Introduction
The letter to Titus was hand written by Paul the apostle. It was his second pastoral letter. It was written about the same time he wrote 1st Timothy. Paul wrote this letter to Titus in A.D. 63. (We cannot be certain for sure).The other pastoral letters include 1&2 Timothy.
Paul wrote thirteen letters in total and among them there are three referred to as pastoral. The term “pastoral” indicates Paul great concern regarding the church (body of Christ) and its ministry.
Let not the words “pastoral” exclude you from reading or getting the full massage from those letters. Paul addresses many things concerning the life and the ministry of the body of Christ (ecclesia). On those pages he gives instruction to both Timothy and Titus on
1. How
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I was sent to lead God's chosen people to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to a godly life
Who was it written to?
The epistle was written to Titus, a true son in the faith and co-worker in the ministry. I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace (Titus1:4)
At this time Titus was stationed in the island of Crete, where Paul had left him in order to finish some ministerial work. The letter come with new instructions, Titus was to appoint capable leaders in every city and ensure true and sound doctrine was followed, before joining Paul in Nicopolis. As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. (Titus3:12).
History
History has it that Paul was freed from his house arrest in Rome and lived a free man, during this period (probably two years) he was able to preach the gospel all the way to Spain( far west of the known world then) before he was arrested again and executed in AD 67-68( read Acts 24:1 and
Scholars of the Pauline writings have divided them into the following categories: (1) those unquestionably by Paul: Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, and Philemon; (2) a letter that was probably written by Paul, but has had serious questions raised about its' authorship: II Thessalonians; (3) letters that were not actually written by Paul but were developed from his thought: Colossians and Ephesians; (4) letters that bear Paul's name but clearly come from another time and different set of circumstances in the church: I and II Timothy and Titus (the so-called Pastoral Letters); (5) a letter not bearing Paul's name and which evidences a wholly different thought and religious vocabulary from that of Paul: the Letter to the Hebrews (Kee, 5th Ed. 224).
Throughout many of Paul’s letters there are many debates pertaining to the authorship, destination, date, and the purpose. In the book of Ephesians many scholars debate on the authorship and if Paul actually wrote the letter, or if it was a scribe. Although there are some debates on whether Paul actually wrote it or not, he does refer to himself twice in the letter. In 1:1 and in 3:1 Paul states himself, 1:3 states, “For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” (NIV) In verse 1:3 Paul states that he is a prisoner, therefore it is debated that he did not specifically write this because he was imprisoned in Rome at this time. According to Wallace “This, of course, is not to say that the letter must be by Paul, but it is to argue that without such internal testimony, no such claim could be made” (Wallace). Many scholars also debate on the vocabulary usage and the structure of the letter. Some believe that the structure is similar, but the vocabulary seems to be different than his New Testament epistles. Hoehner claims that,” Though the book has a close affinity with Colossians, critics claim that Ephesians is uncharacteristic of Paul” (Hoehner 613). The destination of Ephesians is somewhat debated, but many do believe that the letter was sent to the church of Ephesus. “Some to claim that Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea.” (Wallace) Although this is an argument that has many valid points, it is obvious that Paul was imprisoned in Rome while he wrote Ephesians. It is said by Hoehner that “Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-9)” (Hoehner 613). As for the date goes m...
Second, the instructions to Timothy regarding the management of the Church and of worship. Explained to him the nature of people who could be overseer and a helper of the Church.
The letter to the church at Ephesus was written about the same time as the letters to the churches at Colosse and Phillipi. A combination of all of my sources suggests this was somewhere between the years of A.D.60-64.
One of the major thinkers from late antiquity is Saint Paul, a convert and leader of the early Christian Church. He was once known as Saul of Tarsus before his religious conversion, but afterwards Paul used his background as a Jew and Roman citizen to evangelize all Roman citizens. He ministered to church communities he formed in Europe and what was then Asia Minor by writing letters to these communities he formed, one of which is called Corinth. Corinth is a Southwestern Greek city located against a gulf, which infers its participation in trade and its immersion in many cultures. Corinth was rebuilt as a Roman colony after the Greeks rebelled years before Saint Paul formed a church there, and its citizens popularly worshiped the goddess of love, Aphrodite, which explains why Saint Paul addresses the topics of love and sexuality in his first letter. Corinth was also a disobedient city in the eyes of Saint Paul, as it had many communal problems that were so culturally engrained. The first letter to the church of Corinth, was written by
Background information of Paul and what led him to become the ultimate witness of Christ to the Gentiles.
According to Robert J. Matthews, “Paul suffered persecution throughout his missions, loss of all physical goods, and eventual martyrdom. Only a certain kind of disposition could tolerate such a life for a period of twenty-five or thirty years.” During Paul’s last days, he was taken to Governor Felix in Caeserea in 58 AD where he was sentenced to 2 years in prison. Paul appealed to Caesar in Rome. He finally arrived in Rome where he remained under house arrest for a couple more years. This is the time when he wrote many of his books. Paul was released from prison and traveled for a couple more years in much of the identical regions that he traveled before. He most likely died in prison as a martyr in 67 AD.
Chapter four addresses the divisions within the Corinthian church, such as jealousy, quarrelling and their defective view of the church. The apostle Paul links their view of the church to church leadership stating “If they had a true view of the church, they would have a true view of the leaders of the church” (p79). The situation was that their view was lower for the church and higher for the leaders thus they were boasting about the leaders. Paul’s view was that the Corinthian church was spoon feed Christians not maturing as they should. Paul’s reference to addressing the church as worldly did not mean they were unregenerate because they did possess the Spirit but they were not being spiritual, not being controlled by the Holy Spirit. He goes on to say “They have experienced new birth by the Spirit but have remained babies in Christ; they have not yet become mature in Christ” (p80) The Apostle most likely would express the same opinion about many Church congregations today. Many churches are elated with their church growth, but it is often superficial. If the church does not offer a real growth opportunity the journey is short lived. The church fills up with Christians not participating in the sanctification process. As with many churches today the Corinthians had a self-serving attitude about themselves and their church. The Corinthians would have never behaved the way they did if they had a higher view of the church and what it stood for and a lesser view of the leaders. Paul outlines three visions of the church “each of which has important implications” (p82). The first metaphor is agricultural: God’s field (v9) 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God...
middle of paper ... ... ned to help lead others to christ. I can also be a more effective witness. That is exactly why I need to study and find out the real meaning of scripture. Bibliography: Bibliography: I did not use all of these sources directly, but I would like to acknowledge the books, references, and other resouces that I did read.
Virtually all scholars accept the Apostle Paul as the author of Philemon. Paul, who was formally called Saul prior to his work as an Apostle, was born in the city of Tarsus, the Capital of ancient Cilicia. Tarsus was declared a free city by Rome, thus making Paul a Roman citizen. He was Jewish by blood from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul studied under the teaching and influence of the rabbi Gamaliel and became a Pharisee. As a Pharisee, Paul possessed a rigid adherence to the letter of the law and strongly opposed and fought against Christianity. Paul was converted to Christianity by Jesus on a persecution journey to Damascus in AD 33. After his conversion, Paul became a missionary to the Gentile world. He is believed to have written at least thirteen books of the New Testament before his death in AD 67-68.
Reading Response II – 1 Epistle of Peter The author Peter admits himself as the apostle of God. He is writing to the Gentiles Christians in hostile pagan land to keep their hope on Jesus Christ’s promises and to live a holy life before God despite mounting persecution and various trials. His letter reflects the history and terminology of the Gospel and Acts which is notably Peter’s speeches. Themes and concepts reflect Peter’s experiences and his associations in the period of our Lord’s ministry in the apostolic age.
In approximately 50 A.D. Paul had traveled to Philippi and then to Greece for the first time. During this time, he and two traveling companions, Timothy and Silas, they spread the word about Jesus to the Thessalonians. They formed a community of believers there and Paul was the founder of this new Christian community. He, Timothy, and Silas exercised authority over the Thessalonians according to 1 Thessalonians 4:7. “we were able to impose our weight as apostles of Christ”. The three stayed with the newly founded community for quite a while and it was not specifically stated as to how long they stayed all the book said was that “they stayed for a time to be”.
The book of Romans is the book doctrinal written by the Apostle Paul. This book is also a book is unique because it was written and sent without Paul never went to Rome or find churches in Rome.
Paul summarizes all this preaching in seventeen stanzas by referring to the "Spirit" and the "Flesh." We are first introduced by Paul of these topics/words in his letter to the Galatians. Paul contrasts the two ways of living in a community in chapter five of Galatians. "Spirit" is the caring of others and builds interpersonal relationships within a community. The "Flesh" is a self centeredness and a natural way to live of only caring for oneself. The "works of the flesh" will break apart a community.
The Apostle Paul is known as the greatest missionary of the early church. Paul, who once vowed to wipe out belief in Jesus Christ, was later converted to do the work of Christ. He would author almost half of the 27 books in the New Testament. He endured sickness, rejection, and repeated attacks on his life to bring the message of God's grace and forgiveness to Gentiles. Paul was the apostle largely responsible for the solid inception and growth of Christianity. He spoke before Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles. He defended God's Word before kings and emperors of this world. By the end of his life, much of the Mediterranean world had been reached with the gospel.