things for lesson 11: Writing in Paul's name

Question 1

A pseudonymous writing

Answer 1

is a book whose author writes under a false name

Question 2

are there any pseudonymous writings in canon?

Answer 2

ye bruv

Question 3

the two kinds of pseudonymous writing in the ancient world

Answer 3

some authors assume a pen name simply to keep their identity secret

some authors decep- tively claim to be someone famous

Question 4

tho who was written written 2 Thessalonians

Answer 4

It was written to a group of Christians who were undergoing intense suffering for their faith

Question 5

why was 2 Thessalonians written

Answer 5

written to a group of Christians who were undergoing intense suffering for their faith

some members of this Christian community had come to believe that the end of time had already come upon them

this letter was written to assure this congregation of Christians that the end was not yet upon them

Question 6

in 2 Thessalonians, who needed to come before the whole rapture could commence

Answer 6

the anti christ

Question 7

differences between what Paul and his imitator say in 2 Thessalonians

Answer 7

Paul would say that the end would come before anyone would even know it

–> Imitator says there is still time and not to expect it to come soon

Paul never taught them when he was there (other than in his first letter) that the end was not imminent and that it was normal if some would die before

–> imitator claims he taught them so

Paul never mentions the antichrist in other letters

–> imitator puts too much emphasis on him to be the actualPaul

Question 8

why was Colossians written?

Answer 8

to address the false teachers in collosia

to say that one did nit have to follow the jewish customs

–> Jesus was the closest to the divine

The Colossians are therefore to enjoy the full experience of the divine as those who have been raised to the heavenly places in Christ

–> This does not mean, however, that they can neglect their physical lives in this world or behave as though their bodies no longer matter.

Question 9

arguments saying Paul is not the author of Colossians

Answer 9

the writing style of Colossians differs markedly from that found in Paul’s undisputed letters

this author believes that Christians have participated with Christ not only in his death but also in his resurrection

–> Paul himself, however, is equally emphatic: even though Christians have “died” with Christ in their baptism, they have not yet been raised with him

the author is particularly concerned with the interactions of believers in their social arrangements, as wives and husbands, children and fathers, slaves and masters

–> we won’t find such things emphasized in Paul’s undisputed letters

–> For Paul, social arrangements were what they were, and there was no need for Christians to go out of their way to disrupt or sustain them.

Question 10

the addressees of Ephesians

was this added after or original? why?

Answer 10

the saints who are in Ephesus

added after because at first, it was not meant specifically for anyone

it was meant to make Ephesians believe it was strictly for them

Question 11

do scholars think Paul wrote Ephesians?

Answer 11

nah

Question 12

from where is Paul supposedly writing Ephesians?

Answer 12

from prison

Question 13

why is Ephesians said to be a circular letter?

Answer 13

because the author addresses no specific problem

Question 14

The real difficulty with Ephesians

Answer 14

the details of what the author actually says and the way in which he says it

Question 15

how is the writing style of Ephesians

Answer 15

very non-Pauline

this author uses a total of 116 words that are not found in any of Paul’s undisputed letters

he has too many sentences that are long af

Question 16

a number of important Pauline themes in Ephesians

Answer 16

a person’s separation from God before being converted to Christ is spoken of as “death”

the devil is designated as “the ruler of the power of the air”

the grace of God brings salvation through faith, not works

the new existence leads to a moral life

Question 17

differences between Ephesians and what Paul actually believes

Answer 17

in Ephesians, the author claims we are already resurrected and in the new kingdom with Jesus

–> Paul roasted this thought hardcore in Corinthians

Another interesting difference from Paul’s own letters is the way the author of Ephesians conceptualizes “works.”

–> In Paul’s gospel, Gentiles are made right with God not by doing the works of the Law but through faith in Christ’s death

–> Ephesians, however, no longer refers to the Jewish Law, but speaks instead of “good deeds”

Paul himself spoke proudly of his for- mer life as one in which he had kept the Jewish Law better than the zealous Pharisaic companions of his youth

–> the author of Ephesians says that were were all pagans once

Question 18

conclusion of the author of Ephesians?

Answer 18

he was one of his churches’ followers

he lived after Paul

Question 19

the overall problems addressed in the Pastoral epistles

Answer 19

(a) false teachers who are creating problems for the congregations
(b) the internal organization of the communities and their leaders

Question 20

the pastoral epistles

Answer 20

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Question 21

why are the pastoral epistles grouped together

Answer 21

because each claims to be written by Paul to a person he has appointed to lead one of his churches: Timothy and Titus

Question 22

who is Timothy

Answer 22

Paul’s young companion left to minister among the Christians in Ephesus

Question 23

who is Titus

Answer 23

Paul’s companion left on the island of Crete

Question 24

1 Timothy

Answer 24

correspondingly lambastes false teachers because they “forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods”

–> basically roasts Gnostic beliefs

–> to “avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge”

Men should be in charge of anything church related and taking care of the false prophets

The author evidently thinks that women in general and widows in particular have stirred up problems and are not to be trusted

Question 25

2 Timothy

Answer 25

It too is written by “Paul” to Timothy

Now, however, “Paul” is in prison in Rome

–> his location in 1 Timothy was not specified, and he is clearly expecting to be put to death soon

There is even less evidence concerning the nature of the false teaching here than in 1 Timothy

He writes to Timothy not only to encourage him to continue his pastoral ministry and to root the false teachers out of his church but also to ask him to join him as soon as possible

Question 26

in 2 Timothy, how is Timothy portrayed

Answer 26

portrayed as a third-generation Christian, having been preceded in the faith by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois

He was trained in the Scriptures from his childhood and as an adult became a companion of “Paul”

Timothy is charged with overcoming those who lead the saints astray with their idle talk and corrupt lives

Question 27

Titus

Answer 27

more like the first Pastoral epistle than the second

“Paul” is now writing in order to urge Titus to correct the false teachings promoted by Jewish-Christian believers, which appear to involve both complicated “mythologies” that confuse the faithful and “genealogies and quarrels about the law”

–> may involve Gnosticism as in 1 Timothy

Question 28

what do scholars think about the authorship of the pastoral epistles?

Answer 28

Most scholars are reasonably convinced that all three Pastoral epistles were written by the same author

the Apostle Paul didn’t write them

Question 29

evidence that Paul did not write the pastoral epistles

Answer 29

Language used in the epistles is not the same than in Paul’s time

–> like Shakespeare and our modern English

we find an inordinate number of non-Pauline words, most of which do occur in later Christians writings

–> over one-third of the vocabulary is not Pauline. Strikingly, over two-thirds of these non-Pauline words are used by Christian authors of the second century

some of the words that Paul does use in his own letters take on different meanings in the Pastorals

It seems that the letters mostly roast Gnosticism, but he first Christian Gnostics that we know by name lived in the early to mid second century

–> there is almost no evidence to suggest that they were spouting “myths and endless genealogies” that sanctioned strictly ascetic lifestyles or that they were otherwise plaguing the Christian congregations during the lifetime of Paul himself

Question 30

the main aspects that made photo orthodox Christianity sexier than the rest

Answer 30

(a) a rigorous administrative hierarchy that protected and conveyed the truth of the religion
(b) insisting that all true Christians profess a set body of doctrines promoted by these leaders (the Christian creeds)
(c) appealing to a set of authoritative books of Scripture as bearers of these inspired doctrinal truths

the proto-orthodox won these conflicts by insisting on the validity of the clergy, the creed, and the canon

Question 31

The one Pauline community whose inner workings we know in some detail

Answer 31

the church in Corinth

Question 32

the church in Corinth

Answer 32

a troubled church

one that was rife with inner turmoil

characterized by what Paul considered to be personal immorality

subject to what he regarded to be false teaching

nobody in charge because charismatic community

Question 33

why were there no people in charge in Paul’s churches?

Answer 33

because they were charismatic

congregations of people who believed that they had been endowed with God’s Spirit and so been given “gifts” (Greek charismata) to enable them to minister to one another as teachers, prophets, evangelists, healers, almsgivers, tongues speakers, tongues-interpreters, and so on

Question 34

what did Bishop mean when it was first considered a position in the Christian church

Answer 34

an overseer

Question 35

The development of the Clergy

Answer 35

1. at first, not true leader
2. over time, after Paul’s deaths, some people start taking certain responsibilities and leadership
3. these people develop positions and make them official (such as Bishop)
4. over time, it becomes the organized Clergy

Question 36

the proto-orthodox creed

Answer 36

was acclaimed as a creation of the apostles themselves

–> the Apostles’ Creed

The proto-orthodox creeds affirmed beliefs that were denied by other groups who claimed to be Christian, and they repudiated beliefs that these other groups affirmed

Question 37

The Canon

Answer 37

The movement toward a canon was already afoot somewhat earlier, in writers who quoted the words of Jesus and the writings of the apostles as authoritative in matters pertaining to doctrine and practice

hey came to be seen as standing on a par with the Jewish Scriptures themselves, which the Christians continued to revere and study

Question 38

all the reasons for thinking pastoral epistles came after Paul’s death

Answer 38

their preoccupation with social arrangements in this world and the Christians’ respectability in the eyes of outsiders rather than with the apocalypse that is soon to come

their insistence that the leaders of the church be married rather than single and celibate

their assumption that Timothy is a third-generation Christian preceded in the faith by both his mother and grandmother

their concern to silence women who have, in the author’s view, gotten out of hand

their vocabulary and concerns reflect what was transpiring among proto-orthodox Christians a generation or two after Paul’s death

Question 39

the most important reason for thinking pastoral epistles came after Paul’s death

Answer 39

their vocabulary and concerns reflect what was transpiring among proto-ortho- dox Christians a generation or two after Paul’s death.