Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.
These letters had already been written when Luke wrote the Book of Acts, but a close reading indicates that they are independent of one another. Paul wrote letters to churches at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae. Paul wrote another epistle to the church at Thessalonica. The rest of his letters are commonly called ‘pastoral letters’ and were written to Timothy and Titus.
Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 11.28 “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” (KJV) Paul felt responsibility for the churches that he knew as well as the ones he established. Letter delivery in Paul’s time consisted of merchants and other travelers, going in the same direction as the mail, carrying letters. Government and military personnel also were entrusted with the task of mail delivery.
Paul wrote in the language known as Koine Greek. This was the language used during the time of his writing. It was Paul’s custom to have someone else write his letters for him.
Paul wrote in 2nd Thessalonians 2.2, that there was possibly ‘a letter allegedly from us’ in existence. Later in 2nd Thessalonians 3.17, he te...
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...arby, John Nelson. Darby's Translation. WORDsearch Corp. Database © 2007
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Hodge, Charles D.D., LL.D. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. WORDsearch Corp. Database © 2005 WORDsearch Corp.
Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A.R.; Brown, David. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary. WORDsearch Corp. Database © 2007 WORDsearch Corp.
Johnson, B.W. The Peoples New Testament. WORDsearch Corp. Database © 2008 WORDsearch Corp.
King James Version. The Holy Bible. The Nelson Company, 2004. Print
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Student Bible. Nashville. A. Thomas Nelson, 2000. Print
“Pauline Epistles I.” Wikipedia.org. 2011. Web. 28 March 2011.
Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. WORDsearch Corp. Database © 2007 WORDsearch Corp.
Paul the Apostle is the central figure in many New Testament writings. Many historians have attributed fourteen New Testament letters to Paul’s writing; seven of these letters are uncontested meaning historians are sure that Paul wrote them, the remaining seven are contested. Paul was not always a Christian; in fact, he persecuted Christians before Christ came and temporarily blinded him. Upon seeing Christ, Paul devoted his life to Christianity and set out to spread the teachings of Christ. Scholars often credit Paul’s leadership to the ability of the Church to become Hellenistic in one generation. Paul also answered specific worries and questions that his converters may have had in many of his writings; one of these writings is 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul set out to deal with the many believers in Corinth who are divided into the followings of Paul or Apollos rather than Christianity as a whole. The converts of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14 were divided during times of worship because of jealousy invoked by the spiritual gifts received from the “Spirit”; the worships and the church became a place to boast who is closest to God, instead of a place of worship, interpretation, and love. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Paul set guidelines in times of worship to heal the divide among his converts present in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
To some magnitude some of the academics studying Pauline literature may argue that Paul was the most prominent in founding Christianity as well as spreading Jesus Christs gospel beyond the Jews from the cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually to Rome. Just as in the first and second century, the Pauline legacy still holds great significance and relevance throughout history and in today’s cutting edge society. For instance as stated in the book ‘Paul and the Christian woman’ by Brendan Byrne SJ, ‘The debate concerning Paul’s attitude towards women intensified in the early 1970s as the feminist movement began to make an impact upon New Testament studies’.
Timothy and Paul had a close relationship together even when Paul was imprisonment(Harris,2015). The letters for Timothy was addressing proper order to be in the church. Timothy was being addressed
Although technically anonymous, most biblical scholars agree that the book of Acts was written by the physician, Luke. Luke was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul in Rome for two years. The physician was perhaps a gentile, but at least a Hellenistic Jew. He was a native of Antioch. The book of Acts was originally a sequel to Luke and the book was called Luke-Acts. Both letters address the name Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1). Theophilus has been said to be either a gentile in Greece or Asia Minor or a code word for all Christian congregations with significant gentile presence.
An awareness of the historical-cultural background of Paul’s letter to Philemon will aid in interpretation of the text. The information gleamed should allow for a greater contextual appreciation. With this knowledge in hand, the reader can grasp a deeper understanding of the theological teachings of the book of Philemon.
Literary Context In trying to understand Philippians 2:5-11 it is equally important to understand what is going on both before this passage occurs and what happens after. Paul is writing a letter to the church in Philippi and unlike some of his other letters he is filled with joy when writing to them. Immediately his letter begins with praise and thanksgiving directed towards the Philippians due to their kindness and provisions that they had consistently provided for Paul while he was in Prison. Paul then goes on to write about the fact that his imprisonment has advanced the Gospel of Christ.
The church in Corinth was a young church that Paul established when he was there and was having problems with their new-found freedom. The Corinthian Christians were not sure which laws, if any, applied to them because of the freedom from the law they have in Jesus. The letter was written to the church to advise them on how to handle the problems. Some problems were spiritual arrogance, wrong-doings against other believers, sexual immorality, and misunderstanding on Christian beliefs.
The author of the Letters is apparently Peter 1:1 it states him as the writer who is one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. But, when you read the main parts of the letters there is no knowledge of Peter’s first-hand experiences or any of Jesus’s hardships that they would have encountered on their journey. Scholars believed that the letters of Peter could not be written by him because the use of the Greek language is too educated for someone that was a fisherman from Palestine. Also, the quotes are related to the Greek Bible instead of the Hebrew which would be more familiar with Peter. However, these are the strong reason that maybe Peter did not write the letters, maybe a secretary wrote them perhaps, Silvanus himself. There is some knowledge
Philippians is a letter written by Paul to the people of Philippi in which he expresses his gratitude for their constant help and friendship while in jail. There is much debate over the book of Philippians Scholars debate on if Paul wrote the letter alone, or if Timothy assisted him. Scholars still do not know where or when it was written Scholars do not know if the book is actually two or three letters combined, or if it is one letter and the other letters were never found Philippians is said to be Paul’s most optimistic and upbeat letter Audience: Philippians is a letter written to the people of Philippi Philippi is located one hundred miles east of Thessalonica and is now Greece.
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”.
A survey of the evidence indicates that Paul writes (48-49 A.D) to the Christians in south Galatia—he mentions no churches or acquaintances in the north— after having established churches there but prior to the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). Both the letter and the council deal with Jewish Christians instructing gentle converts to observe the Mosaic Law (Judaizers). The gravity of the matter is evident in Paul’s opening as he dispenses the usual salutations to forcibly establish his apostleship, “not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the
Outside of Jesus Christ, there may not be a more important figure in Christianity other than St. Paul the Apostle. Paul was at one point a persecutor of early Christians, however a revelation experience in the mid-30’s AD changed his view of the faith. He ultimately became the most prominent figure in the spread of early Christianity, as his many missions established Christian churches throughout the Roman Empire. During the time of his missions, Paul penned numerous letters to the various Christian communities that he had helped establish. Pauline writings were the earliest of the New Testament writings, and ultimately comprise a third of the New Testament. One letter of particular interest when studying the theology of Paul and the early
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).
A letter written from a loved one is something that is held as a prized possession. This is especially true if the letter contains encouragement or sound life advice from someone who is no longer living. Such a document contains a connection to the past and words of inspiration for the future. The reader of Second Timothy discovers, rather quickly, that this is the case for this body of work. In Pauls’ final letter to Timothy, one will find an imprisoned mentor writing to his protege in order to encourage him to continue the good work and to instill confidence in his Savior. While this letter was written to a young minister in the first century, there are vital points for believers today.
Upon reading his letters on the accounts of Jesus, I am deeply disturbed by Paul’s numerous contradictions, jarring hypocrisies, blatant anti-Semitism, and demeaning antifeminism. Even more troubling is Paul’s consistent failure to not ever quote Jesus, but to make the recipients of his letters rely solely on the fact that God and Jesus consecrated him, Paul—according to Paul, himself (of course). Paul believes that he has been chosen, much like Abraham, Noah, Moses and the Prophets to carry out Jesus’ demands of how people should live until Jesus returns. However, unlike Abraham, Noah, Moses, and the Prophets, Paul does not dictate t...