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Epistle

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

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Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Epistles
The Topic Concordance
• Epistle
Dictionaries
American Church Dictionary
• Epistle, the
• Epistle Side
American Tract Society
• Thessalonians, Epistle to the 1 and 2
• Peter, Epistles of
• James, the Epistle of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Charles Buck Dictionary
• Epistles of Barnabas
• Barnabas, Epistles of
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Titus, Epistle to
• Timothy, Second Epistle to
• Timothy, First Epistle to
•   (only first 3 shown)
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Titus, the Epistle to
• Timothy, the Second Epistle to
• Timothy, the First Epistle to
•   (only first 3 shown)
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Titus, Epistle to
• Laodiceans, Epistle to the
• Epistle
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Titus, Epistle to
• Timothy, Epistles to
• Thessalonians, Second Epistle to the
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hastings' NT Dictionary
• Titus Epistle to
• Timothy and Titus Epistles to
• Thessalonians Epistles to the
•   (only first 3 shown)
Dictionary of Early Christian Biography
• Diognetus, Epistle to
• Barnabas, Epistle of
King James Dictionary
• Epistle
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Titus, Epistle to
• Timothy, Epistles to
• Thessalonians, Epistles to the
•   (only first 3 shown)
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Romans, Epistle to the
• Philippians, Paul's Epistle to the
• Philemon, Paul's Epistle to
•   (only first 3 shown)
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Titus The Epistle to
• Timothy The Epistles of Paul to
• Thessalonians The Second Epistle to The
•   (only first 3 shown)
Vines' Expository Dictionary
• Epistle
Webster Dictionary
• Epistler
• Epistle
Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Epistles
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Epistle
• Epistle of James
• Epistle of Jeremy
•   (only first 3 shown)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Apocryphal Epistles
• Apostolic Fathers, Epistles of
• Barnabas, Epistle of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Colossians Epistle to the
• Corinthians Epistles to the
• Ephesians Epistle to the
•   (only first 3 shown)
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Aristeas, Epistle of
• Barnabas, Epistle of.
• Catholic Epistles.
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Catholic Epistles
• Colossians, the Epistle to the
• Corinthians, Epistles to the
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Catholic Epistle
• Epistle (in Scripture)
• Epistle of Barnabas
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Hebrews, Epistle to
• James, General Epistle of
• Jeremiah, Epistle of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Lexicons
• ܐܶܓ݁ܰܪܬ݁ܳܐ
• ἐπιστολή

primarily "a message" (from epistello, "to send to"), hence, "a letter, an epistle," is used in the singular, e.g., Acts 15:30; in the plural, e.g., Acts 9:2; 2 Corinthians 10:10 . "Epistle is a less common word for a letter. A letter affords a writer more freedom, both in subject and expression, than does a formal treatise. A letter is usually occasional, that is, it is written in consequence of some circumstance which requires to be dealt with promptly. The style of a letter depends largely on the occasion that calls it forth." * [* From Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, p. 5.] "A broad line is to be drawn between the letter and the epistle. The one is essentially a spontaneous product dominated throughout by the image of the reader, his sympathies and interests, instinct also with the writer's own soul: it is virtually one half of an imaginary dialogue, the suppressed responses of the other party shaping the course of what is actually written ...; the other has a general aim, addressing all and sundry whom it may concern: it is like a public speech and looks towards publication" (J. V. Bartlet, in Hastings' Bib. Dic.)