Shortly before Paul�s death, at the time when he was completing his contribution to the compendium in the fall of ca. CE 67, he directed Timothy by letter to get hold of John Mark and bring him to Rome for "a useful service." Now, logically, what kind of useful service could the apostle Peter's aide be to an old apostle incarcerated in a Roman dungeon awaiting execution? We shall see.

Paul wrote Timothy that none of his aides was with him but Luke (II Timothy 4:11). He instructed Timothy to pick up John Mark (II Timothy 4:11), which infers that John Mark was somewhere along the route to be taken by Timothy, and to make every effort to come to Rome before winter (II Timothy 1:9, 1:21). Timothy was to bring Paul�s winter coat, that is "the cloak," which he had left at Troas with Carpus and "the books, especially the parchments" (II Timothy 4:13).

Paul knew his condemnation by the Roman justice system and his death were imminent. "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering," he wrote, "and the time of my departure has come" (II Timothy 4:6).

Paul's custom was to dictate his letters to an aide. As Luke was the only one of Paul�s aides with him at this time he apparently functioned at this point as Paul's amanuensis.^F1 

Paul�s exhortation to Timothy to make every effort to come to Rome forthwith (II Timothy 4:9) implies the epistle was written in the fall before the winter cold arrived. Paul requested his cloak, phailones,^F2 be brought to him before winter. According to Paul�s instructions, Timothy, accompanied by John Mark, then joined them in Rome, late in ca. CE 67, with the manuscripts in the form of papyrus^F3 letters and parchment^F4 scrolls. The parchment scrolls, manufactured of sheep skin, were probably similar to the Isaiah roll from which Jesus read in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:20).^F5

Paul's Manuscripts

As the apostle to the Gentiles, it would have been a matter of course for Paul to have an extensive manuscript collection. This probably included copies of his own letters, various other documents and, presumably, copies of the epistle of James, the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and Acts of the Apostles. His collection may have included a number of Old Testament writings as well. Analysis of Paul�s writings and the source material for his numerous Old Testament quotations show that Paul used not only the recognized Hebrew text but also the Greek version of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint.

The Septuagint text, or LXX, was a series of translations of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Apocrypha. As any translation is always an interpretation significant differences are found between the LXX and the Semitic texts. The LXX, in spite of its numerous difficulties and possibly careless mistakes in translation, was in common use throughout the Greek-speaking world and was the basic translation available to the Greek-speaking churches of Paul�s time. These Hebrew Scriptures, until the opening of the apostolic complement, comprised the recognized Greek "Bible" of Paul�s day.

With Matthew�s gospel originally written in Mishnaic Hebrew intended for non-Greek speaking Judeo-Christians, and Luke�s gospel for Greek-speaking Christians, whether of Jewish or Gentile descent, it in part explains the confusion at Ephesus concerning the matters of the resurrection of the dead detailed in II Timothy 2:17-18. Presumably Hymenaeus and Philetus confused the circumstances pertaining to the account of the resurrection of several individuals to physical life following the resurrection of Jesus in CE 30.^F6 

Not knowing the facts nor being well-grounded in the apostles� doctrine, and apparently wanting to be teachers, as others in Ephesus who "without understanding what they say or about what they are making their confident assertions" (I Timothy 1:7 MLV), erroneously concluded that the general resurrection of the dead was already past. The confusion would have been far less likely, and possibly not at all, if Matthew 27:51-53 had been readily available to the church at Ephesus. The gospel of Luke doesn�t contain the details of Matthew 27:51-53.

Paul�s task, assisted by Luke, Timothy, and John Mark, was to select and to complete the final editing of those of his works to be set aside and preserved as part of Scripture. Paul intended John Mark to have a significant responsibility in the further assembling of the Scriptures. The assistance he referred to as "a useful service" seemingly was the impending transmittal to Peter of one or more edited parchment scrolls after completion of all final revision by Paul.

The decision to select and arrange his own material apparently rested with Paul. He understood the origin and the purpose of Scripture and had carefully considered it. For Paul had written to Timothy that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (II Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV). It was with such understanding that he approached his task.

John Mark now also had opportunity to discuss with Paul his own plan and efforts in chronicling the accounts of Peter and other eye witnesses of the life and ministry of Jesus. This was opportune time for any discussion and formation of recommendations to be communicated to Peter pertaining to the completion of the apostolic writings. Paul�s thoughts regarding any decision relating to Luke�s works would have been discussed as well since Luke was present and intimately involved in the venture.

It is not at all known when Mark wrote his gospel. The view followed herein is that he completed it ca. CE 69 soon after Paul�s death while he was with Peter. Some theorize Mark originally wrote his gospel in Greek, as early as CE 60, for the Greek-speaking churches. Yet until the very end of Paul�s ministry, there is no evidence, after Acts 13:5, 13:13 and Acts 15:37-38, of John Mark having an association with Paul except his visit to Caesarea Maritima about CE 58 (Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24). It is doubtful that a non-associate of Paul would have written a gospel account for the Greek-speaking world when his association was predominately with Peter in the work among the circumcision. One must factor in the time he spent with his uncle Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) but apparently after some time in his early ministry assisting Barnabas (Acts 15:39) he regularly accompanied Peter in his work among the circumcision.^F7

Selection of Paul's Epistles

Paul encountered the difficult task of selecting which of his letters he should designate for scriptural purposes. Time being of the essence he made a conscious decision to select and edit existing documents rather than specifically write new material. The gospels of Luke and Matthew were complete works in their own right and sealed by their authors with a final "amen" (Matthew 28:20, Luke 24:53). Luke�s Acts of the Apostles also was a work complete in its own right, even though its editing would abruptly end it without the usual "amen."

When Paul decided to use his existing material, he undoubtedly weighed the matters of the exigencies of time. His condemnation and the death penalty were imminent. The gravity of the sheer task of developing topics he already, indeed, had covered in his existing writings was insurmountable. The degree of freedom Roman authorities permitted an accused criminal for the writing of documents which they considered subversive to the state was minimal. Paul certainly factored into his decision the credibility afforded letters already known to the churches as well as the matter of inspiration. Thus practicality emerged in Paul�s decision to select those of his writings which would encompass the issues he felt had to be addressed in the course of the history of the church. He chose fourteen epistles abundant with convincing doctrinal material.

The objective was to preserve and protect the essential teachings of the apostles and to convey them on to the q^ehal'el, the Church of God throughout all ages. The implication is that Peter and Paul decided that Paul�s contribution would be the selection of key doctrinal information for the purposes of Scripture. Unquestionably, not all of Paul�s epistles were to be preserved in the Scriptures as neither his Epistle to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16) nor his first letter to the church at Corinth (I Corinthians 5:9) became part of the New Testament nor did they survive as noncanonical literature.

Eusebius writes:

The epistles of Paul are fourteen, all well known and beyond doubt. It should not, however, be concealed, that some have set aside the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying that it was disputed, as not being one of St. Paul�s epistles; but we shall in the proper place, also subjoin what has been said by those before our time respecting this epistle. (Eusebius bk. 3 ch. 3. Boyle 1955:83.)

The Order of the Pauline Epistles

Since Paul elected to select pertinent epistles from his own collection of papyrus letters and scroll manuscripts, he had to deal with the question of the order of presentation of his selected writings. The Scriptural order of his works rest on the nature of their subject matter, for Paul did not place his writings in chronological order. Instead he chose to order them according to doctrinal topic, as he as their author and editor understood their design, into three divisions. Paul chose fourteen epistles to encompass these three divisions.

The first division consisted of nine epistles addressed to seven specifically named church congregations-Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. He arranged the order of these epistles commencing with the first principles of the apostles� doctrines of repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Paul selected the epistle to the Romans to be first, as this letter sets forth these basic doctrines in detail. Each successive epistle presupposes the previous material. Each epistle successively builds upon the material proceeding it.

The second division contains no address, which distinguishes it from the material addressed to the seven named churches, thereby extending it as an epistle to the church at large. This division, concentrating on the priesthood of Jesus Christ as superior to that of the Levities and his resurrection and millennial rule, consisted solely of the book of Hebrews.

The third division comprised letters to the ministry addressed to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Moffatt held that the "position of Hebrews within the Pauline body of letters was usually between the ecclesiastical and the private epistles" as practiced by the Eastern church "or after the latter" as by the Western church. The awkward late fourth-century placement of Hebrews by the Western church as the last of the Pauline letters was a deliberate attempt by Christian Gentiles to put down what was derisively considered "Jewish Christianity" and a not to subtle effort to elevate Rome as the seat of the Western church (Moffatt 1923:17). 

The myth of the execution of Peter at Rome and his aggrandizement as the first pope and bishop of Rome was an effort to promote supremacy for the Latin church at Rome. In this bid to exalt Rome, Western church leaders alleged that the epistle to the Romans was first in the canon because Paul wrote it to the church in the world�s most eminent city. Corinthians followed because Corinth was inferior to Rome, of course, but as a Roman colonial city more important than any of the other cities addressed in Paul�s epistles. Hebrews was last as it was not only the least important but the most inferior of the fourteen Pauline epistles and not addressed to anyone.

The order adopted by Paul for his epistles was the same as they appeared in the King James Version except he placed Hebrews immediately after II Thessalonians and before I Timothy. The first-century order of the Pauline corpus has been confirmed by the existing early codex manuscripts of the New Testament including the Codex Vaticanus (dating from the middle of the fourth century and which stops at Hebrews 9:13), Codex Sinaiticus (from the middle of the fourth century), Codex Alexandrinus (from the beginning of the fifth century), and Codex Ephraemi (of the fifth century). These manuscripts were written on vellum and constitute hard evidence of the early order of the Pauline corpus.^F8

Vellum manufactured from the hides of calves and antelopes, was a particularly enduring writing material suited for codex construction. In Paul�s time the most enduring scrolls were made of parchment derived from sheep skin to provide more resistance to moisture. The parchment scroll, preferred over papyrus, was particularly suited for the preservation and transmission of Paul�s chosen writings. The roll, or scroll, form of manuscript was in popular use until about the third century when books in codex form became preferable. The codex construction consisted of the assembly of individual sheets of vellum or papyrus into a stack and then binding them. By this method the equivalent of a set of 20 or 30 average-sized rolls could be placed in a single volume of reasonable size.

Papyrus, highly susceptible to dampness and somewhat frail in nature, was significantly less durable than parchment. Less expensive personal and unofficial copies of the Scriptures certainly were made later by others on less expensive papyrus, but the parchment scroll was a long-wearing means of safeguarding Paul�s writings. A papyrus fragment, discovered in Egypt and dating from ca. CE 115, bares the text of John 18:31-33 and John 18:37-38. The fragment, from a codex and not a roll, is known as the John Rylands Papyrus [Greek 457, P⁵²] after its depository, the John Rylands University Library at Manchester, in the United Kingdom. It is the earliest discovered text of the New Testament. This papyrus fragment shows that not only was the codex invented in the late first century but sufficient time had passed for the memoirs of the apostles (the gospels) to have circulated as far as Alexandria in Egypt.

Pieces of parchment sewed together to form a long sheet could be rolled up, forming the scroll. Joining his selected works by means of sewing the parchment sheets together, Paul and his associates likely produced a single parchment scroll, albeit somewhat bulky, with his edited writings placed in the order he wanted them. The size of this scroll would be comparable to the Isaiah scroll found at Qumran and presently in the Dead Sea Scrolls collection in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.^F9 Those of his letters, if any, that were originally preserved on papyrus had to be copied onto parchment so they could become part of the completed master parchment scroll.

During the first century, parchment scrolls were commonly used as writing material for the preservation of important documents. The Dead Sea Scrolls are typical of important writings preserved by means of parchment. Many of these manuscripts, mainly written in Aramaic or Hebrew, relate to the beliefs, philosophy, and affairs of the Essene ascetic sect. Their manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures confirm the authenticity of the Masoretic text, of which the earliest surviving copies are available only from the tenth century, from which come the standard translations of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Dead Sea Scrolls were written as early as BCE 100, and not later than CE 68, the date the settlement was destroyed by Roman legions in the course of the Great Jewish Revolt.

In what has been called "the scriptorium", where the Essene scribes were reported to have practiced their art, archaeologists found what they referred to as "a writing desk" along with ceramic and bronze inkwells. These articles, whose authenticity has been challenged by scholars, are now part of the archeological collection of the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, the scholarly repository for the Scrolls, but not on public display as they are in the possession of the Israeli Antiquities Department located in the museum�s basement. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem also exhibits a number of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Shrine of the Book, including a copy of the Isaiah scroll.^F10

Paul Executed in 68

Paul, beheaded shortly before Nero�s death appears to have suffered execution in the spring of CE 68. His death apparently occurred on the site known as Aquae Salviae now the Abbey of the Three Fountains. Nero committed suicide on June 9, 68, the day after he was deposed by the Roman Senate. On June 8, the Senate had recognized Galba and unseated Nero. Tradition suggests that Paul�s body was claimed by his kinsmen Roman senator Rufus Pudens (the Rufus of Romans 16:13) and his wife Claudia Rufina (the Claudia of II Timothy 4:21), who buried him in praedio Lucinae a small cemetery on the Ostian Way, about 1,000 paces from the gate of the same name. Many believe that the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome stands "on the burial place" of Paul. The prevailing tradition is that Paul's burial was in "the small graveyard adjacent to Via Ostiensis, not far from the area called Ad Aquas Salvias (now known as the Three Fountains). The Liber Pontificalis attributes the construction of a place of worship on the site of the cella memoriae of St. Paul since the fifth century marked by two slabs bearing the inscription Paulo Apostolo Martyr.

Where Luke and Timothy traveled upon Paul�s death is unknown. Presumably they carried the news of his martyrdom and information concerning Paul�s completing his writings. The fourteen edited writings Paul selected for purposes of the compendium were sent to Peter, and as he was the leading apostle it was his responsibility, in consort with the other apostles, to commission them as authoritative documents of the church. As Peter had not yet authorized the redacted Pauline corpus as Scripture, it is unlikely that Paul or his associates permitted any unauthorized copies of the edited material to be left in Rome. In fact, to lessen any chance for confusion, it is quite likely that, other than the writings forwarded to the apostle Peter, all Paul�s writings then in his possession were deliberately destroyed by his own order as they were not to be preserved.

The duty of bringing the news of Paul�s death to Peter was that of his associate John Mark. In Peter�s first epistle, written shortly after Paul�s death, John Mark is found with Peter in Babylon of Mesopotamia (I Peter 5:13). John Mark�s task was to leave Rome with the edited manuscripts consisting of the fourteen epistles of Paul as a single parchment scroll, conceivably the gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles comprising the second and third parchment scrolls, the Epistle of James as a fourth scroll, and the gospel of Matthew as a fifth, for transfer to Peter.

Certainly a letter of transmittal to Peter from Paul would have been in order. There were several reasons for Paul communicating to Peter. Appropriate were an explanation of why he selected the writings he did, the basis upon which he organized his writings as well as suggestions for preservation of the material as Scripture, and his suggestions for its circulation and accessibility. It would not be unlike Paul to even suggest non-Pauline material for inclusion in the Scriptures, as well as suggestions for the order of presentation of works to be added. Paul was the learned scholar, and of the apostles, the most equipped to compile the structure of the compendium of apostolic writings.

^F1See Bruce 1985:36.

^F2The Greek felovnh (phailonesphailones), translated paenula in Latin, is an exterior garment made of coarse, dense fabric, round in shape, having an opening in the center for the head (Guthrie 1983:173, Eadton 1948).

^F3Papyrus (biblion), an economical Egyptian import derived from a reed grown along the banks of the Nile River, was a writing material commonly used for routine purposes.

^F4Parchment (membrana), a writing material too expensive for ordinary use, was made from the skins of goats and sheep. These were simply stretched, dried, and rubbed with pumice. Due to a somewhat pronounced hair follicle pattern in goat skin, it was difficult to write on goat-skin parchment, making sheep skin preferable. As a writing material, parchment was superior to papyrus as it was not as susceptible to moisture. Ancient parchments were of a finer quality than those made today due to the diet of the animals. Vellum differed from parchment anciently in that the material was manufactured from calves and antelopes.

^F5See Johnston 19, Febvre 1997, and Putnam 1896-97.

^F6Some writers see early Gnosticism in the teaching of Hymenaeus and Philetus. The latter's confusion of the general resurrection with the details of Matthew 27:51-53 does not rule out the possibility that they advocated a form of Jewish Gnosticism typical of the Essenes.

^F7See Eusebius 2.15, 3.39 (Boyle 1955:64, 127).

^F8See Scrivener 19??:74.

^F9This Isaiah scroll is available for public view in the permanent collection of the Israel Museum at Jerusalem within the Shrine of the Book. Some authors claim that the epistles of Paul would not have been preserved by scroll arguing that the scroll would not have been too bulky. Nevertheless, the Pauline corpus would not have taken any more space than the Isaiah scroll.

^F10See Alexander 1978:62-64.

Taken from The First Christians by Michael P. Germano and edited for the World Wide Web.
Copyright �1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000 by Michael P. Germano. All Rights Reserved.

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