I. Introductory Comments on Ancient Letter Writing

1. What is a Letter?

2. Literary Letters, Royal Correspondence, Common Letters

II. The Greek Documentary Letter Tradition

1. Opening and Closing Formulas

2. Formulas in the Body

3. The Outside Address

III. Saint Paul, the Creator of the Apostolic Letter Tradition

1. The Opening Salutation and the Closing of Paul's Letters

2. The Pauline Thanksgiving

3. General Comments on the Body of Paul's Letters

4. Introductory Formulas in the Body

5. Paul's Apostolic Authority and the Close of the Body

6. The Outside Address and Paul's Letters

IV. The Remaining New Testament Epistolary Literature

1. Paul's Influence upon the Opening and Closing Conventions of the New Testament Epistolary Literature

2. Paul's Influence upon the Letter-Body of the New Testament Epistles

3. The Influence of Hellenistic Epistolary Style on the New Testament Letters