Paul

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CHAPTER EIGHT
Pauls Letters Jesus the Universal
Lord
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Life of St. Paul
- Saul of Tarsus, future St. Paul, was an
extraordinary disciple of Jesus - 13 of 27 New
Testament books are attributed to him but he
probably only wrote seven - He persecuted
Christians before his revelation - Was baptized
by Ananias - His upbringing in Tarsus made him
familiar with Gentile religions, philosophies,
and customs
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-Paul engaged in three extensive missionary
journeys
Journey 1
Island of Cyprus and the Asia Minor locales
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Antioch was starting point and visited first
journey locations and other cities
Journey 2
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Antioch was again the starting point. He
revisited some cities from his second journey,
but remained in Ephesus for three years
Journey 3
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Letters of Paul
1 Thessalonians - Earliest NT writing Dates
from only twenty years after Jesus life -
Encourages Thessalonians, defends his
proclamation of the gospel, shares news of his
travel plans, and addresses two issues 1.)
Advised the Thessalonians to remain holy 2.)
Assured them that Christians who had died would
rise one day and live with the Lord forever
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Letters of Paul
Galatians - First of Pauls so-called great
letters - Paul expresses anger toward the
Jewish-Christian evangelists who introduced
division in his Galatian churches - Doctrinal
section of Pauls letters answers his opponents
charges - Paul uses a scriptural argument to
defend the truth that faith brings about a right
relationship with God
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Letters of Paul
Philemon - Paul encourages his friend Philemon to
accept back his runaway slave as his brother -
Paul does not want Philemon to punish the slave,
and hints towards freeing him. - Paul is trying
to show that the slave is also transformed in
Jesus Christ, and therefore a brother
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Letters of Paul
1 Corinthians - Corinth had a reputation for
permitting every known vice and being immoral -
Paul wrote a letter to warn them away from
immorality - Body of the letter has the
following themes
Divisions in the Corinthian church
Problems
in Christian morality and living
Problems in
Christian worship
The Resurrection
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Letters of Paul
2 Corinthians - Neither the first nor second
letter had much impact, so Paul wrote a third
letter harshly critical of Corinthian abuse
(letter is now lost) Major problem this time
was false teachers who had influenced the
Corinthians to go against teachings of
Paul - Titus brought good news about Corinthians
they were beginning to respond to Pauls word
and reject false teachings
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Letters of Paul
2 Corinthians - In response to good news, Paul
wrote 2 Corinthians - The body of the work deals
with Pauls past relationships with the
Corinthians His ministry among them Praise
for their repentance Appeal for the collection
for the church in Jerusalem Defense of his
ministry against false teachers
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Letters of Paul
Romans - Pauls letter of introduction to the
Christians living in Rome - Longest letter and
his deepest theologically - Treats in more detail
some themes Paul introduced in Galatians -
Central theme is Faith in Jesus death and
resurrection reconciles us to God
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Letters of Paul
5 Key Points in Romans
A description of the human condition before Christ
Justification through faith in Christ
Salvation and Christian freedom
Gods plan for Israel
Christian behavior
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Deuteropauline Letters
- Six letters might have been written by a close
disciple of Paul - Reflect Pauls thought, but
have different vocabulary, style, theological
themes, content, and historical context
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Deuteropauline Letters
2 Thessalonians - Some thought Paul wrote it
shortly after his first letter to the
Thessalonians to address a misunderstanding about
his teaching about the resurrection -Current
scholars favor that it is a pseudonymous letter
Written under someone elses name -Readers
are told that Jesus will not come again until
certain signs take place - People need to
prepare themselves with patience and prayer
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Deuteropauline Letters
Colossians -Colossian, Philippians, Philemon, and
Ephesians are the Captivity Letters Each
reveal that its author was imprisoned - Few doubt
that Paul wrote Philemon and Philippians -
Scholars believe one of Pauls disciples wrote
Ephesians and Colossians - Colossians was
written to counteract some teachings that
claimed Christs death and resurrection were not
enough for salvation
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Deuteropauline Letters
Ephesians - Likely the work of a secretary or
admirer of Paul - Draws out more explicitly some
of the themes in Colossians - More of an essay
than a letter Body has two main divisions 1.)
Mystery of salvation related to the Church 2.)
Pauls exhortation to Christians to live in unity
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Deuteropauline Letters
1 and 2 Timothy and Titus - Pastoral Letters
Written by one pastor (shepherd) to two other
pastors Addressed to individuals Give
advice on Church leadership
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Deuteropauline Letters
Key Teachings of Titus and 1 Timothy - Severe
warning against false teachings and teachers
- Many practical instructions for
Church organization
- Instructions for Christian worship
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Instructions for Christian living - 2 Timothy is
more of a personal letter, a last testament from
the older apostle to Timothy
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Vocabulary
Asceticism Deuteropauline Gnosticism
Pseudonymous