfoot, though I have corrected the text in comparison to Codex ful-
densis. there are several english translations available, including most importantly those
by James, elliott, schneemelcher, Meeks & fitzgerald, and Pervo. Burnet also offers an
excellent french translation, while a german translation is available from harnack. other
modern translations include Vouaux (french), erbetta (Italian), and firpo (Italian). What
is used in my study is my own translation, which largely agrees with schneemelcher (the
most widely accessible translation today), though my translation deviates at key interpre-
tive points. new testament quotations typically follow the nrsV.
2 overviews of the transmission history, manuscript traditions, or Patristic testimo-
nies for laodiceans tend to dominate scholarly treatment of the letter. helpful surveys
are offered by rudolph anger, Über den Laodiceans: Eine biblisch-kritische Untersuchung