Corpus-Paul

[Ron Price <ron.price AT virgin.net>]

Richard Fellows wrote:

> Partition theories for 2 Cor (and Phil) are surely
> sustainable only if the practice of combining letters can be shown to have
> been common, or at least attested.

Richard,

  I'm not at all convinced that this is true. Unique problems often give
rise to unique solutions.
  According to the partition theories a later Christian (perhaps in the 80s
in Ephesus) had access to Paul's letters, some of which were small,
fragmentary or incomplete. Wishing to ensure their survival, (s)he combined
some of the smaller letters or fragments into larger units, whence our
Philippian and Corinthian "epistles".
  The above scenario was arguably unique because the collection and
publication of Paul's letters was crucial to what was to become a major
world religion. 

Ron Price

Derbyshire, UK