As a devoted and loyal Jew of the Pharisee sect, his attention was given primarily to a detailed analysis of the requirements set forth in the Mosaic Law. Whereas the average ancient letter was 87 words long, the literary letters of the Roman authors Cicero and Seneca averaged 295 and 995 words respectively. In the Home and Household Life (3:18-4:1), IV. The letter contains a number of historical references that agree with known facts of Pauls life and the doctrinal content of the book is consistent with the other writings of the apostle, a fact quickly evident by a comparison with his other letters. 2. [8] While this part of Pauls teaching is best preserved in 1 Thessalonians 4:1318, this same passage also makes clear that it caused some confusion among the Thessalonians that Pauls letter sought to resolve: because the Thessalonians, and possibly Paul himself, expected the Lord to return soon, they were concerned when the Parousia did not happen immediately and, furthermore, when members of the congregation began to die before Jesus return. W. C. Strickland (Nashville: Broadman, 1959), p. 12. School attendance is a major issue. Since it was written during Pauls first imprisonment in Rome, it was written around A.D. 61. [13] See Suetonius, Claudius, 25.3, which attributes the expulsion order to riots over one Chrestus, the Latin form of a common Greek slave name meaning useful or serviceable (Chrestos), which apparently he had confused with the name Christos. . and brought into a position of liberty. As to external evidence, several church fathers (Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement of Alexander, and others) either quote from or use language closely resembling that found in Ephesians.53, In recent years, however, critics have turned to internal grounds to challenge this unanimous ancient tradition. Most of these came from the humbler ranks, although there appear to have been some of the nobler class also (1:26-31). One must try to understand the circumstances in which these individuals and groups found themselves in order to understand what and how Paul was trying to teach them. The Problem of Litigation in Heathen Courts (6:1-8), C. The Warning Against Moral Laxity (6:9-20), IV. Because of its unique apocalyptic nature, however, in this survey we are distinguishing it as The Prophetic Book of the New Testament. To give instruction on how to meet this opposition and special instructions concerning faith and conduct, and to warn about false teachers (1:5, 10-11; 2:1-8, 15; 3:1-11). As such a student, he was familiar with many of the sayings of classical and contemporary writers. 1:7; Col. 4:10; Philemon 9). Click the card to flip . Instructions Concerning Leaders (3:1-16), A. 2); (4) to give guidance regarding numerous issues that would arise and to show how they should be handled. Web200) codex quire containing the Pauline Letters in the following order: Romans, Hebrews, I and II Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and I Thessalonians. On the other hand, Paul may have had a second group of opponents, because his letter later seeks to counter the efforts of those who think that the grace of Christ had made all obedience and law unnecessary. A recap of the events pertinent to this epistle will help give some idea of a probable date for Titus, though the exact time is unknown. Two other key words are grace (1:4; 2:11; 3:7, 15) and faith (1:1, 4, 13; 2:10, 13, and 3:15). Had He forgotten His promises to the Jews? Paul lays aside his rights (v. 8) and becomes Onesimus substitute by assuming his debt (vv. Instructions Concerning Various Responsibilities (5:1-6:10), E. Concerning the Heretical and Greedy (6:3-10), VII. Originally, they were regarded as mere personal letters and were classified with Philemon, but because of their strong bearing on the life of the church, they began to be called the Pastoral Epistles. Though addressed to individuals, these books are not only not limited to personal and private communications, but they are more official in character. Raised in a Jewish home, he was taught the Old Testament Scriptures and brought up in strict accordance with the beliefs and practices of the Pharisee sect. The apostle then visited Ephesus, where he left Timothy to supervise the church, and went on to Macedonia. The Explanation of the Evidence (1:8-10), B. To order How to Write Letters for All Occasions, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby Letter Booklet, P.O. Paul then made his third visit to Corinth during the winter of A.D. 56-57 (Acts 20:2-3). 5:1f.). Pauline Hanson claims list of Indigenous 'demands' found via FOI Still later, they came to be regarded as inspired writings comparable to the sacred Scriptures of Judaism. Do they show similar dependence on Jewish categories and principles? Also, the seeds of what later became the full-blown Gnosticism of the second century were present in the first century and already making inroads into the churches. Exhortation Regarding the Methods of False Teachers (2:4-5), 2. Later, he returned to Tarsus and probably attended the Greek university located in that city, although we have no direct information about this. Some early church fathers as Polycarp and Clement of Rome, allude to these epistles as Pauline. Onesimus, guilty of a great offense (vv. 2:2). James, although it begins as a letter, continues as a homily based on scriptural references and the teachings of Jesus, employing the diatribe style. The key words or concepts are judgment, retribution, and destruction all revolving around the return of the Lord in the day of the Lord. This letter is not an attack against slavery as such, but a suggestion as to how Christian masters and slaves could live their faith within that evil system. (7) Finally, there was a third visit to Corinth (Acts 20:2-3). Web Colossians: A Letter that encourages authentic faith and authentic Christian life in face of the commingling of religions and new ideas. While the general focus of this epistle is Pauls defense of his ministry and authority, a key word that surfaces is comfort (occurring 11 times in 9 verses). 1 / 4. Pauls first letter to the Corinthians, one of a series of letters of which only two are preserved, was written as a result of problems within one of the largest congregations that he had established. A.D. 49, making it the earliest of Pauls epistles), and the Jerusalem council (Acts 15) convened shortly afterward. Then, rather than refer to his earthly family or household as a typical letter writer would have done (e.g., Paul, son of X, of Tarsus . [30] Therefore, regardless of the role of a coauthor or scribe in the composition of a letter, the final product was reviewed and accepted by Paul, who thereby attributed to it apostolic authority. But the point is simply this: regardless of the type of church government, within certain limits, of course, if Gods Word is being consistently and accurately proclaimed with prayerful dependence on the Lord, and if the people take it to heart, a church will be alive, in vital touch with Christ, and effective for the Lord. STATEMENT OF RANDI WEINGARTEN PRESIDENT, AMERICAN 2 Cor. Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy had come to Thessalonica early in the Second Missionary Journey, about AD 50, and had spent only a few weeks in the city where they had established a largely Gentile congregation. While a postscript could in fact be additional information added after the close of a letter, as is often the case today, in antiquity an author more generally used a postscript to guarantee that the contents written by a scribe reflected his thinking. [10] Sperry, Pauls Life and Letters, 11837; Anderson, Understanding Paul, 95129; David R. Seely, Is Christ Divided? Unity of the Saints through Charity (1, 2 Corinthians), in Millet, Studies in Scripture, Vol. [31] Sperry, Pauls Life and Letters, 102, 1045, notes, A careful reading of [2 Thessalonians 2:2] . 1:1, Tit. Only at Hebrews 13:125 does it read like a letter or epistle. While engaged in these missionary activities, he wrote the letters that are preserved in the New Testament. Closely associated with this is a short section on the believers warfare with the onslaughts of Satan (6:10-18). Though scholars differ on whether Paul wrote Ephesians while he was imprisoned at Caesarea (Acts 24:27) in A.D. 57-59, or in Rome (28:30) in A.D. 60-62, the evidence favors the Roman imprisonment. 276.69, I. Salutation and Opening Greetings (1:1-4), II. 2:9). Notably absent are qualities of worldly success and position. The second theme flows out of the first, namely, the believers responsibility to know, grasp, and walk in a manner that is fitting with his heavenly position and calling in Christ (1:18-23; 3:14-21; 4:1). 61 The outline used here is taken from an outstanding series of 12 studies by Dr. S. Lewis Johnson in Bibliotheca Sacra, Studies in the Epistle to the Colossians, beginning Vol. 1:13). From his reference that he stayed at Ephesus until Pentecost (16:8), it appears he intended to remain there somewhat less than a year when he wrote this epistle. For instance, the weighty doctrinal section of Romans (1:1611:36) is followed by a shorter but still significant imperative or hortatory section (12:115:13) that includes important discussions of Christian ethics (12:113:14) and relations between the strong and the weak (14:115:13). The city was filled with shrines and temples with the most prominent being the temple of Aphrodite that sat on top of an 1800-foot promontory called the Acrocorinthus. In this epistle, we see Him as our comfort (1:5), triumph (2:14), Lord (2:4), liberty or freedom for a new life (3:17), light (4:6), judge (5:10), reconciliation (5:19), gift (9:15), owner (10:7), and power (12:9). It shows how we may be chained and hindered, but that the Word of God is not imprisoned (see also 2 Tim. The Charge to Preach the Word (4:1-5), VII. When Plato referred to a prostitute, he used the expression Corinthian girl (Republic 404d). However, Pauls authorship of this epistle has been questioned more often than that of 1 Thessalonians, even though it has more support from early church writers. Thus, the book is titled Pros Philemona, To Philemon.. Traditionally, Pauls relationship to Judaism has been regarded as oppositional. Perhaps because Paul was a Roman citizen and they could not prove the charges, his accusers did not choose to press charges against him before Caesar (see Acts 24-25; 28:30). The Pauline Letters - CliffsNotes