The Apostles Did Not Monetize their Letters. Quite the Opposite.

Today the writers of Christian books can post them online for zero costs. Same for the purveyors of Christian music. Wonder why they don't? Of course some do but most do not.

Imagine if Jesus Christ or his apostles had attempted to monetize their writings - their credibility would have been reduced to nothing. As would our faith.

Scholars estimate that writing Saint Paul's letters cost anywhere from about $100 for his shortest notes to over $2,200 for his longest letters in modern equivalent currency.

Cost Breakdown

Based on historical research into ancient papyrus prices and professional scribal labor by scholar Dr. E. Randolph Richards, the estimated costs for specific letters include:

• Romans (longest letter): ~20.68 denarii, or about $2,275

• 1 Corinthians: ~19.16 denarii, or about $2,108

• Philippians: ~4.68 denarii, or about $515

• 2 Thessalonians: ~2.32 denarii, or about $255

• Philemon (shortest letter): ~0.92 denarii, or about $101 (or down to $12–$100 depending on exact line/character calculation models)

What Made Them Expensive?

• Materials: Papyrus sheets were costly and imported.

• Labor: Hiring a trained scribe (amanuensis) like Tertius to take dictation, make revisions, and produce clean copies required paying professional wages. A single denarius was roughly equivalent to a day's wage for a working laborer. Source: Google AI.

And from https://craigkeener.com/pauls-crafting-of-the-book-of-romans-the-2275-letter/

Paul’s crafting of the book of Romans – the $2275 letter! December 19, 2011

While Paul did not belong to the elite circles of leisured letter writers like Cicero or Pliny, he did not simply compose his major letters, like Romans, off the top of his head. Given the time necessary to take normal dictation in antiquity (shorthand being unavailable), Paul may have taken over eleven hours to dictate this letter to Tertius, its scribe (Rom 16:22).

Since such a major undertaking probably involved more than one draft (and Paul could draw on his preaching experience), the final draft may have taken less than this estimate, but the total time invested in the letter was probably greater. Given the cost of papyrus and of the labor required (though Tertius, a believer, might have donated his services), one scholar estimates the cost of Romans at 20.68 denarii, which he calculates as roughly $2275 in recent US currency. In other words, Paul did not simply offer this project as an afterthought; Romans is a carefully premeditated work.

As we shall note below, Romans is no ordinary letter; it is a sophisticated argument. The average ancient papyrus letter was 87 words; the orator Cicero was more long-winded, averaging 295 words (with as many as 2530 words); and the philosopher Seneca averaged 995 words (with as many as 4134). The extant letters attributed to Paul average 2495 words, while Romans, his longest, has 7114 words.

These estimates do not include the actual cost of transportation, which would have been significant.

Scripture makes plain that our giftings are for the benefit of the body - not for ourselves. And not to be hidden behind a paywall.