3. The Book of Acts and Ecumenical Epistles.

Preliminary information.

Because of the increasing diffusion of Christian communities throughout the extensive

Roman Empire, it was natural that the Christian mind began to raise questions of religious/

moral and practical nature. Unable to attend to these queries personally, at the point of

their origin, the Apostles responded to them through letters-epistles. Consequently, while the

Gospel embodies the very fundamentals of the Christian faith, the Apostles’ Epistles unveil

the different aspects of Christ’s Teachings in finer detail and indicate its practical application.

Because of the Apostles’ Epistles, we have a living witness of their Teachings and how the

first Christians developed and lived within their communities. The Church always considered

the Apostles’ Epistles as the word of the Holy Spirit and as the pure source of the Truth

(Luke. 12:12, John. 16:13, 17:17-19). Albeit living conditions change continuously and each

year presents new problems, essentially these are the same problems that existed in apostolic

times and throughout the ages of mankind’s existence. That is why in these Apostolic Teachings,

one can find correct guidance toward resolving personal problems as well as discovering

the ageless treasures of Christian teachings on faith and life.

This brochure will acquaint the reader with the authors and under what circumstances

the Book of Acts and Apostolic Epistles were written. At the conclusion, we shall cite some

selected teachings from these Holy Books.