epistles

Epistles are written letters, typically formal or didactic, circulated within a community or between individuals. The term derives from Latin epistola and Greek epistolē, meaning a letter or message.

In classical antiquity, letters were a principal form of intellectual exchange. Authors such as Cicero, Seneca, and Pliny the Younger produced collections of letters that explored philosophy, politics, and daily life. Epistles often followed a conventional structure, including a salutatio (opening greeting), a body presenting argument or guidance, and a valediction or closing with personal greetings.

In religious contexts, epistles are the letters included in the Christian New Testament. Pauline epistles are attributed to Paul and address churches or individuals on theology, ethics, and community organization; the General or Catholic epistles are letters by other early Christian leaders such as James, Peter, John, and Jude. These works are read as doctrinal and pastoral instruction within Christian communities.

In modern usage, epistle can refer to any formal letter, and the term is used for epistolary literature, a genre of novels told through letters, diaries, or other documents. Notable examples include early modern epistolary fiction and later novels that tell stories through correspondence, as seen in Gothic and 18th-century works.

Overall, epistles share characteristics of intended readership, moral or doctrinal content, and formal style, and have shaped both religious texts and secular literature. The term also extends to contemporary publishings of letters and to literary forms that imitate or inherit the epistolary mode.