Reading Old Mail: Interpreting Paul's Letters

As an introduction to the challenges of interpreting ancient primary texts, and especially letters, students are invited to analyze an image of a short personal letter between sisters written just over a decade ago. Students are not given any context for the letter, however, and are led through a process of identifying cultural information and analyzing the author’s apparent intentions in order to maximize understanding of the letter. The conversation posits explanations—with varying degrees of confidence—for some of the letter’s contents while leaving other references unexplained. This activity is designed as a segue into study of the Pauline letters, but it can be applied to other letters or primary sources.