Romans • 1 Corinthians • 2 Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • 1 Thessalonians • 2 Thessalonians • 1 Timothy • 2 Timothy • Titus • Philemon • Hebrews • James • 1 Peter • 2 Peter • 1 John • 2 John • 3 John • Jude • Revelation
The rest of the NT is primarily made up of letters, or epistles, written by Paul, James, Peter, John and Jude (the authorship of Hebrews is uncertain). The books of Romans through Thessalonians are letters from the apostle Paul to particular churches and situations in the latter half of the first century ad. These situations range from struggles with how to live together equally as Jew and Gentile (e.g., Gal, Ro, Eph) to dealing with troubling views or practices (e.g., 1Co) and even heresies (e.g., Col).
The Pastoral Letters are Paul’s special instructions to Timothy and Titus as his fellow itinerant missionaries, sent to work with particular churches (see article). Along with Philemon, these letters are addressed to individuals rather than churches (though they have wider intended audiences).
The General Letters are the books of James through Jude (see article). The book of Hebrews is also sometimes categorized with this group. The book of Revelation may also be viewed as a kind of letter, as it begins with letters to seven churches in western Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). However, it is also classified as apocalyptic literature (see Introduction to Revelation: Literary Form), in which symbolism and vivid language are used to describe the cosmic conflict between good and evil, as well as the ultimate triumph of the Lamb (Rev 17:14).