Here at last is the synthesis of the diverse research on the letters of the early Christians--the primary medium for primitive Christian business, theology, and teaching. With unusual clarity, William G. Doty discusses both the cultural setting of the letters and the literary aspects of the epistles of the early Christians to offer further clues to these people and their times. Singling out Paul's letters, Doty analyzes their formal and structural features and examines their importance as the norm for the early church. Other New Testament letters, which disclose the development of a long series of writings in that form, are also explored. William G. Doty is Professor and Chair Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama.