Jack Berger
Chapter 9 Journal, Called to Share the Good News, The New Testament Letters

1. The main idea stressed in this chapter is that of being called to share the Good News. One example of this expressed in the chapter is Paul's letters. Paul write to many communities who are having issues with teachings of Jesus or being good disciples of Jesus. He spreads the Good News to them in hopes they will continue to spread it as well. The letters of James, Peter, Jude, and John also help to spread the Good News by writing to Christian communities in need. Another example is how women are said to be good disciples of the early Church. They are mentioned as being just as good as men or better, something most people didn't think before.

2. One thing I want to remember from this chapter are the different kinds of letters. There are the Pauline letters, written by Paul during his missionary journies, the Captivity letters, written while Paul was imprisoned, the Pastoral letters, not written by Paul but to aid the ministry of pastors in caring for their communities, and the Catholic letters, by multiple authors and were addressed to everyone not just a particular community. I want to remember the different kinds of letters so it is easier for me to understand them when I read them (by identifying which type).

Another thing I want to remember is the format of the letters. First, you have the address, which states the writer and receiver's names. Then there is the greeting, which is just a short salutation. Next, there is a thanksgiving, which is a reason for the sending of the letter. Following that is the message, this is the body of the letter where Paul addressed the issues. Next is the final greeting, where Paul told personal news about himself. Finally is the blessing, a short prayer for the receivers of the letter. I want to remember these so I can look for them when I read the letters so I can better understand them.

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4. Are the only letters that Paul wrote in the Bible? Could there be more that we don't know about or weren't considered canon?

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