REL 1310 Exam 4 Review

Primary Sources of Paul

Undisputed letters (7)

What are the undisputed letters of Paul (7)

1 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Philippians, Philemon

secondary sources of paul

disputed letters (2 thess, colossians, eph, pastoral letter - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) & acts of the apostles

Pauls' life before becoming a Christ-follower

upbringing in diaspora Judaism, Tarsus
Pharisee, zealous for the torah and its traditions
Persecutor of Christian communities

Damascus Road experience

Paul describes experience in terms of a prophetic calling; Acts narrates as a conversion

Nota Bene

the 3 missionary journeys are only convenient classification drawn from Acts not Paul's letters

Paul's Mission Strategy

urban, Marketplace - leatherworkers, Network of ministers - "worker of the gospel"

ancient letter form

Salutation, Senders, Recipients, Greetings, Thanksgiving/Prayer, Body of Letter, Closing (Greetings, Parting Prayer/Grace)

How did Paul write his letters

Christianized the formal features

Occasional nature of Paul's letters

Paul's letters address specific churches at specific times about specific issues

Jewish thought about the end-time

Prophetic Eschatology & Apocalyptic Eschatology

Prophetic Eschatology Characteristics

Historical continuity, national in scope, changes within history but continues

Apocalyptic Eschatology Characteristics

Historical discontinuity, cosmic in scope, history comes to an end (as we know it), new heaven and earth

Eschatology

Thinking or ideas about the end times

Paul's Christian Adaptation of Apocalyptic Escatology

God's intervention, cross/resurrection, Parousia, present evil age, juncture of the ages, new creation

Parousia

the arrival, the advent, the coming

1st Corinthians is not the only letter, missing some, one-sided, Corinthian correspondence

true

Occasion of 1 Corinthians

oral reports by Chloe's people & report by the Corinthians

Paul's response to the Corinthian letter

rhetorical marker peri de; signals a question or topic raised by the Corinthians in their letter

Peri de

now concerning

Rhetorical use of Corinthian Assertations

Paul quotes the Corinthians to set up in order to correct

Reconciling 1 Corinthians 11 & 14

Textual Issue, Corinthian Slogan, Unmarried women vs. married women

Textual issue

Paul wrote 11 but not 14 (scribal note)

Corinthian slogan

Paul's position in 11; Corinthians' position in 14

Unmarried women vs. married women

11 assumes unmarried; 14 assumes married

Occasion of Galatians

influenced by "another gospel," which is being preached by some Jewish-Christian missionaries ("Judaizers"), probably from Judea. This other gospel emphasizes the complementary function (along with Christ) of the law in the act of justification, particularly the act of circumcision, dietary laws, and observance of special feasts.

Justified/justification

Reckoned as righteous/righteousness; covenant language, covenant is relational; to be in a right relationship with god, part of the people of God

Faith/believe

trust and obey [action required]

Faith and believe part of speech in Greek

noun and verb same word

Biblical faith/believe is ___ a mental affirmation

not

"faith in Jesus Christ"

Jesus is the object of our/human faith

"Jesus Christ's faith(fulness)"

Jesus is the subject of the act of faith (in God)

A case for "Jesus Christ's faith(fulness)"

Consistent with Paul's Christocentric view of salvation as opposed to anthropocentric view of salvation

Christocentric view of salvation

what Christ did on the Cross

Anthropocentric view of salvation

centered on human decision

Is there a human response (faith?)

Yes, but human faith is established first by Christ's faithfulness

Salvation (justification) is anchored in ...

what Christ did on the cross; not our decision

Paul's Gospel

apocalyptic inclusio

Apocalyptic inclusio

"present evil age" and "new creation"

Scope of Paul's Gospel

big, cosmic

Apocalyptic terms of Paul's gospel

The root problem lies not in our individual transgressions, but in the power called the present evil age, which enslaves us to Sin. This predicament is rectified by God, who in Christ conducts an act of liberation, delivering us from the enslaving power of the present evil age.

Why is Ephesians & 1 Timothy Disputed?

Writing style and language/vocab, theology, historical perspective

Why the practice of pseudonymity?

A disciple intent on faithfully applying Paul's teaching to a new situation; acknowledges apostolic origin

Occasion of Ephesians

The letter does not reflect any particular problem or situation in a specific congregation

Textual problem of Ephesians

"in Ephesus" not found in earliest manuscripts

Is Ephesians Occasional?

No, circular letter intended for many churches

Theme of Ephesians

Cosmic significance of the church in God's plan

The church in God's plan is ...

the fulfillment of God's design to gather all things together in Christ, a "new humanity" created by God in Christ, called to be the medium of God's revelation, must lead a life worthy of that calling

Literary context of Eph 5:22-6:9

5:21 adopted for wives; 5:2 adopted for husbands

Cultural context of Eph 5:22-6:9

Instructions and rules for household relationships are a common Greco-Roman topic in political and moral writings. Ephesians simply adopts the structure of household management from its culture, but at the same time, Ephesians also seems to subvert conventional social patterns/relations by infusing these instructions with Christian theological images and principles.

How is Eph. 5:22-6:9 countercultural?

Addresses the subordinate persons in the social order (wives, children, slaves) as moral agents who must choose to "be subject." & Ephesians is notable for its reciprocity from the husband/father/mater. The language of power and authority are absent; it charges husband/father/master to act with love, patience, and kindness

How must Eph. 5:22-6:9 be read?

various contexts; The social hierarchy of the household codes is the social structure of the Greco-Roman world and is a given for the author (in the world). But this given social structure is infused and even subverted with Christian theology, values, and principles (but not of the world)

Occasion of 1 Timothy

Threat of false teaching

theme of 1 Timothy

management and conduct of the church as the household of God

Purpose of 1 Timothy

to guard against and combat false teaching by inserting the authority structure of the Greco-Roman household onto the church. The church becomes the Greco-Roman household "super-sized," and the authority of the household head becomes the model for the exercise of authority in the church

Household of God (highest to lowest authority)

bishop, elders, widow/women elders?, deacons, congregation

What is the occasion of the pastorals (1 timothy 2:8-15)?

threat of false teaching

what is the nature/characteristics of the false teaching in the pastorals?

Promotes "myths and genealogies" and "knowledge" & Advocates ascetic practices, such as forbidding marriage and demanding abstinence from foods

Who are the false teachers deceived by? Who are they deceiving?

Satan/demons; others

Who is false teaching in 1 Timothy?

young women

Conclusion of 1 Timothy

How is this passage appropriated/applied for today?

Genre of Hebrews

"words of exhortation" - homily/sermon

Authorship of Hebrews

Anonymous

Recipients of Hebrews

Christian Group possibly in Rome

Purpose of Hebrews

"exhort" its readers to endure/persevere and remain faithful

Situation of the readers of Hebrew?

Weary in their Christian commitment and in danger of abandoning the Christian faith & Experiencing hardships and sufferings because of their Christian identity

Argument in Hebrews

Series of exposition and exhortation

What do the expositions in Hebrews demonstrate?

The superiority of Jesus and His salvation

How are the expositions in Hebrews set up?

Comparison (synkrisis) with Israel's traditions (compared to something that is really good)

What is each exposition followed by in Hebrews?

an exhortation

Logic of Hebrews argument

because Jesus offers a superior salvation, one should endure and remain faithful

faithfulness

advantageous

defection

disadvantageous

exhortation in Hebrews is ...

climatic to endurance and faithfulness

Author of James

"James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ," Jesus's brother/pseudonymity

Pseudonymity in James

Material originates from James, but has been highly edited by someone later

Recipients of James

"to the 12 tribes in Dispersion"
Perhaps Jewish Christians, but could simply be addressing a general Christian audience from an early Judean Christian perspective

"12 Tribes"

symbolic title for Christians expressing the conviction that they are "true Israel"

"the dispersion"

traditionally used for those Jews living outside Israel/Palestine (Jewish homeland)

Genre of James

Parenesis with epistolary intro; NT counterpart of the OT wisdom literature

Parenesis

a form of moral exhortation that emphasizes traditional instructions in the mode of imperatives

Purpose of James

To remind its readers of their fundamental values and morals as they face internal challenges, like conflict and favoritism

James & Paul contradictory?

fruit of the spirit same; Paul = justified by faith; James justified by works of the law not just faith alone??

Occasion of 1st Peter

suffering of Christians living in Asia Minor

What type of letter is 1st peter?

Circular

What is the nature of 1st Peter Suffering

Local and sporadic

What type of local & sporadic persecution did Christians experience in 1 Peter?

Social harassment, verbal abuse, mob action, imprisonment, exile, execution (occasionally)

What is the Strategy of 1 peter to deal with the suffering?

Preserve group cohesion (unity) by emphasizing group identity & promote social adaptability

How to preserve group cohesion (unity) by emphasizing group identity

Readers addressed as exiles and resident aliens (estrangement in this world) & conversion emphasized (new identity to understand experience of harrassment/persecution)

How to promote social adaptability?

"conduct yourselves honorably" assimilate to context; harassment expected but not prompted by believers

Social adaptability - "honoring the emperor"

honoring for benefaction not as a god

Social adaptability - observe household codes with emphasis on socially inferior members

slaves and women followed Greco-Roman norms in terms of household roles to counter accusations and suspicions of domestic and political rabble-rousing

Three interpretive approaches to Revelation

predictive, historical, mytho-poetic

Author of Revelation

John the Christian prophet

Recipients of Revelation

7 churches in the province of Asia

Genre of Revelation

apocalypse

Greek word for apocalypse

apokalupsis

Apocalypse definition

a type of literature in which a revelation is given by God, to a human seer/visionary, through an otherworldly mediator, disclosure of future events and/or transcendent reality functions to interpret earthly circumstance and to alter the understanding and behavior of the audience

Compositional Techniques of Revelation

Symbolism, Numerology, formalized surface structure, recapitulation

Symbolism in Revelation

the language of apocalypses is the expressive language of poetry, which uses symbols and imagery to articulate a sense or feeling about the world; some symbols explained, self-explanatory, common-image, and in other literature