We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2020
In this chapter we turn to the question how letters were delivered to their destinations and beyond. We consider the difference between public and private letters and their bearers, and what impact this may have had on early Christian correspondences. Modes of transport and various possible itineraries affected the progress of the letter from the writing to the delivery stage, in all of this the bearer being of paramount importance, which requires us to investigate as far as possible the identity of the couriers, and how they were chosen. The important place occupied by the verbal report of the bearers is addressed, together with the considerable problems and hazards which they faced in their missions, some of which were occasioned by brigands, delay or haste. We consider the hospitality offered to these travellers and the friendship which either existed or could ensue between them and the recipients of letters. Finally, we look briefly at the circulation and forwarding of letters.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
