epistulae

Epistulae is the Latin term for letters, and in scholarly usage it denotes written correspondence as well as the epistles themselves. The word appears across ancient, medieval, and modern contexts, serving as a designation for both actual letters exchanged between people and for assembled collections of those letters.

In classical literature, epistolary material is a major source for understanding personal networks, rhetoric, politics, and philosophy. Notable collections include Cicero’s Epistulae ad Atticum and Epistulae ad Familiares, Seneca’s Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, and Pliny the Younger’s Epistulae. These texts reveal political life in the late Republic and early Empire, as well as intimate moral and intellectual reflections. In Christian antiquity, epistles constitute a major part of the New Testament, with Epistulae of Paul and others shaping doctrine, exhortation, and church organization; Latin scholars often refer to these as epistulae in catalogues and commentaries.

Medieval and early modern periods saw continued use of epistolarity as a formal literary and rhetorical practice. Letters were written for instruction, diplomacy, and personal or political communication, and many collections were compiled and edited for readers. In literature more broadly, the term and concept gave rise to epistolary fiction, a popular eighteenth-century form in which narratives unfold through letters, diaries, and other documents. Famous examples include Pamela and Clarissa in English prose, which use letters to drive voice and plot.

Today, epistulae remain a crucial term in philology, history, theology, and literary studies. They denote both historical correspondence and the broader genre of letter-based writing, illustrating how written communication shapes social, intellectual, and religious life.