Vincent M. Smiles provides a fresh look at the early Church and the faith with which they approached their dynamic, diverse community. With a brief introduction to each letter, Smiles brings to light issues such as authorship, dating, and historical situation. Smiles focuses on similarities and contrasts-such as eschatology, ecclesiology and the status of women--within these diverse, yet unified letters.A reading of these letters as partners in a conversation" provides both an understanding and inspiration for today's Christian society: inspiration to meet our challenges in faith with the same creativity as did the early Church.With an understandable, yet comprehensive manner, this commentary will appeal to those interested in the changing early Church and its ancient wisdom.Vincent M. Smiles is professor emeritus of theology at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota. He is the author of The Bible and Science, and First Thessalonians, Philippians, Second Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Letters from Prison, Part One and Part Two from the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series published by Liturgical Press.