The Church of the first century faced remarkable challenges: the deaths of the apostles and a new generation of Church leaders, a rapid influx of believers and converts, interactions with numerous cultures and often hostile nations. The pastoral letters--the First and Second Letters to Timothy and the Letter to Titus--contain necessary instructions for carrying out the pastoral or ministerial office of the Church. In this volume of his study, Fr. William A. Anderson also includes the Letter to the Hebrews, which served a similar teaching function in the first century, helping to bridge the gap between the old and new covenants. With these guides, Christian communities ensured the centrality of Jesus in the midst of change.
