When were the prison epistles written?
The prison epistles—1st and 2nd Timothy, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Titus—were written toward the end of Paul's ministry. This was later than his earlier letters, which included 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Galatians, Romans, and perhaps Corinthians. They came after those earlier writings.
Les explains that Paul's letters are not arranged chronologically. The first letters written were 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, then probably Galatians and Romans, and then perhaps the Corinthians. The prison epistles—1st and 2nd Timothy, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Titus—were written later, toward the end of his ministry. Les also notes that the Holy Spirit was in total control of Paul's apostleship, and that Paul's letters always appear in the same order in every available New Testament manuscript.