things for lesson 11: Writing in Paul's name Flashcards
A pseudonymous writing
is a book whose author writes under a false name
are there any pseudonymous writings in canon?
ye bruv
the two kinds of pseudonymous writing in the ancient world
some authors assume a pen name simply to keep their identity secret
some authors decep- tively claim to be someone famous
tho who was written written 2 Thessalonians
It was written to a group of Christians who were undergoing intense suffering for their faith
why was 2 Thessalonians written
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
in 2 Thessalonians, who needed to come before the whole rapture could commence
the anti christ
differences between what Paul and his imitator say in 2 Thessalonians
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
why was Colossians written?
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.
arguments saying Paul is not the author of Colossians
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.
the addressees of Ephesians
was this added after or original? why?
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
do scholars think Paul wrote Ephesians?
nah
from where is Paul supposedly writing Ephesians?
from prison
why is Ephesians said to be a circular letter?
because the author addresses no specific problem
The real difficulty with Ephesians
the details of what the author actually says and the way in which he says it
how is the writing style of Ephesians
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
a number of important Pauline themes in Ephesians
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
differences between Ephesians and what Paul actually believes
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
conclusion of the author of Ephesians?
he was one of his churches’ followers
he lived after Paul
the overall problems addressed in the Pastoral epistles
(a) false teachers who are creating problems for the congregations
(b) the internal organization of the communities and their leaders
the pastoral epistles
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
why are the pastoral epistles grouped together
because each claims to be written by Paul to a person he has appointed to lead one of his churches: Timothy and Titus
who is Timothy
Paul’s young companion left to minister among the Christians in Ephesus
who is Titus
Paul’s companion left on the island of Crete
1 Timothy
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