Bible Question

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Okay so in the New Testament there are the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. Well who are they?? Who were all these people that St. Paul wrote to? Also, why is there 1st and 2nd Corinthians and Thessalonians?

[Brother Adam]

When Paul wrote more than one letter to a church, the letters are numbered in the Bible, so you get "1st Cornithians" and "2nd Corinthians" or by their formal names "The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians". The local church was organized according to terrirtory much like it is today - you have the Church (Diocese) of Washington with a bishop at its head. When Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, he was addressing all of the people there, as well as to the Romans at Rome, the Thessalonians at Thessalonica and so on.

As far as who these people are, most good study Bibles include an opening text on each book of the Bible which will give you historical backgrounds. You could do quite the study into the people of the near ancient east and many texts are available online.