The epistle reading points to an over-simplification, indeed misleading caricature, of the early Christian community as it was differentiating itself from its Jewish beginnings in devotion to written Law [Torah]. This caricature points well, however, to the potential of clinging to written words as in themselves conveying Life, of supplanting inner revelation with external teachings. There is no evidence to verify or hint at this being the case for many, or most, of the Jews, however. And this would be no different, anyway, than the church coming, at times, so to attach to words that the Bible or teachings of church hierarchy became more important than the "Spirit" that "gives life" ~ even now many are proud to be identified as a "Bible believer" and "Bible believing Christians," both references which the early Christian communion would not have seen as accurate ways of speaking of itself. Indeed, the early Christians began as a Spirit movement, and became, in time, a 'church' movement and a 'Bible' movement, wherein the inner witness of Spirit was replaced with words-of-men. Still, the passage points us, as the early Christians, to the Spirit as Life-giving, not words attributed to Spirit, such as claims of a Spirit-inspired Bible: this even as the lovers letters convey Love that cannot give the Love only the lover can share in direct communion-with the beloved.