Midterm Flashcards
Structure of Letters
Letters in Paul’s day routinely followed a basic structure…
Intro: Salutation, name of intended recipient(s), brief greeting, thanksgiving (prayer)
Body: Body of the letter that contained the main purpose for writing, then a command signals the closing of the letter
Conclusion: The letter ends with a conclusion that includes a peace wish, greeting to known acquaintances of the recipient and benediction
How many Letters in the NT? How many are attributed to Paul? How many were written by Paul?
27 / 13 / 7
Authentic Pauline Letters (Undisputed)
Romans 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians Galatians Philippians 1 Thessalonians Philemon
Deutero-Pauline Letters (“Disputed”)
2 Thessalonians
Ephesians
Colossians
Pastoral Epistles
“even more disputed”
1 Timothy, 2 Timothy
Titus
What does Diaspora mean? What does it refer to?
“scattering”
Diaspora refers to the community of Jews who lived outside of Israel/Palestine after the Babylonian exile
What is the significance of Paul as a Diaspora Jew
Diaspora refers to the community of Jews who lived outside of Israel/Palestine after the Babylonian exile
This is a significant trait of Paul because it is a key reason why Paul made Christianity open to non-Jews
Paul was born and raised in Tarsus
Tarsus is found just outside of Palestine
Paul was a diaspora Jew
What is the significance of Paul as a Diaspora Jew
Diaspora refers to the community of Jews who lived outside of Israel/Palestine after the Babylonian exile
This is a significant trait of Paul because it is a key reason why Paul made Christianity open to non-Jews
Paul was born and raised in Tarsus
Tarsus is found just outside of Palestine
Paul was a diaspora Jew
What is the significance of Paul as a tentmaker?
Was it also in Tarsus tat Paul learned his trade of being a “tentmaker?” (Acts 18)
Tent making was popular in Tarsus.
As a missionary to the Gentiles, Paul worked as a living artisan
According to Acts (18), Paul was a tentmaker, however, Paul does not mention this in his letters
Tentmaking was hard, physical labour (tents were sewn together with cloth and sometimes leather, required strong hands shoulders and back)
Cities such as Tarsus and Corinth (where Paul met Aquila and Prica and stayed for a lengthy time, would have had a very high demand for tents, because tourists, soldiers, sailors and athletes all needed tents for travelling and lodging
What is the significance of Paul as a Roman Citizen?
The Acts tell us that Paul had Roman citizenship
The story states that he was born with Roman citizenship
It is probable that his family received it then
Paul’s execution in Rome is consistent with Luke’s statement of Paul’s Roman citizenship
Paul was beheaded and not crucified, because it was beyond the dignity of a Roman (too inhumane for a Roman citizen)
Peter was crucified because he was a Jew, Paul was a Jew but also a Roman citizen and therefore was beheaded
Paul’s Roman citizenship most probably was due to the fact that his family had it
However, Paul never speaks of his Roman citizenship, it only appears in Luke’s Acts
SO was this an aim of Luke in his Acts to appeal it to Gentiles?
Paul never tells us this in his letters, but they are very ad hoc (not biographical)
Paul was under a lot of fire from the Romans, so if it were really true that he was a Roman citizen, it would have been very useful for him to bring up.
Is Paul a Roman citizen?
Acts mentions he was (and his execution verifies this), but Paul never mentions it himself, though it would have given him more credit in proclaiming his message, so it may have been embellished by Luke.
Text (in the broadest sense)
Anything that has meaning and can be interpreted (example: interpreting a person’s face/facial expression to understand their emotions). A text has three worlds contained in it, we must distinguish between the three levels…
Dimensions of a “Text” (The Three Worlds)
World 1: the world “in” or “of” the text (the world in itself that the text takes place in)
World 2: the world “behind” the text (the historical circumstances in which the author and subject are situated in)
World 3: the world “in front” of the text (the way in which we interpret the text)
World 1
the world “in” or “of” the text (the world in itself that the text takes place in)
World 2
the world “behind” the text (the historical circumstances in which the author and subject are situated in)
World 3
the world “in front” of the text (the way in which we interpret the text)
Examples of the 3 Worlds using Paul: World 1
What Paul’s Letters are about
Examples of the 3 Worlds using Paul: World 2
Paul’s Letters are about him and his early Christian communities
Examples of the 3 Worlds using Paul: World 3
We the readers of Paul’s Letters (e.g. Lutheran and Protestant denominations of Christianity)
Excursus: Bible Study as CSI
Studying a text can be compared to crime study/CSI drama…
When a crime happens and is done, what remains? Only the crime scene remains.
The investigator comes in and must study, examine and analyze the crime scene really well, to try to reconstruct exactly what had happened. If the investigator does not examine the crime scene well, the reconstruction will be flawed. These reconstructions can be very mistaken at first.
World 1: Crime Scene (all that remains)
World 2: Investigator’s reconstruction based on analytical examination
The Bible is our crime scene. The events it reports are in the past and there is nothing we can do to know what happened for certain.
The Biblical student/scholar reads the Bible and studies/examines/analyzes it closely, and makes a reconstruction of what may have happened.
Depending on our quality of reading, we can have very mistaken or very good ideas of what happened in the world of Paul.
Discuss Paul’s background as a diasporic Jew, that is, one living in two worlds - the world of the Jew and the world of the Greek
Diaspora refers to the community of Jews who lived outside of Israel/Palestine
Paul was born and raised in Tarsus
Tarsus is found just outside of Palestine, hence Paul was a diaspora Jew influenced by Hellenism
Paul’s life and worldview was shaped by both Jewish and Hellenistic contexts
He was ethnically a Jew, but lived in an area and time that was heavily influenced by Hellenism
He was formed and informed by both Judaism and Hellenism
This is a significant trait of Paul because it is a key reason why Paul made Christianity open to non-Jews
Paul was clearly well-educated because his Greek is good
His message pertained to both the Jewish and the Greco-Roman world and his success is owed in part to his familiarity with both (being a diaspora Jew)
Diaspora Jews were given two names: a Jewish name and a Greco-Roman name (Saul/Paul)
Primary Sources for understanding Paul
Pieces of literature that came from Paul himself.
Our Primary Source for understanding Paul is his “undisputed letters.”
Undisputed Letters: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon and Philippians
There is no dispute that Paul wrote these letters himself
They are “Authentic Letters” or “Genuine Letters”
Secondary Sources for understanding Paul
Acts of Apostles
The Acts are a secondary source because Luke tends to embellish stories to further the goals of his writings.
Why are Paul’s Letters given priority over Luke’s Acts when their records conflict?
Acts should be used with caution because it is hard to know when Luke is reporting history and when he is embellishing history to further his goals for writing Acts…
Luke does not want to show these conflicts, so he writes the Acts of the Apostles to show a smooth transition and relationship and omits things that would not have been good for him to mention, and omits things that he is not interested in
However, it is likely that Paul experienced a lot of conflict, as he was radical about his proclamation, and this is shown through his deeply passionate and emotionally infiltrated letters
What are the “fixed or definite (historical) points” in reconstructing a chronology of Paul’s life & ministry? (3)
May scholars cite the following three:
- Gallio Inscription: An inscription found in Delphi states that Gallio was proconsul in Achaia from 51-52. Acts 18:12 states that Paul was accused and tried before Gallio.
- Jewish Expulsion: In 49 CE, Claudius expelled the Jews from Italy. Acts 18:12 states that Paul met Priscilla and Aquila who were expelled from Italy at Corinth.
- Eastern Mediterranean Famine: In 46 CE, there was a famine in eastern Mediterranean. In relation to this, Pauls tartes a c olection for the Jerusalem community in need. Acts 11:28.
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts
How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts: How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
How did the Gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome?
Stage 1: Pentecost
At Pentecost, Jews from all over the world heard the “good news”
- Luke tells us that lots of people are moved and converted to the message of Jesus
- First conversion and preaching of the apostles moves many
Pentecost: Jewish feast
Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost
- The apostles became filled with the Spirit and could speak every mother tongue
- Many Jews from all over the world heard them speaking, and became convinced and believed in jesus and brought the good news of him upon their return to their homeland
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts: How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
How did the Gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome?
Pentecost
At Pentecost, Jews from all over the world heard the “good news”
- Luke tells us that lots of people are moved and converted to the message of Jesus
- First conversion and preaching of the apostles moves many
Pentecost: Jewish feast
Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate Pentecost
- The apostles became filled with the Spirit and could speak every mother tongue
- Many Jews from all over the world heard them speaking, and became convinced and believed in jesus and brought the good news of him upon their return to their homeland
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts: How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
How did the Gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome?
Stage 2: Persecution and Dispersal
- The disciples are persecuted
- As a result of this, they are forced to flee to other areas and this brings about the spread of the good news to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1)
- Luke is obsessed with the idea of showing the way the Gospel was spread
- He describes it here: spread to Judea and Samaria
- Philip (not one of the Twelve) preached in Samaria
- He discovered that he is a charismatic preacher and successful in converting people
- He preaches in Samaria, Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch
- Luke tells us this story because the eunuch is going BACK to Ethiopia, and he will spread the Gospel there! In Ethiopia, there is a firmly established Christian presence in Ethiopia since the first century, and they credit him for bringing it back to them
Luke includes this because it further spreads the message of Jesus
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts: How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
How did the Gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome?
Stage 3: Saul is “Converted” (meets the risen Christ)
- Luke uses his Jewish name. Saul, until he is converted to Jesus, and then Luke uses Paul
Many believe his name was changed, but that is not the case - Paul was a diaspora Jew (outside the land of Palestine)
Jews in Palestine were Palestinian Jews (Jesus and his apostles), Paul was born what is now modern Turkey - Diaspora Jews were given two names: a Jewish name and a Greco-Roman name
He was already Paul-Saul - For stylistic reasons, Luke uses Saul then Paul
Saul (Paul), a persecutor, is converted and receives a mission to be an apostle to the gentiles
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts: How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
How did the Gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome?
Stage 4:
- In Acts 10, Peter also sets a precedent and baptizes a Roman centurion names Cornelius
- Peter knew Jesus in the flesh. - So this is very important
Peter is the main character in the first 12 chapters of Acts, then Paul - Peter actually did not want to baptize Cornelius, because he was a gentile and Peter did not want to lose his purity
- God appears to Peter in a vision with many animals (including unclean animals) and says to him, “slaughter and eat” → Peter was horrified
The voice says: “Do not consider what is unclean what God made clean” - Peter understands this as the time to baptize non-Jews
- This is why Christians, at a certain point, gave away with the kosher
- When the other Jews hear what Peter has done, there are horrified and criticize him, so he shares his vision with him
- The covenant for Jews is now open to Gentiles, hence this story is very important
Luke’s Main Theme in Acts: How the Gospel got from Jerusalem to Rome
How did the Gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome?
Stage 5: Paul Begins his Mission
- From Acts 13 onwards, the protagonist becomes Paul who begins his missionary work which will result in the gospel being carried away to Rome
- Paul takes on his role as an important apostle
- For Luke, Paul is a great missionary but Luke hesitates to call him an apostle
- Why didn’t Luke tell us the story of the death of Paul? He wrote after Paul died.
How is Luke’s depiction of the transition to Christianity different from Paul’s? Which do we speculate is more historically accurate? Why did Luke depict it differently than Paul?
Luke’s story tells of a peaceful, smooth transition to Christianity
Though we see through Paul, that it was not like this…
- Paul was the opposite, he was a very passionate individual who was not afraid to explain internal conflicts and arguments
- Paul was often at the end of (and arguably the cause of) many conflicts, so he experienced them differently
- Was Luke “sweeping dirt under the rug?”
- Luke seemingly tries his best to avoid or minimize the conflicts that occurred between the different factions/groups in Early Christianity - especially between Paul and the group loyal to James in Jerusalem
- James: seemingly thought that if you wanted to become a Christian, first you had to become a Jew
- Paul comes in and says that gentiles do no need to be circumcised anymore
- Luke does not want to show these conflicts, so he writes the Acts of the Apostles to show a smooth transition and relationship
The only writings we have about Paul are
pro-Paul
Why don’t we have any writings that are anti-Paul? Why is this problematic
We don’t have any writings from people who thought Paul was a disturbance.
Luke: For Luke, Paul is a hero. They were good friends.
Mark: Paul was disappointed in Mark, but they reconciled later on and Mark wrote with Paul.
Matthew: We are not sure about Matthew.
John: John does not seem to be concerned at all with Paul.
James: The Letter of James is the closest thing we have to an anti-Paul writing.
We only see Paul from half of a perspective. It is likely that he was a disturbance to many, so hearing from those who felt that way would help us further contextualize history and attitudes towards the early Christian movement.
What do we know about Paul’s Lifespan? Birth & Death? Where can we find it?
Acts 7 states that Paul was a “young man” at the time of Stephen’s martyrdom
In his letter to Philemon, Paul says that he is “an old man”
What did “old man” really mean at the time? Some suggest ‘over 60 years old’ (not a consensus though)
If Philemon was written around 53 CE (according to scholarly opinion, from that we can deduce that Paul was more or less a contemporary of Jesus, born around 4 BCE
Paul was born around 8 CE and in his mid-60s when he died.
Where is Paul from?
Tarsus
Where is Paul’s place of origin and where is it found now?
Paul’s place of origin (now found in South Eastern Turkey)
Background information on Tarsus
In Acts 9, 21, 22: references to Paul being from “Tarsus” (in the province of Sicilia)
- Paul was born and raised in Tarsus
- At that time in Tarsus, there was a fairly large Jewish community
- Besides, Tarsus was famed for its high level of culture and education.
- This matches what we know about Paul. From Paul’s writings, we know that he was well-educated man. His Greek is good. He knew the Septuagint well. He was familiar with Hellenistic structures and practices.
- He is mentioned to be a tentmaker
How does Paul being from Tarsus affect his education and culture?
Tarsus is found just outside of Palestine, thus Paul is a diaspora Jew (Jew living outside of Palestine) and is influenced by both the Hellenistic (Greek) world and the Jewish world.
Where is the term “Thorn in the Flesh” mentioned? What does it exemplify?
Mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7 (Example of Paul as a Jewish “Jesus-Christ-Mystic”)
“Thorn in the Flesh”
Mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7 (Example of Paul as a Jewish “Jesus-Christ-Mystic”)
First, “thorn” means more than a minor prick. It is, as standard Greek lexicon explains, “something pointed, such as a stake, then something that causes serious annoyances, thorn, splinter, etc., specifically of an injurious foreign body”
Second, Paul makes a connection between his ecstatic (out of body) experiences of that thron/stake in the flesh.
He describes visions and revelations of the Lord when he was caught up in the third heaven - whether in the body or out of the body and was permitted to hear things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.
Was Paul an apostle? What would Luke say?
For Luke, Paul is a great missionary but Luke hesitates to call him an apostle…
Luke does not agree that Paul was an apostle, because an apostle was someone who knew Jesus before he died and followed him and then experienced the risen Jesus after the death
Paul persecuted Jesus’ followers, never knew real Jesus, therefore is not an apostle
Was Paul an apostle? What would Paul say?
Paul is adamant about his status as an apostle…
Paul explains that Jesus himself revealed the good news to him to emphasize that he is an apostle. It gave him a right to be considered an “apostle,” that is, a WITNESS and PROCLAIMER of the risen Jesus
Luke’s Definition of Apostle:
someone who knew Jesus before he died and followed him and then experienced the risen Jesus after the death
Paul’s Definition of Apostle:
a witness and proclaimer of the risen Jesus
Define “Apocalyptic” (noun: Apocalypse)
Pertaining to revelations from God containing words, visions, symbols, etc. - often cryptic nature - which give an idea of how, when and under what circumstances God would intervene in human history to establish God’s ideal world (i.e. the Kingdom of God; God’s Reign)
Origins of Apocalyptic Thought
Apocalyptic Thought begins with the reality of oppression, especially the oppression of people who firmly believe that such an unfortunate state of affairs goes contrary to God’s ideal plan for them
2nd Temple Jewish Apocalyptic Thinking (a contextual factor that we should not forget)
Pax Romana: Peace was founded on blood of others and fear of Rome’s order, but Jews accepted it.
In Israel, Roman rule meant prosperity for the ruling elite (which collaborated with the Romans) but poverty and oppression for most of the populations (especially Jews).
This lead to “Apocalyptic Thought”
Describe 2nd Temple Jewish Apocalyptic Thinking as “Back to the Future”
Throughout their history, when things were rough, the Jewish people looked back to the PAST, in particular, to the event of Exodus, to draw hope for the present.
However, beginning from the Babylonian exile and continuing to the next era, Jews began to look “Back to the Future.”
The oppression became really bad, so looking back to the past was not enough and Jews looked to the future for hope.
Apocalyptic Thought
a heightened desire and expectation among many Jews for a direct intervention of God in history to drive out the invaders and liberate Israel. Jesus will come and do away with all the immoral people and establish purity and peace.
What is the key question of Second Temple Period Jewish Apocalyptic Thinking?
Instead of the Romans (or whoever was in power at the time), if God himself were the real boss (absolute authority) around here, how would the world be?
In other words: If God’s reign would be definitively established here on earth, what kind of “world order” would we have?
Apocalyptic visions were created to
give people hope in a means of despair
Apocalyptic visions consisted of It consisted a creative imagination - answers were very different, detailed and creative. There were 4 forms of Apocalyptic Thinking
- Dualistic
- Pessimistic
- Convinced about Vindication
- Imminent
4 forms of Apocalyptic Thinking: Dualistic
Since Jews were persecuted for being Jewish, many came to believe that these sufferings were caused by God’s cosmic enemies (the powers of evil) who had been given change over the Earth for some time.
4 forms of Apocalyptic Thinking: Pessimistic
Things can only get worse before they get better (a coping device).
4 forms of Apocalyptic Thinking: Convinced about Vindication
God was going to be ultimately triumphant. God would punish Israel’s enemies and make Israel glorious once gain.
4 forms of Apocalyptic Thinking: Imminent
God’s victory through a messiah was going to happen soon (different people had different expectations of “soon”)
Apocalyptic Thought and Messianism
- In the apocalyptic thought of late 2nd Temple Judaism, it was thought that God would establish God’s reign through a messianic figure
- Such a figure in the gospels is often referred to as “Son of Man,” “Son of David,” or other expressions
- There are many other figures from the time who claimed to be the Messiah
- Jesus is the most famous, the only who is remembered today
Ideas of Afterlife at 2nd TP
- Not all jews at this time believed in heaven (example: Sadducees), so do not equate apocalyptic thought with heaven
- Death was like a pause, waiting for God to establish His reign on Earth
- The reign of God would be established here, on Earth, with the living and the dead
- Heaven became dominant when Christians and Jews began believing that the Apocalypse would not come in the immediate future
Early Christian Apocalyptic Thought
- The earliest Christians (among them, Paul) were deeply apocalyptic
- They believed that Jesus’ resurrection initiated a new age
- This age was, in a sense, the “beginning of the end”
- Jesus will return and establish the reign of God and those who live righteously will be saved
The Early Christians thought they were living in the “end times.” What does this mean? Define it.
“The End Times”: this present age will end with the return of Christ (the Parousia)
The Early Christians believed they were living in the end times
- They believed that Jesus’ Second Coming (the Parousia) would occur soon
Jesus would come and establish in a perfect way the reign of God - Since Jesus had not come yet, Christians spent their time preparing for his imminent return and coming of Christ
- They should do their best to establish communities which would be harbingers or precursors of the reign of God
- Paul’s missions were not easy and extremely time-consuming, they required a lot of effort; what drove him was Jesus’ return (look Jesus, look what I did)
God-Fearers
People (gentiles) who were interested in the Jewish religion, so they would go to the synagogue but did not want to make the final step of becoming a Jew (circumcision) thus could not become adherents of Judaism in the strict sense of the term because circumcision is the absolute condition of the covenant
What drove Paul to stay dedicated to his missions?
Jesus’ second coming: “look what I did, Jesus” would ensure that he would be saved by God.
Upon reaching a location, he visits the Jewish synagogue (outside of Palestine).
There he would find fellow Jews and _______
“God-fearers” (gentiles attracted to Israel’s faith)
Compare & contrast the account of Paul’s conversion found in Gal 1 and that found in Acts 9.
Paul’s Conversion in Gal 1
Paul’s Words (Galatians 1:11): Paul is not dramatic about his conversion experience, rather is quite ambiguous
Paul describes his conversion as God revealing his Son to Paul, so that Paul will proclaim him among the Gentiles…
- So, this mission part of his life is extremely important
Paul interpreted his experience as a God-given mission
- Paul did not confer with the apostles about his experience, rather he went away to Arabia (present-day Jordan). He returned to Damascus (likely because he had problems with the people there; Paul tended to have problems with the people everywhere he went then had to leave)
- Paul explains that Jesus himself revealed the good news to him to emphasize that he is an apostle
Paul’s explanation of his conversion emphasizes his apostleship
- It gave him a right to be considered an “apostle,” that is, a witness and proclaimer of the risen Jesus
