Apostolic Letters
Encyclopedia
The term Apostolic Letters (Litterae apostolicae in Latin) has two uses in Roman Catholicism:
- The letters of the Apostles to Christian communities or those in authority, i.e. the Pauline EpistlesPauline epistlesThe Pauline epistles, Epistles of Paul, or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen New Testament books which have the name Paul as the first word, hence claiming authorship by Paul the Apostle. Among these letters are some of the earliest extant Christian documents...
, the Letter to the Hebrews, together with the seven General epistlesGeneral epistlesGeneral epistles are books in the New Testament in the form of letters. They are termed "general" because for the most part their intended audience seems to be Christians in general rather than individual persons or congregations as is the case with the Pauline epistles...
of the other Apostles. - various documents issued by the Pope or in his name, e.g. Papal bullPapal bullA Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
s and - briefs.