Letters in the First Century Letters written on papyrus with ink by a professional scribe (amanuensis) Though most letters that have survived from the ancient world were short and to the point, Paul’s Epistles are extremely long. Because there was no postal system, someone had to carry the letter to its destination. Upon arrival, most people couldn’t read, so a professional would need to read it aloud. This was difficult because there were no chapters, verses, paragraphs, punctuation, or spaces between words (scriptio continua). Name Greek Words English Words Verses Chapters Romans 7113 9506 432 16 1 Corinthians 6832 9532 437 16 2 Corinthians 4480 6160 257 13 Galatians 2232 3227 149 6 Ephesians 2424 3047 155 6 Philippians 1631 2261 104 4 Colossians 1583 1993 95 4 1 Thessalonians 1484 1908 89 5 2 Thessalonians 826 1065 47 3 Church Epistles in Chronological Order Galatians 48 1 Thessalonians 49-51 2 Thessalonians 49-51 1 Corinthians 53-55 2 Corinthians