Universal Letters: James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude

William A. Anderson, PhD, DMin

The movement from a handful of disciples of Christ to a large community of disciples forced the Church to become an institution which could cope with such large numbers. Through these letters, the writers were able to write to all Christians and tell them how they should live their Christian lives. In its earliest meaning, the word “catholic” did not refer to a specific denomination among Christian Churches, but it was another word for “universal.” The Catholic or Universal Letters embrace seven letters of the New Testament which include a letter attributed to James (mentioned in the New Testament as a brother of Jesus – see Mark 6:3), two letters attributed to Peter, three attributed to John, and one attributed to Jude.