Letters, scribes and carriers

The empire, except perhaps Egypt, had no postal service beyond official business. Most people sent letters by slaves, friends or travelers. Most letters were written by a paid scribe, either from shorthand dictation or with the scribe helping to shape the wording. The author's closing in his own hand worked like a signature. Paul chose couriers both he and the churches trusted, and Tertius penned Romans. Greek letters opened with a standard greeting and closed with Farewell. Officials sent respected representatives to carry decrees and circular letters. The formula translated it seemed good belonged to council resolutions and imperial decrees. Literacy may have been around ten percent, and reading was nearly always aloud, so churches heard letters read in their services. Wright and Bird note that "Romans is many times longer than the average first-century letter," and Wright has Phoebe carry it to Rome and read it aloud. Polite letters opened with a thanksgiving, and leaving it out marked a letter of blame. A direct rebuke at the opening is "found only among the harshest of ancient letters" (Keener and his notes on Galatians 1). Letters stood in for the writer's presence. News too risky to write traveled by the carrier's mouth, and a carrier known to both sides vouched for the copy. Letters are far older than Rome. Podany dates the first known ones to Sumerian kings writing to other kings before 2334 BC. Assyrian merchants of about 1950 to 1740 BC sent theirs in clay envelopes with caravans. Since a scribe wrote it and read it aloud, such a letter was not private.

Because letters traveled with trusted people and were read aloud, the Jerusalem letter of Acts 15:22-31 goes with chosen messengers who can explain it, and Paul's letters were heard by whole churches. In Romans 16:22 the scribe, Tertius, adds a greeting of his own, and in Galatians 6:11 Paul takes the pen himself.