Prepared by Phyllis Lam Pui-fan, 3 Feb 2009

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An Introduction to the Study of Paul

Chapter 1-3

Presented by Phyllis Lam Pui-fan2009 Feb 3

Prepared by Phyllis Lam Pui-fan, 3 Feb 2009

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Ch. 1 Introduction: Paul the man-mountain

The purpose of this book is an introduction

Both to Paul’s life and Paul’s work (p.3)

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What context shaped Paul’s worldview?

Mediterranean context shaped Paul’s world view, values, psychology and so on.

e.g. (1 Cor 11.29-30, 5.5) …

Paul was influence by the

complex mix of Jewish, Greek and Roman.

Paul was a Jew, Pharisee, wrote in Greek and lived in the Roman Empire.

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What is the Resources for the study of Paul?

7 undisputed letters: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. (the first 4 are major letters, all written around 40s-50s CE)

Book of Acts Jewish sources: Dead Sea

Scrolls, Philo of Alexandria and the Jewish historian Josephus

– help us to construct a picture of the social, cultural and religious context in which Paul worked.

Literary texts to inscriptions(銘刻 ), coins, graffiti, building, and so on

– enables us to understand something of the wider social, political and philosophical context in which Paul lived and worked.

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Ch. 2 From Jesus to Paul: pre-Pauline Christianity

This chapter aims to examine briefly the evidence concerning the development of Christianity from its earliest post-Easter beginnings to the time when Paul became an active and prominent apostle.

We never found the title ‘Christ’ in the Synoptic Gospel on the lips of Jesus, but

Appears frequently throughout Paul’s letters

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From Jesus’ teaching to Paul’s letter – the development of Christianity

1. Using the evidence of Acts Acts is the only substantial source give us the

information of earliest stage of the Christian movement after the death and resurrection of Jesus. The problem of how accurate is LukeThe problem of how accurate is Luke’’s picture.s picture.

2. The earliest house-churches in Jerusalem Paul’s letters confirm Luke’s information that the

earliest church was centred in Jerusalem, with Peter, James and John as its leaders (Gal 1.18, 2.1-2, 9). Some other disciples of Jesus may have returned to Galilee.

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Hellenists•Diaspora Jews, •spoke Greek, •used the Greek translation •of the Hebrew scripture knows as the Septuagint (LXX)

Hebrews• Jews, • Palestinian origin, • spoke Aramaic, • used the Hebrew scripture in their worship.

Division and the spread of the gospel

3. Dominant Theory By Martin Hengel (p.16)

the division between Hebrews and Hellenists was profoundly significant for the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem and for the development of the mission to the Gentiles.

Persecution broke out in Jerusalem against the Hellenists

fled from Jerusalem and

shared the gospel with non-Jews.

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Ch. 2 From Jesus to Paul: pre-Pauline Christianity

4. Paul and pre-Pauline Christianity4.1 The shared apostolic gospel – (1 Cor 15.1-11)4.2 Jesus’ words and teachings – Paul presumably learnt

about Jesus on his visit to Jerusalem, when he spent time getting to know Peter (Gal 1.18)

4.3 Pre-Pauline formulae – it is quite doubtful to have some established pre-Pauline formulae.

5. Conclusion Paul owned a good deal to his predecessors Paul worked with a wide circles of co-workers, fellow

missionaries, etc., some of whom are named as co-authors in some of the letters.

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Ch. 3 Paul’s life: before and after his encounter with Christ1. The pre-Christian Paul

Paul has two names – Saul (Jewish and biblical); Paul (Latin / Roman)

Jews, the people of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews a Pharisee – a group careful

adherent to both written and oral Torah Paul’s ‘zeal’( 熱忱 ) for God’s law and

persecuted the Church (Phil 3.6; Gal 1.13, 23; 1 Cor 15.9)

Paul was originally from Tarsus (Acts 9.11; 21.39; 22.3)

Paul was educated in Jerusalem at the feet of the famous Ribbi Gamaliel (迦瑪列 ) (Acts 22.3)

Paul was bought up in Hellenized Diaspora Judaism (Tarsus, a Diaspora context)

Paul was ‘unattached’ when he wrote his letters (1 Cor 7.7-8; 9.5) – Single? Married? Widowed? Divorced?

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2. Paul’s call / conversion and its effect

Scholars argumentsScholars argued that Is Paul’s conversion a

crucial experience of his understanding of God, the commission to take the gospel to the Gentile?

By the time he wrote his letters, Paul was convinced of his call to be the Apostle to the gentiles, his commission to the good news of God’s saving grace in Christ to all the nations.

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3. Paul’s missionary career

3.1 Relative chronology (p.33)– relative sequence of visit and letters. (Gal 1.13 – 2.14)

a) Activity as a persecutor of the churchb) Call / conversionc) 3 years in Arabia (阿拉伯 ) and Damascusd) First visit to Jerusalem (‘to get to know Peter’)e) 14 years (activity in ‘the regions of Syria (敍利亞 ) and

Cilicia (基利家 )’)f) Second visit to Jerusalem (meeting about Paul’s gospel for

the Gentiles and whether circumcision is necessary for Gentile converts)

g) Disagreement at Antiochh) Third visit to Jerusalem – Paul’s collection for the poor in the

Jerusalem church

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Paul’s missionary journey

1 2

3

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3.2 Absolute chronology (p.35)– the actual dates on which the visits took place and letters were written.

a) Around 37-39 CE, Paul’s escape from Damasus (2 Cor 11.32-3) – King Aretas IV, ruler over the Nabateans, acquired control

over Damascus around 37-39CE.

b) 49CE, the edict (命令 ) of Claudius (Acts 18.2) – Claudius compelling Jews to leave Rome, and Paul arrived

Corinth around 49-50CE

c) Around 51-2 CE, the proconsulship of Gallio (羅馬的地方總督迦流 ) (Acts 18.12)

3. Paul’s missionary career

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3.3 A sketch of Paul’s Christian career (p.37) 30-33 CE, Paul’s conversion 37 CE? Escape from Damascus Before 46 CE, ‘First missionary journey’ with Barnabas

commissioned in Antioch. About 46 CE, independent Journey afterwards (the ‘Second

missionary journey’) 51 CE, attend the ‘conference’ in Jerusalem

– to discuss the issue of Gentile converts and the requirements to be placed upon them (Gal 2.1-10)

After the ‘conference’, Paul undertook his ‘Third missionary journey’ to Antioch Ephesus Macedonia Illyricum Corinth Jerusalem. It is form this period of missionary activity that almost all of Paul’s letters come.

60s CE, Paul and Peter were executed in Rome under the emperor Nero

3. Paul’s missionary career

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End of the presentation

Thank You

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Discussion time1. How do Jewish, Greek and Roman influence shape Paul’s

environment and identity? To what extent are these influence separable, or intertwined(交織在一起 )? (Ch. 1)

2. In what specific ways might it be important to appreciate the chronological and cultural distance between us and Paul? (Ch. 1)

3. How do you weigh the evidence for or against the historical accuracy of the information about Paul contained in Acts? How far has Luke’s theological agenda shaped or influenced his writing? (Ch.2)

4. How much can we know about the process by which Christianity spread from Jerusalem and to non-Jews? Do you find Hengel’s theory about the Hellenists’ role convincing? (Ch.2)

5. Is it better to speak of Paul as having been ‘called’ or ‘converted’? What valid insight, if any, does each term convey about Paul and the change he experienced?