A Brief History of the Later Epistles

The later epistles show three different rhetorical strategies in dealing with the non-Christian world. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles so that, though they malign you as evil doers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge,. In other words, be a good role model, and maybe those churlish and dangerous pagans will come around at some point. These three recommended strategies for coping with the indifference and hostility of the greater Roman world are based on a general dichotomy, Christians, and not Christians.