CHAPTER EIGHT

Pauls Letters:
Jesus the Universal Lord

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

-Paul engaged in three extensive missionary journeys:

Journey 1

Island of Cyprus and the Asia Minor locales

Journey 2

Antioch was starting point and visited

first journey locations and other cities

Journey 3

Antioch was again the starting point. He revisited some

cities from his second journey, but remained in Ephesus
for three years

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
- Instructions for Christian living

- 2 Timothy is more of a personal letter, a last testament from

the older apostle to Timothy

Vocabulary
Asceticism
Deuteropauline
Gnosticism
Pseudonymous