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Who is the Audience?

Who is the Audience?

A common practice of academics when studying a passage in the bible is to ask, “Who is the intended audience?” This is an important question as it gives context to the passage. We can understand how the language had developed up to that point to aid our understanding. We can examine the culture of that specific author/audience to pick up on idioms (phrases understood by the people of that day/time/place), jargon, or any literary devices that give more insights.

To make my point, let’s ask Paul this question. The answer is, in part, a simple answer since he provides it in the greetings of his letters. Look carefully at the following greetings from Paul’s 13 letters in the New Testament. Generally speaking, who is his audience?

  • “Paul … to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints” (Rom. 1:7)

  • “Paul … To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Cor. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia” (2 Cor. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To the churches of Galatia” (Gal. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To the saints who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons (Phil. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae (Col. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To Timothy, my true child in the faith (1 Tim. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To Timothy, my beloved son (2 Tim. 1:1)

  • “Paul … To Titus, my true child in a common faith (Titus 1:1)

  • “Paul … To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house