Lecture #5: Paul (Part 1)

COURSE: New Testament

Lecture #5: Paul (Part 1)

• The Church between Jesus and Paul had to deal with the influence
• "Jesus is Lord" was the earliest confession of faith and the early church had to go to the Torah to validate its point.
• The early church believed they were preparing for the end of time and the immediate return of Jesus.
  
  
• Christianity drew from all the strata of society but especially appealed to the lower, oppressed classes. man" one)
• Jesus, besides being called Lord, was also called 'son of (as in Dan 7), Christ (which means messiah or anointed and son of God.
• I must point out that 'son of God did not mean what it later came to mean but originally meant son of God in the sense the Davidic line of kings were sons of God.
• Jews from all groups in Palestine joined and also Greek speaking Jews.
  
  
• Semantics are important for each group expressed who Jesus was in terms of their own background.

• The apostolic period ran from 30 to 70, when the temple was destroyed.
• Christianity was an eschatological sect and those in Jerusalem felt they were right where the Lord would come back.
• The twelve disciples were supposed to head the new 12 tribes, they felt Israel would be reconstituted, made up of Christians.
• they believed that according to the scriptures, the authoritative word of God had been fulfilled in Jesus,
• The Holy Spirit that according to Joel would be given at the end of time had come upon all who believed in Jesus and thus the end time had begun, and they were that community.
• Baptism was practiced, though we don't know exactly where it came from but we do know that Jesus' disciples baptized as well the Baptist, and John records that Jesus also baptized for a while. (John 3:22)
• Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, was celebrated regularly and was a meal in anticipation of the final meal in God's kingdom.
• The early church continued fellowship meals in anticipation of Jesus' return, and this is still true today.
  
  
• Christianity spread among Palestinian Jews, Hellenistic Jews (simply means Greek speaking), and gentiles.
• Paul was the apostle to the gentiles and saw himself as such
  
  
• Kerygma of the apostolic church

basically, the kerygma was the message or the preaching of the early church

• Kerygma in a nutshell

• God acted in Christ (man was not involved)
• God raised Jesus from the dead
• Since God raised Jesus God kept his promises of fulfillment of scripture.
• Through Christ God Redeems his people
• The cross is God's way to victory, (a paradox)
• Christ is Lord (Kyrios)
• He will come again to judge the living and the dead
• As a result of the kerygma the response should be to repent and believe (faith) and follow Jesus.

• The ultimate concern for the early Christians was salvation both in this world and the next.
• where can we discover what that was. From hymns quoted by paul and others.
  
  
• Prosaic / Creedal short, crisp balanced phrases, and an interest in History, connected with the teaching of the earliest apostles.
• this becomes the backbone of the gospels
• Poetic / Hymnic has religious orientation with an emphasis on the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus.
• absent is the cross/resurrection theme but Phil 2:8 (read) it is felt that Paul may have added the phrase "even death on a cross."
• Verse 9 God highly exalted him may or may not be a resurrection theme but rather from the wisdom tradition.

Themes of the Kerygma

• started in the messianic expectation of apocalyptic Judaism.
• Qumran the Essenes believed there would be two messiahs, one (i.e. priestly), the other in the line of David and act Aaronic, as King and as eschatological prophet.
• The Son of Man of Dan was developed and interpreted to explain who Jesus was.
• Michael was the defense attorney for Israel while Daniel Jesus was the defense attorney for the Christian.
• If these themes were alone Christianity would have remained a small eschatological sect.
• However, this was not the case for they appealed to several other ideas and traditions as well

Resurrection Cult

• This was in the context of a hope within Judaism.
• Dan 12:1-3 has the hope of resurrection of the righteous.
• Since Jesus suffered, died and was raised then the end time has already begun when the righteous will be vindicated.
• Christ is the first fruits of those raised implying that he is the offering for all who believe in him,

Jewish Messianic Propaganda

• the expected messiah or eschatological prophet would work signs and miracles, and this was believed to be the sign of the end time, and the reign of God had begun with his ministry.
• The context was the Jewish hope of another prophet like Moses who would come and usher in the end time and speak for God.
• The Divine Man or Theos Aner was a Hellenistic idea that a holy person would manifest power through the gifts of the Spirit.
• The Jews used Moses and others as divine men to proselytize.
• Jesus is picked up in the Same way the implication can be individualistic and w/o concern for the community.
• If this is so, then it will fall apart.

Wisdom Theology

• Jesus used many proverbs and parables from the wisdom tradition
• the context: in Judaism the development of Wisdom as Prov 8:22, though feminine.
• The wise person is considered to be a follower of wisdom.
• Jesus is a Sopha, a wise one, a delegate of wisdom.
  
  
• Sophia is the poetic personification of one aspect of God.
• you must bridge the gap between the infinite and the material.
• for the stoics it is the logos (word/reason) and is masculine gender.
• The implication is that where wisdom appears alone you end up with Gnosticism (which we will discuss in a lecture later.)
• all kerygma develops from the easter experience.

Paul's Life

• Different stories in Acts, written by Luke, and in Paul's own words in Galatians. given the choice, it is logical to accept Paul's own story.

Galatians

• Galatians 13-24: In Damascus -then to Arabia (3 yrs.) probably back to Damascus for 3 yrs. to Jerusalem for 15 days, then to Syria and Silesia. After 14 years went back to Jerusalem for the council concerning circumcision of gentiles.

Acts

• Has Paul in Jerusalem and then conversion experience on the road to Damascus. The 2nd Jerusalem visit in Acts is an invention of Luke. Paul's report of the Jerusalem conference and Luke's report are different.

Letters

• There are only seven of the 13 letters credited to Paul that are authentically from him.
• I Thess. written in Corinth about 50; Galatians probably from Ephesus about 53; I Corn. and most of II Corn from Ephesus 54; Philippians (from Ephesus) 54 or early 55; other sections of II Corn maybe from Macedonia 55; Romans written from Corinth end of 55 or early 56.

Nature of Paul's letters

• Romans is closest to being an epistle-writes as apostle to communities (Philomen excepted). The rest are 'occasional letters' written for specific purposes in response to some problem or problems that have come to his attention.

Paul Views – (Romans 5:12-14)

• World–all of humanity-people-inhabited world: cosmos also means place where humans live also--humans left to decide their own standards and wisdom. This is the problem for Paul. Since the world is a transient realm under the control of Satan thus humans are not able to be wise. (read 2 Corinthians 4:4)
• The world is basically good for Paul though for Gnostics, it is evil. However, human sinfulness has infected it. because of Adam.

Idea of Humankind (anthropomorphism)

• Three (3) parts to human being:

Basar–flesh; see Rom 7:14, I Cor 15:50

Nephesh--soul this is not a distinct principle. For Paul it is whole person as in sentiments, disposition, manner of life (Paul assumes this never uses the word); and

Ruah--spirit which causes humans as a whole, animating principle. All three go to make Up a human being. (Paul speaks only of God's Spirit – This is assumed)

• The Greek idea speaks of an incarnate soul-being in flesh. for Jesus and Paul say one is an animated body. The person is a body.
• one always has a master over it either Christ or Satan, sin and death. Paul sees flesh at times in opposition to the spirit, opposed to God.
  
  
• Flesh (Rom 7:18, 8:6) in a negative sense is being contrary to God and His Spirit. a power which enslaves a person (not so in the Old Testament) Came from late to Judaism–Qumran shows this.
• Paul sees 2 spirits warring against each other in the world and individual-good versus evil. 2 spirits warring against each other until the final climax. (idea from Zoroastrian religion)
• Sin Paul usually speaks of it in singular. When Paul speaks of sins it is usually in a phrase taken from the early church. Power embodied in a person not just a totality of the acts of a person. hostility to God (see/read Romans 7:14-25 & Gal 3:22)
• Death a man is a victim to himself and the power that destroys him, not just an act of dying or annihilation.

a power that advances against the unredeemed person even while he is still alive. (see/read II Cor 4:16)

Being "in Christ" affords man the opportunity to escape this (see/read I Cor 15:54-55)

The saving event (I Cor 15:3-8; 20-28)

• Christ came to bind the chaotic forces and reconcile us to God. In Canaanite myth Baal overcomes chaotic forces and binds them in the nether world at the "end time" though no real eschatology in this myth. Baal will bind and destroy the chaotic forces but must return every year to do so (cyclic view of history.)
• Christ comes to reign fully and destroy all chaotic power
• Israel did not choose the desert experience for emphasis but the red sea event. (God binds the forces of chaos, yam, the sea)
• God the Father (see/read I Con 15:24-28) for Paul planned everything to do with salvation. God relates to the individual with gratuitous initiative. Calls persons to faith, glory and apostolate.
  
  
• Righteousness of God–is major quality of God for Paul
• Salvific uprightness-saving, causing salvation, manifests his bounty and fidelity in acquitting his people and vindicating them.
• Righteous judge--the acquittal brought salvation.

Isaiah 1:16, 41-43, Hos 4:1 and Micah-all have God as contender in a lawsuit.

• Paul is not only one who talks about the righteousness of God in the early Church.

Read Rom 3:21- Rom 3:22 is a formula from the early church, probably a pre-Pauline formula. Jesus put forward as the sin offering for the gentiles. God's righteousness leads Him to this activity, so they are considered as cleansed. to show God" righteousness.

• Paul takes this notion and expands it to say that the effect is not just for the gentiles but also for the Jews. The law is out. Paul raises the theme of the righteousness of God in Romans as central.
  
  
• Another view (Stendahls) is that Paul formulated the righteousness of God later and the central theme of Romans is that the Jews will all be saved on the last day. The core is Rom Chap 9-11 where Paul argues for the original root being saved and the grafted-on part (the church) Can as easily be lobbed off.

The saving event --Jesus Christ

• The pre-existent son

The son of God--Hellenistic term, also a Jewish term, no clear evidence that this was the term used for the Messiah.

Divine election (for a task)

Early church– (Rom 1:4) Paul takes it over. at the resurrection. He is installed as Son of God-Messiah in power. (Almost certainly not Paul; he usually says. Holy Spirit, never Spirit of holiness)

In Philippians 2:2-11 (read) notion of pre-existent son-divine election.

• Lord: Kyrios – Paul's favorite term.

Paul sees the word as meaning Jesus' dominion and power over human beings.

In Philippians hymn (see above) the language speaks about being equal to God and of pre-existence--language of the wisdom myth.

• The Death

voluntary vicarious death for humans (read Rom 5:6, I cor: 1:23-24) Paul stresses the death more than the resurrection in I Cor because of the enthusiasts' he was dealing with who emphasized the resurrection. – I Cor 2:2-3 5:7)

• Jesus died under the law.

• a covenant sacrifice. seen as Passover lamb (I Cor)
• Resurrection–an act of the Father (Jesus didn't raise, God raised Jesus. Read (Rom. 4:2-25)

sign for the Christian community, Jesus becomes a life giving spirit. (I cor 15:45) the principle of life for believers

The Lord and the Spirit-spirit of the Father, spirit of the son--the Lord is the Spirit (Read II Cor 1:21-22; 3:17-18, Rom 8:10-11)

• triadic formula, Father, Son and Spirit--not separate persons for Paul.

End of Lecture – Paul Part 2 in separate lecture notes.