Studied by 1 personSt. Paul christology
high
How does Saint Paul view Jesus
Jesus=savior/image of invisible father who sets standards we are trying to model (when we are baptized, we "put on" Jesus and he guides our behaviors
St. Paul letters time period
before canonical gospels, around time of mark
St. Paul's letters main focus
explained relationship between judaism and gentiles
Explain Jesus's encounters/relationship with the gentiles
few, but positive encounters and he builds a church/missionary effort for gentiles and christians (makes it the norm)
what group was St. Paul a part of and how did that relate to his writing
pharisees so he used the tanakh(greater ?s than sadducees) which said Jesus was the messiah and had more on the synagogues
is Paul blameless before the law
no, he just knows how to act to receive forgiveness in accordance with the law
why did Paul persecute christians
They worshipped Jesus, whom Paul considered a blasphemer.
By the norms of the Torah, Jesus could not be a righteous person, much less the Messiah.
because romans are still in power
-god would never allow his son to die in such a cursed way
-there is no change in our reality after Jesus' death
-Jesus talks to people on the margins(exploiting them)
why does Paul change his mind
Jesus appears to him in a blinding light and asks him "why do you persecute me?"
what does Paul do after Jesus appears to him
he arrives at the place he is going, talks to a religious leader, and converts to christianity
how do christians react to Pauls conversion
they doubt his sincerity especially because he calls himself an apostle (a follower of Jesus in his lifetime, justifies it because Jesus appeared to him)
which gospel reflects Pauls letters and vision
lukes
how are Luke and Paul related
Luke was an early disciple of Paul (his gospel is supplemental to Paul's letters)
what is Paul's challenge
christianity as a natural expansion of judaism (includes jews)
according to Paul, how jewish do u need to be christian?
not very,, as a gentile you don't need to follow jewish traditions
according to Paul, what must gentiles follow (if not jewish scriptures) and how does he justify it
-the mosaic law( 10 commandments)
-he used god's covenant with Abraham- go to the promise land and trust that I will take care of you (requires trust in the goodness of god)
-it is wrong for jews who want to be christian to reject gentiles that want to be christian
what is another name for Paul (pre christianity)
the persecutor of the church
what did Paul's letters influence
most NT content
what were Paul's letters like
-occasional in nature (written for specific occasion)
-address pastoral/practical concerns
what is an example of a pastoral/practical concern
what do we do if gentiles bring food that isn't kosher or has been sacrificed to other gods
what supports pastoral concerns
theological concerns
what does "the end explains the middle" mean
Our goal/shared core values(what god calls us to be) will help us solve practical concerns we are having
what is an example of "the end explains the middle" in his letter to the Corinthians
he says that if you had focused on Jesus' teachings/focus on love and community you wouldn't have such silly questions for me(abstinence and suing)
how many books are in the NT
27
how many books in the NT are attributed to Paul
13
how many books in the NT are authentic(for sure based on) to Paul
7
what is special about Paul's writings
they are the earliest in the NT
what was Paul's last letter like
it was his most mature and it was written to the romans
how does Paul die
beheaded as a martyr
what is not included in Paul's letters
parables of Jesus (because ppl have already heard these things- makes ppl question his reliability tho)
what three things are important to Paul about Jesus
lords baptism, last supper, and resurrection
to who was the earliest of Pauls letters written to
letter to the Thessalonians
what was the main question addressed in Paul's letter to the Thessalonians
resurrection:
-Jesus is supposed to descend again and judge the living and the dead (soon)
-ppl are stopping doing anything or starting to question christianity
what is st Pauls response to their problems
they need to alter their view and accept that it is in God's hands and he will make it happen (when he comes back you should be found doing the right thing)
how is Jesus seen in the letter to the Thessalonians and in Pauls letters in general
as an apocalyptic teacher
how is Jesus an apocalyptic teacher
-kingdom of god idea
-live the way god wants you to
-Jesus is going to return
-new age is coming
-Jesus calls himself the son of man
what was happening in Corinth in II Corinthians letter
Peter and James(2 great apostles) were leading a collection for the church in Jerusalem
what was Peter and James' relationship with Paul
they were very vocal critics of him
what are some reasons they don't like Paul
they don't like that he claims to be an apostle(we don't know you)
-don't like that he is telling gentiles they don't have to uphold the jewish traditions
end with: we don't like what you're doing but can't say that you're wrong(draw)
how does Paul react to Peter and James
he encourages people to raise money for the church in Jerusalem-drought and starvation (we solve problems through christian unity)
why do questions arise about Paul's authority
-he is not well liked
-he claims to be an apostle
-he says you don't have to be jewish to be christian
-church in Jerusalem(original) does not like him at all
-new prophets come to Corinth and are like ????
-Peter, leader of the church, does not agree with him
what happens when the Corinthians hear about Pauls questionable authority from the new prophets visiting
they write to him and ask "why do you mislead us"
why was 1 Corinthians written
respond to questions about christianity from the Corinthians (internal tensions)
why was 1 Corinthians so important in the NT
decided what life was like in 1st century christian communities
what were the doctrinal disputes discussed in the letter
nature of the resurrection and use of spiritual gifts
how does 1 Corinthians letter begin
with intro and proper salutation and then thanksgiving
bigger questions addressed in 1 Corinthians
-abstinence
-food sacrifice to idols
-role of women
-spiritual gifts
what spiritual gifts were discussed in 1 Corinthians
speaking in tongues/language of angels
-ppl are using this to one up each other
-not in line with the holy spirit (other ppl couldn't understand)
-if Holy Spirit gives this gift to someone, he will give gift of understanding to someone else
emphasis in 1 corinthians letter
love and community
chapter 12 of 1 corinthians emphasis
we are all part of one body
all different with different functions but must work together for common good
chapter 13 1 corinthians emphasis
hymn of love
-love is patient, kind, and endures all things
-if you don't have love, you have nothing/worthless
-our gifts need to be put at the surface for others
chapter 15 1 corinthians emphasis
resurrection
-if resurrection didn't happen, then everything I said is pointless/in vain
-if he really rose from the dead, you should pay attention to what he says
-pascals rule/law
pascal's rule/law
if god isn't real and you believed, at least you were still taught of kindness and charity
if god is real and you didn't believe, then you're stupid
more bigger questions is 1 corinthians
-resurrection
-sexual immorality
-suing each other
-class and culture disputes
focus on overall message problem
focus on overall message of love and community in christianity and then you won't have to ask such silly questions (act with integrity)
class and culture disputes in 1 corinthians
-combo of jews and gentiles who accept Jesus as the messiah
-show how difficult it is to live in a multicultural, classless society
what causes tension between jews and gentiles
-what is appropriate behavior for women in church
greco roman women:bind tunic under breast and ankle length dress and women accompany men
jewish women: cover whole body and hair and don't draw attention to breasts and women/men are segregated
class conflict addressed in 1 corinthians
Paul says wealthy don't care for poor
wealthy gather first for group meals because don't work as long and eat all food/wine before poor come
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