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Abstract
Letters of recommendation, also called letters of introduction, are prominent among the letters preserved on papyri. In his Papyrological Commentaries on the New Testament, Peter Arzt-Grabner has worked several times on this genre. This paper provides an overview of recent research of the genre well represented in papyri archives and in literary letter collections. It is argued that the genre helps to understand why Paul introduces Timothy enthusiastically to the Philippians in Phil 2:19–24, despite the fact that this co-worker and co-sender of the letter (Phil 1:1) must have been well known at Philippi. It is argued that ancient letters of recommendation most notably deepen the relationship between sender and addressee. Here, however, Paul characterizes Timothy’s extraordinary efforts for the community as a mirror of his own longing.