The word ‘epistle’ comes from the Greek word epistole meaning ‘letter’. Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians were all epistles written by the apostle Paul to the churches of those regions. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon were Paul’s letters to individuals (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are sometimes referred to as the ‘Pastoral Epistles’). We cannot be sure who wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, but we can be confident that James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John and Jude were all written by the author whose name they bear. These letters were sent to various churches in the Mediterranean region. Even Revelation contains letters to the churches in Asia Minor in chapters 1-3, although the book as a whole is not normally considered as an epistle.
