CATHOLIC LETTERS. - Title given to seven apostolic writings which, in current editions of the New Testament, follow the 14 letters of St. Paul and are arranged in this order: one of James, two of Peter, three of John, one of Jude. In the ancient Greek codices of the 4th century (Vaticanus and Sinaiticus) these letters are transcribed before the Pauline ones. In the canons of the Councils of Florence and Trent Peter has precedence, but in the Clementine Vulgate James holds the first place. This arrangement, in use among Eastern writers and brought to the West by St. Jerome, is probably due to the fact that in the epistle to the Galatians (2:9) the names of the Apostles are arranged in this order: "James, Cephas, John." It could also derive from the chronological priority of the writing of James.
The meaning of the title "C. E." is debated. Most commentators hold that it means "universal." Indeed these letters have, on the whole, a broader destination than the Pauline writings. The II and III of John are indeed addressed respectively to a Church (called Lady-Elect) and to an individual (Gaius), but these brief writings can be considered as appendices to the I of John which, from the context, proves to be directed to the milieu for which the IV Gospel was written (Asia Minor). According to others the title "c." would be synonymous with "canonical." It would indicate that these writings are received by the Catholic Church. In this sense one could interpret a controversial expression of the Muratorian Fragment: "Epistola sane Iudae et superscripti (or superscriptae) Iohannis duae in Catholica habentur" (lines 68-69). Cassiodorus calls our seven letters "c." (PL 70, 1126). St. Bede calls them indifferently canonical or "c." (PL 93, 9).
The canonicity of five of these letters was subject to doubt in the first three centuries. Eusebius lists only two (I Peter and I John) among the homologoumenoi writings (accepted by all), classifies the others among the antilegomenoi (disputed), recognized however by the majority (Hist. eccl., III, 25; PG 20, 269). In the 4th century there is morally unanimous consent in favor of the canonicity of all. For particular questions, v. GIACOMO; PIETRO; GIOVANNI; GIUDA.
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