LOOK CLOSER · SIDE BY SIDE · NINE PAIRINGS · MOST LINKED · BESIDE THE GOSPELS

Side by side

Any two letters, the nine pairings the studies hold, and how the letters link to each other and to the Gospels.

SIDE BY SIDE

Compare any two letters

Choose any two of the twenty-one. Each ribbon joins a passage in one to a passage in the other, where readers link them most strongly; click one to read both.

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY).

NINE PAIRINGS

Every pairing in one place

All the side-by-side pairings from the collections, in one place.

Thirty-one passages that run in parallel, paired from reading both letters and checked against Easton's list. Each weight is the number of distinct content words (by Strong's number, leaving out the commonest words) the two passages share in the Textus Receptus, so it measures shared vocabulary, not shared ideas. Other measures differ: ISBE finds 78 of Ephesians' 155 verses in Colossians "in varying degrees of identity"; Easton, quoting an older writer, counts about forty-two parallels. The household code (wives, husbands, children, fathers, servants, masters) runs in the same order in both. Ephesians 5:22–6:9 Colossians 3:18–4:1 [19]

MOST LINKED

Which letters are most linked

How many cross-references join each pair of letters.

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

Jude

1 John

2 John

3 John

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

Jude

1 John

2 John

3 John

Each square: how many cross-references join two letters; darker means more. Click a square.

Cross references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), counted in both directions.

BESIDE THE GOSPELS

The letters beside the Gospels and Acts

Cross-references from each letter to the Gospels and Acts.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

626

173

504

723

809

1 Corinthians

518

180

372

473

749

2 Corinthians

311

226

353

535

Galatians

210

151

236

431

Ephesians

287

240

362

332

Philippians

172

183

217

236

Colossians

193

131

219

201

1 Thessalonians

155

117

116

306

2 Thessalonians

100

1 Timothy

213

176

142

257

2 Timothy

159

141

117

328

Titus

106

Philemon

Hebrews

544

225

438

563

486

James

283

250

123

180

1 Peter

309

257

280

293

2 Peter

157

131

101

106

Jude

1 John

217

143

725

116

2 John

3 John

Cross-references from each letter to the four Gospels and Acts. Click a square.

WHERE THIS PAGE COMES FROM

Adolf Deissmann (trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan), Light from the Ancient East (1910), ch. III, the twenty-one ancient letters: pp. 147-149 (address and salutation), 153 n. 2 (dictation and the autograph close), 158-159 (letters of commendation; closing in one's own hand), 167-172 (Apion's letters: health-wish, thanks, intercession, greetings, farewell), 176-178 notes ("I would have you know").
Adolf Deissmann (trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan), Light from the Ancient East (1910), ch. III, §§4-8: pp. 218-224 (letter and epistle; pseudonymous epistles), 225-234 (Paul's letters and 2-3 John as real letters; letter copy-books, pp. 227-228), 234-237 (catholic epistles, Hebrews, 1 John), 239 (Acts and Paul's letters), 244 (the canon).
Adolf Deissmann (trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan), Light from the Ancient East (1910), ch. IV, pp. 372-373 (parousia).
Adolf Deissmann (trans. Alexander Grieve), Bible Studies: "Prolegomena to the Biblical Letters and Epistles" (1901), pp. 3-59, especially 14-15 (pseudonymity), 50-51 ("catholic"), 55-56 (the collection of Paul's letters).
Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 1: Apostolic Christianity (revised ed.) (1890), §76 (order of the books, with notes 868-870), §86 (The Epistles), §87 (The Catholic Epistles), §88 (The Epistles of Paul).
B. F. Westcott, A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (7th ed.) (1896), pp. 248-249 (Peshitta), 377 with n. 2 (place of Hebrews in the manuscripts), 400-401 (the seven catholic epistles and Euthalius), 488-491 (Luther's prefaces).
W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, new edition (first published 1852) (1891), p. 319 n. 1 (letters written by an amanuensis with an autograph postscript), p. 321 (the stages of an apostolic letter), p. 498 n. 1 (Tertius), p. 499 n. (Phoebe the bearer).
J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (1865), note on Gal 6:11, pp. 220-221.
J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (1875), detached note "The Epistle from Laodicea", pp. 340-366.
W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1895), ch. VII, §6, "The Separation of Paul and Barnabas" (Silas and Silvanus).
Dwight M. Pratt, "Epistle", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), §§1-2, 5, 7, 9; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
Dwight M. Pratt, "Catholic Epistles", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
J. S. Riggs, "Canon of the New Testament", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), §II.1-3; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
William G. Moorehead, "Peter, the Second Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), §§I-II; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
R. Dykes Shaw, "Corinthians, First Epistle to the", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
R. Dykes Shaw, "Corinthians, Second Epistle to the", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
A. T. Robertson, "Paul, the Apostle", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), part 1, Sources; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
Robert Law, "John, the Epistles of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr (1915), vol. III pp. 1711-1720 (checked against the 1915 scan).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.) (1897), "Corinthians, First Epistle to the"; "Thessalonians, Epistles to the".
Charles Bigg, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude (1901), pp. 246-247 (secretaries; Zahn on 2 Peter).
Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. James (1892), Introduction, ch. VI (date).
Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter (1907), Introduction, pp. lxviii, cxxxv, cxliv.
John Calvin (trans. John Owen), Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (1551) (1855), Argument to 2 Peter.
John Calvin (trans. William Pringle), Commentary on Galatians (1548) (1854), on Gal 2:1.
A. Plummer, The Epistles of S. John (Cambridge Bible) (1886 (1890 reprint used)), notes on 1 John 2:12-14, pp. 97-99; Introduction p. 61 (Demetrius).
A. E. Brooke, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Johannine Epistles (1912), Introduction p. lxxxiii.
B. F. Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews: The Greek Text with Notes and Essays (2nd ed.) (1892), Introduction, "History and Authorship", pp. lxxiv-lxxix.
A. B. Davidson, The Epistle to the Hebrews (1882), Introduction ch. III, p. 34.
Marcus Dods, "The Epistle to the Hebrews", in The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. IV (1897 (1910 printing)), Introduction: history, pp. 221-224.
Marcus Dods, "The Epistle to the Hebrews", in The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. IV (1897 (1910 printing)), Introduction: authorship, pp. 228-229 (Harnack on Priscilla).
R. H. Charles, The Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch (1912), 1 Enoch 1:9 with note, pp. 8-9.
Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1), Church History (1890), 2.15; 2.23.25 with McGiffert's note 528; 3.3.5; 3.25; 3.39.16; 4.14.9; 5.8.7; 5.26; 6.14; 6.20; 6.25; 7.25.
Athanasius (trans. R. Payne-Smith, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 4), Festal Letter 39 (1892), §§5-6.
Henry R. Percival (ed.), Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 14, The Code of Canons of the African Church (Carthage, 419) (1900), canon 24 (Greek 27), with the editor's note that it is canon 36 of Hippo, 393.
Unknown (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5), The Muratorian Fragment (Canon Muratorianus) (1886), §§3-4.
Tertullian (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3), Against Marcion, book 5; On Baptism (1885), Against Marcion 5.2-21; On Baptism 17.
Tertullian (trans. S. Thelwall, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4), On Modesty (De Pudicitia) (1885), ch. 20.
Clement of Rome (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), First Epistle to the Corinthians (1885), ch. 47.
Ignatius (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), To the Ephesians (1885), chs. 12 and 18.
Polycarp (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), Epistle to the Philippians (1885), chs. 7, 12 and 13 (13: the letters of Ignatius).
Polycarp (trans. J. B. Lightfoot), To the Philippians (1891), 3:2-3; 5:1; 6:2; 7:1; 11:2-4; 12:1.
Irenaeus (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), Against Heresies (1885), preface to book 1; 3.13-16 (3.16.5 and 3.16.8 on 1 and 2 John); 5.2.3.
Clement of Alexandria (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2), Stromata; Fragments (Comments on the Second Epistle of John) (1885), Stromata 1.14 and 2.15; Comments on 2 John.
Jerome (trans. E. C. Richardson, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 3), Lives of Illustrious Men (1892), chs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 18.

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