Epistles 'scriptural' ?

[John Stephens]

That was because to some extant they were later writings, and also that PAul was himself a convert and not an original apostle.

It always seemed to me that Paul's letters were actually the first writings coming after the Resurrection. The other writings all came about in the period after the destruction of Jerusalem. Interestingly, Paul is the only person writing in the context of the YHWH faith during the critical period between the Resurrection and the destruction of Jerusalem, whose writings have come down to us. Because the Destruction was such a world-altering event for the YHWH faith, Paul's letters offer us a unique glimpse into the world in which Yeshua lived, and to me, they reveal more about the nature of Christ and lthe new covenant than any of the other writings, as much as I love them.