Claim: The Bible contains epistles.

An epistle -LRB- -LSB- ᵻˈpɪsəl -RSB- Greek ἐπιστολή , epistolē , `` letter '' -RRB- is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people , usually an elegant and formal didactic letter . The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum . The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians are usually referred to as epistles . Those traditionally attributed to Paul are known as Pauline epistles and the others as catholic -LRB- i.e. , `` general '' -RRB- epistles .