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Pauline Letters · Letters and their readers

How early Paul’s letters were read

The early reception of the Pauline letters emerges letter by letter, through witnesses whose different kinds of recognition should retain their different evidential weight.

Created and edited by Thomas Diong · Updated

Reader question

How early were Paul’s letters known, and what do their earliest witnesses actually establish?

First Clement explicitly recalls Paul’s letter about Corinthian factions on its usual late-first-century dating. Other early writers quote or echo particular letters; second-century collections and papyri around AD 200 add different evidence. Together these supply dates for attested use, while uncertain witness dates and possible shared language limit some comparisons.

A letter taken up again at Corinth

In chapter 47 of First Clement, the church at Rome directs the Corinthians back to Paul’s earlier letter about their factions. Paul, Cephas and Apollos make the subject recognizable as 1 Corinthians 1:10–12. Here a writer names Paul and recalls a particular letter’s argument. The evidence is more specific than a general tribute to an apostle: Rome knew the letter and expected Corinth to recognize it.

First Clement is usually dated around AD 95–97, although proposals range from about 70 to 140. The early witness therefore carries the uncertainty of its own date. Its force is still substantial: an identifiable Pauline letter was being recalled to address another church dispute. It does not follow that the writer possessed all thirteen letters traditionally attributed to Paul, or that every passage resembling a later letter must come from it.

Quotation, allusion and echo

The reception records distinguish a clear quotation from a probable allusion and a possible echo. Ignatius’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 18, closely reproduces wording from 1 Corinthians 1:20 in a context also resembling its discussion of the cross. The words can be recognizable even without a named source. His letters are conventionally dated around AD 105–117, though some place them later.

An echo demands more restraint. Ignatius’s letter to the Smyrnaeans pairs Christ’s descent from David with divine sonship in language resembling Romans 1:3–4. Because Paul may himself be using an earlier confession there, Ignatius could share that confession without borrowing Romans. First Clement’s list of vices probably alludes to Romans, but such lists were also common. Around AD 180, Irenaeus explicitly names Romans: that attribution answers a different question from an earlier verbal resemblance.

In his letter to Philippi, usually dated around AD 110–140, Polycarp of Smyrna includes sayings about money that probably draw on 1 Timothy 6:7 and 6:10. Proverbial parallels leave room for shared teaching. His likely familiarity with that wording matters for reception. It cannot decide the disputed question of whether Paul wrote 1 Timothy.

Keep the writer, recipient and names distinct

Titles can conceal an easy confusion. Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians is a witness to Pauline writings, rather than Paul’s own Philippians. Likewise, Ignatius’s To the Romans is a different work from Romans. Naming the author alongside the destination keeps the evidence attached to the right document.

Shared personal names need the same care. Ignatius mentions a bishop named Onesimus near wording that may echo Philemon. That combination has prompted a proposed identification with the Onesimus in Paul’s letter. The name was common, however, and the identification remains unproven. A possible literary echo cannot turn two named people into one established biography.

Collections show what readers received

Marcion’s mid-second-century edition gathered ten Pauline letters, including Philemon, while omitting 1–2 Timothy and Titus. The edition is lost; its contents are known through opponents, especially Tertullian writing in the early third century. His hostile report needs to remain visible in any account of what Marcion received or altered.

The Muratorian Fragment receives thirteen letters under Paul’s name. Usually dated around AD 170–200, it is placed in the fourth century by some scholars. These are records of accepted collections at their respective, sometimes disputed, dates. Marcion’s omissions alone cannot date the Pastorals: rejection, lack of knowledge and later composition remain proposed explanations. A list’s attribution to Paul likewise records a judgment about authorship rather than settling it.

The surviving copy is another witness

Papyrus 46, usually dated by handwriting to around AD 200, preserves an extensive collection of Pauline letters. It places Hebrews after Romans. That arrangement shows how those writings were grouped by the codex’s users; it cannot establish who wrote Hebrews. Missing final leaves also prevent certainty about whether the book once included Philemon or the Pastoral Letters.

Philemon illustrates the difference between literary reception and physical survival. Its earliest firm reception evidence is Marcion’s collection, as reported later by Tertullian. Its oldest known manuscript, Papyrus 87, is dated by handwriting to the third century. The fragment attests copying by then, rather than fixing the letter’s composition date. Keeping those two timelines distinct lets each witness contribute what it actually preserves.

Bibliography and sources

  1. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 3.2 View source
  2. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 9.1 View source
  3. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 9.2 View source
  4. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 11.2 View source
  5. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 11.3 View source
  6. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 12.1 View source
  7. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Phil. 13.2 View source
  8. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — AH 3.3.4 (Polycarp's letter) View source
  9. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — AH 3.3.4 (Polycarp and Marcion) View source
  10. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 5.6 View source
  11. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 5.7 View source
  12. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 5.1 View source
  13. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot) — 1 Clem. 5.2 View source
  14. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 47.1-3 View source
  15. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 6.1 View source
  16. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 1.1 View source
  17. Church of Rome (traditionally Clement of Rome), First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. inscription (salutation) View source
  18. J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, Part I: S. Clement of Rome, vol. 2 — Note on 1 Clem. 5 ('the extreme west'), p. 30 View source
  19. J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, Part I: S. Clement of Rome, vol. 2 — Note on 1 Clem. 5 ('the extreme west'), p. 31 View source
  20. J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, Part I: S. Clement of Rome, vol. 2 — Note on 1 Clem. 5 ('seven times'), p. 29 View source
  21. J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, Part I: S. Clement of Rome, vol. 1 — Part I, vol. 1, p. 27 View source
  22. J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, Part I: S. Clement of Rome, vol. 1 — Part I, vol. 1, p. 118 (Alexandrian MS) View source
  23. J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, Part I: S. Clement of Rome, vol. 1 — Part I, vol. 1, p. 122 (Constantinople MS) View source
  24. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — AH 3.3.3 View source
  25. Anonymous, Muratorian Fragment (Canon Muratorianus) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — §2 in ANF numbering (on Acts) View source
  26. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Kurzgefasste Liste: GA 02 (Codex Alexandrinus) — docID 20002 (GA 02; London, British Library, Royal 1 D.VIII; 5th century) View source
  27. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Ephesians (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Ign. Eph. 12.2 View source
  28. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Romans (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Ign. Rom. 4.3 View source
  29. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Romans (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Ign. Rom. 9.2 (echo of 1 Cor 15:8-9) View source
  30. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Ephesians (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Ign. Eph. 18.1 (echo of 1 Cor 1:18-20; 4:13) View source
  31. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Ign. Smyrn. 3.3 View source
  32. Polycarp of Smyrna, Epistle to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot) — Pol. Phil. 13.2 View source
  33. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — Haer. 5.28.4 (quoting Ign. Rom. 4.1) View source
  34. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 3, on Philemon, Titus and Timothy (ANF 5:603) View source
  35. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 3, on Laodiceans and Alexandrians (ANF 5:603) View source
  36. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 2, on Acts and Theophilus (ANF 5:603) View source
  37. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 2, on Peter's passion and Paul's journey to Spain (ANF 5:603) View source
  38. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 4 (ANF 5:604) View source
  39. ANF vol. 5 editors (editorial headnote), Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5, note to 'Canon Muratorianus' — ANF 5:603, headnote (CCEL note 4977) View source
  40. Tertullian, Against Marcion, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3 (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.21 View source
  41. Tertullian, Against Marcion, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3 (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.17 View source
  42. Kurzgefasste Liste der griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testaments (INTF NTVMR, page-level record) — Gregory-Aland P46 (INTF docID 10046) View source
  43. Chester Beatty online exhibition page: New Testament (label for the Pauline Epistles leaf) — CBL BP II f.61 View source
  44. CSNTM manuscript record: P46 — GA P46 View source
  45. INTF NTVMR transcription of P46 — P46 folio 20r View source
  46. INTF NTVMR transcription of P46 — P46 folio 21v View source
  47. INTF NTVMR transcription of P46 — P46 folio 75r View source
  48. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.21.1 View source
  49. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.21.1 View source
  50. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.17.1 View source
  51. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.11.12 View source
  52. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.13.4 View source
  53. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 1.19.2 View source
  54. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 1.15 View source
  55. Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — Haer. 1.27.2 View source
  56. Muratorian Fragment (Canon Muratorianus) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Muratorian Fragment, sec. 3 (ANF 5 numbering) View source
  57. Polycarp, Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Phil. 4.1 View source
  58. INTF NTVMR transcription of P46 — P46 folio 75r View source
  59. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Kurzgefasste Liste (INTF NTVMR): manuscript record P87 — P87 (docID 10087) View source
  60. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, INTF transcription of P87, folio 1r — P87 f. 1r (Phlm 13-15) View source
  61. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, INTF transcription of P87, folio 1v — P87 f. 1v (Phlm 24-25) View source
  62. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Kurzgefasste Liste (INTF NTVMR): manuscript record P139 — P139 (docID 10139) View source
  63. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Kurzgefasste Liste (INTF NTVMR): manuscript record 01 (Codex Sinaiticus) — 01 (docID 20001) View source
  64. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Kurzgefasste Liste (INTF NTVMR): manuscript record P46 — P46 (docID 10046) View source
  65. CSNTM manuscript catalogue: GA P87 — GA P87 View source
  66. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3) (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.21 View source
  67. Clement of Rome (traditional attribution), 1 Clement (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — 1 Clem. 35.6 View source
  68. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Smyrn. 1.1 View source
  69. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Phil. 6.2 View source
  70. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.13 View source
  71. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — Haer. 3.16.3 View source
  72. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 3, on Paul's letters to seven churches View source
  73. CSNTM manuscript record: P46 — GA P46 View source
  74. Clement of Rome, The Epistle of S. Clement to the Corinthians (Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers Part I, vol. 2) (J. B. Lightfoot, 1890) — 1 Clem. 47.1-3 View source
  75. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Ephesians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Ign. Eph. 18.1 View source
  76. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Romans (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Ign. Rom. 9.2 View source
  77. Polycarp, Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Pol. Phil. 11.2 View source
  78. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3) (P. Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.10 View source
  79. Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1) (A. Roberts and W. H. Rambaut, 1885) — Haer. 4.27.3 View source
  80. Muratorian Fragment (Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Muratorian Fragment, section 3 (ANF 5 numbering) View source
  81. CSNTM manuscript record, Gregory-Aland P46 — GA P46 (Dublin, CBL BP II) View source
  82. Clement of Rome (traditional attribution), 1 Clement (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — 1 Clem. 61.2 View source
  83. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to Polycarp (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Pol. 3.1 View source
  84. Polycarp of Smyrna, Letter to the Philippians (J. B. Lightfoot, 1891) — Phil. 4.1 View source
  85. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Canon Muratorianus, in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (printed among the Fragments of Caius) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Canon Muratorianus 3, on Philemon, Titus and Timothy (ANF 5:603) View source
  86. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, 1885) — AH 1, preface 1 View source
  87. Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung, Münster, Kurzgefasste Liste (NTVMR), P133 — Gregory-Aland P133 (INTF docID 10133) View source
  88. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3) (Peter Holmes, 1885) — 5.21 View source
  89. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Ephesians (J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, 1891) — Ign. Eph. 2.1-2 View source
  90. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.21.1 (Marcion's Apostolicon) View source
  91. Anonymous (Muratorian Fragment), Muratorian Fragment (Canon Muratorianus) (S. D. F. Salmond, 1886) — Muratorian Fragment, sec. 3 (ANF 5 numbering) View source
  92. Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, CSNTM manuscript catalogue: GA P87 — GA P87 (3rd century; Köln, Institut für Altertumskunde, Inv. Nr. 12) View source
  93. Tertullian, Against Marcion (Peter Holmes, 1885) — Adv. Marc. 5.21.1 (Philemon's brevity) View source

Cite this page

Thomas Diong. “How early Paul’s letters were read.” Pauline Letters. Updated 2026-10-23. https://paulineletters.com/explore/articles/how-early-pauls-letters-were-read

BibTeX
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  author = {Diong, Thomas},
  title = {How early Paul’s letters were read},
  organization = {Pauline Letters},
  date = {2026-10-23},
  url = {https://paulineletters.com/explore/articles/how-early-pauls-letters-were-read},
  langid = {en}
}
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