KOCHAN Pavol - Acta Patristica, volume 9, issue 19/2018
HISTORICAL-PATRISTIC INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD LETTER OF SAINT APOSTLE PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS
/HISTORICKO-PATRISTICKÝ ÚVOD K TRETIEMU LISTU KU KORINTSKÝM OD APOŠTOLA PAVLA/
Pavol KOCHAN
lecturer, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Presov in Presov, Masarykova 15, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia, pavol.kochan@unipo.sk, 00421517724729
Abstract
The patristic literature from the early Christian period knows much more than just authentic writings. One of them called Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha contains so-called apocryphal texts attributed to individual apostles, possibly to their associates. Quite interesting is the text so-called The Third letter to the Corinthians, which in this file is attributed to the Apostle Paul. The letter itself mentions church writer Tertullian in O Baptism, where he states that the letter was written in response to Paul's letter to the Corinthian Christians to Paul.
Keywords
Apostle Paul, letter, apocrypha, Ephraim The Syrian
SUMMARY
Determining ancient Christian writings is a hard work. Especially if it is a text that has lost its popularity throughout history and has forgotten. Saint Ephraim The Syrian is practically the only ecclesiastical author who recall the Third letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, which is now generally regarded as apocryphal text. Ephraim makes a brief exegesis of the leaf itself, which has not been preserved in its entirety but only in fragments. In the analysis he describes the short history and content of the text that was allegedly written in response to the letter of Christians in Corinth to the Holy Apostle Paul. The letter did not enter the canonical book of the New Testament. It was created at the initiative of St. Athanasius of Alexandria. But it was not the fault or bias of Athanasius or the other fathers of the Church. The book selection process has been a matter of several centuries. Similarly, we see it in other writings like Hermas Pastor. Although these texts were not included in the cannon of books, they nevertheless enjoyed great popularity with the early Christians.
(Language: slovak)