Abstract:
The article aims at reviewing theories of how the Pauline Corpus first
came to be. A taxonomy consisting of four families of theories is established:
Paul himself collected his writings; after his death Paul lived
forth in the form of a collection of his writings; an intercourse between
one Pauline center and another gradually led to the exchange of copies
of letters; the collection of Paul's letters gave him pothumously a centrality
which he lacked in his own time until about 90 C E. The article
concludes with the disputed question whether all of Paul's writings in the
New Testament descend or diverge from a particular, definitive edition of
the Pauline Corpus.
