1. 1
Pauline TheologyPauline Theology
“Critical Events”“Critical Events”
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic
Community
Georges B. Aboutanos
Email: gaboutanos@earthlink.net
Blog: www.gaboutanos.net
October 31, 2010
2. 2
“What will separate us from the love of
Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or the sword? No, in all these
things
we conquer overwhelmingly through him
who loved us.”
Romans 8:35, 37-39
3. 3
“For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to
separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35, 37-39
4. 4
“To each … the Spirit is given for some benefit”
“To one … wisdom;
To another … knowledge …
To another faith …
To another gifts of healing …
To another mighty deeds …
To another prophecy …
To another discernment of Spirits;
To another varieties of tongues;
To another interpretations of tongues.”
1 Corinthians 12:7-10
5. 5
“Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual
gifts. But I shall show you a still more
excellent way…
1 Corinthians 12:31-
13:3
6. 6
I am a resounding
gong or a clashing
cymbal.”
If I speak in human
and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
…
7. 7
“And if I have the gift
of prophecy
and comprehend all
mysteries
and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so
as to move
mountains
but do not have love,
I am nothing.”
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3
8. 8
“If I give away everything I own, and if I
hand my body over so that I may boast but
do not have love, I gain nothing.”
1 Corinthians 12:31-
13:3
9. 9
“Love is patient, love
is kind. It is not
jealous, is not
pompous, it is not
inflated, it is not
rude, it does not
seek its own
interests, it is not
quick-tempered.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-51 Corinthians 13:4-5
10. 10
“it does not brood
over injury, it does
not rejoice over
wrongdoing but
rejoices with the
truth. It bears all
things, believes all
things, hopes all
things, endures all
things.”
1 Corinthians 13:5-71 Corinthians 13:5-7
11. 11
“Love never fails…
So faith,
hope,
love remain,
these three;
but the greatest of
these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:8-131 Corinthians 13:8-13
12. 12
“Do not conform yourself to this age but
be transformed by the renewal of your
mind, that you may discern what is the
will of God” Romans 12:2
13. 13
Pauline EpistlesPauline Epistles
Following the death, Resurrection &
ascension of Jesus, & Pentecost,
St. Paul saw himself primarily as an
apostle to the gentiles began to travel &
preach proclaiming Jesus the crucified
Messiah
14. 14
Pauline EpistlesPauline Epistles
Paul wrote letters in response to problems in
Christian communities that he has founded &
evangelized.
His letters preserved & read as sermons are
the earliest Christian documents.
15. 15
Pauline EpistlesPauline Epistles
Romans
1st
Corinthians
Galatians
Philippians
1st
Thessalonians
1st
Timothy
Titus
2nd
Corinthians
Ephesians
Colossians
2nd
Thessalonians
2nd
Timothy
Philemon
Thirteen letters attributed to Paul named after the
community or person to whom they are addressed
16. 16
Seven Indisputable LettersSeven Indisputable LettersPEPE
1. I Thessalonians 51 A.D. from Corinth
2. 1 Corinthians 54 A.D. from Ephesus
3. Philippians (~60) 56 A.D. from Ephesus
4. 2 Corinthians 57 A.D. from
Macedonia
5. Galatians 58 A.D. from Corinth
6. Romans 58 A.D. from Corinth
7. Philemon 61 A.D. from Rome
22. 22
Jewish BackgroundJewish BackgroundOF & JFOF & JF
• Pharisees:
A pious Jewish group formed in the 2nd
Cent. B.C.
Accepted both the oral & the written law.
Criticized Jesus for forgiving sins, breaking the
Sabbath, & associating with sinners.
Jesus objected their legalism & self-righteous.
Jesus was defended & entertained by some.
23. 23
Jewish BackgroundJewish BackgroundNJB & JFNJB & JF
Paul’s writings reveal his Jewish way of thinking.
He studied and thought like a Jewish Rabbi.
He was proud of his Jewish heritage & being a
member of God’s chosen people.*
24. 24
Jewish BackgroundJewish BackgroundNJB & JFNJB & JF
The OT remained for Paul a means through which
God speaks to humanity
He thought & expressed himself in OT categories
& images, quoting the OT LXX 90 times
He does not quote scripture as one would in 20th
cent., he gives OT new meaning & allegorize it.
27. 27
Hellenistic BackgroundHellenistic BackgroundNJBNJB
Paul used of a Roman name
Appealed to the Greek OT LXX
Composed his letters in Greek
Used Greek commercial terms (Phlm 18-19)
Used Greek legal terms (Gal 3:15)
Alluded to Greek games (1 Cor 9:24-27)
28. 28
Hellenistic BackgroundHellenistic Background
“Thus I do not run
aimlessly; I do not
fight as if I were
shadowboxing. No
I drive my body
and train it, for
fear that, after
having preached
to others, I myself
should be
disqualified.”
1 Cor 9:26-27
29. 29
Hellenistic BackgroundHellenistic BackgroundNJBNJB
Paul employed the Hellenistic ideas of
Freedom (Gal 5:1,13)
Conscience (1 Cor 8:7)
Contentment (2 Cor 9:8)
He used Cynic-Stoic mode of
argumentation
He developed idea church as the “body” of
Christ from State as body politic
30. 30
Hellenistic BackgroundHellenistic BackgroundJFJF
Paul’s Greek cultural background enabled him to
cope with the problems & difficulties of carrying
the Christian gospel from its Palestinian Jewish
matrix into the world of the Roman empire
Paul’s practical experience & concrete contact
with Diaspora Jews & with Gentiles of that area
had a significant impact on his view of Christianity
32. 32
Critical EventsCritical EventsPEPE
1) Paul’s vision of the risen Christ
The Vision convinced Paul that Jesus is
the Messiah sent by the Father.
He saw Jesus’ resurrection as the
beginning of the end, the turning point of
all history when God fulfills his promises to
Israel.
33. 33
Critical EventsCritical EventsPE,NABPE,NAB
2) Expectation of imminent 2nd
coming
Early church expected the 2nd
coming shortly.
Paul assumes Parousia will occur in his own
lifetime although time is not known (1 Thes 5:1-2)
These thoughts effected his early writings: 1
Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians & Philippians*
34. 34
“Indeed, we tell you this on the word of
the Lord, that we who are alive, who are
left until the coming of the Lord . . .
Then we who are alive, who are left, will
be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air . . .”
1 Thes 4:14-17
35. 35
Critical EventsCritical EventsPEPE
3) The Greeks rejection of the bodily
resurrection
Greeks thought of the person as soul & body
where the body imprison the soul & must not
be resurrected
Paul, as a Jew, thought of the person as a
body-person and defended the resurrection
of the body ( 1 Cor. 15 & 2 Cor.)
36. 36
“…But someone may say, "How are the
dead raised? With what kind of body will
they come back?"
You fool! What you sow is not brought to
life unless it dies. And what you sow is
not the body that is to be but a bare
kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some
other kind; but God gives it a body as he
chooses, and to each of the seeds its
own body. …”
1 Cor. 15:36-44
37. 37
“He [Christ] will change our lowly
body to conform with his glorified
body by the power that enables him
also to bring all things into
subjection to himself.”
Phil 3:21
38. 38
Critical EventsCritical EventsPEPE
4) Paul’s brush with death at Ephesus
This made Paul realize that he might not be
alive for the Parousia.
It also made him realize that following Christ
and growth in Christ meant more than sharing
in his victory– it also meant sharing in his
sufferings & death. (Phil. & 2 Cor)*
39. 39
“We do not want you to be unaware,
brothers, of the affliction that came to
us in the province of Asia*; we were
utterly weighed down beyond our
strength, so that we despaired even of
life. Indeed, we had accepted within
ourselves the sentence of death, that
we might trust not in ourselves but in
God who raises the dead.”
2 Cor 1:8-9
41. 41
Critical EventsCritical EventsPEPE
5) Paul’s Encounter with false
apostles at Corinth*
This Lead Paul to reflect on the purpose and
meaning of apostleship & on distinguishing
true from false apostle.
He came to realize that an apostle is called
not only to preach Christ but to pattern his
life on the life of the suffering of Christ,
preaching the gospel with his life.
42. 42
Critical EventsCritical EventsPEPE
6) The Controversy with Jewish
Christians about the Mosaic law
Paul the Pharisee defended justification by
observance of the law
His devotion to the law shriveled when he
came to realize that it is Christ that justifies
(Philippians, Galatians, and Romans)
43. 43
Critical EventsCritical EventsPEPE
7) The Jews rejection of Gentiles’
acceptance of the Gospel
Paul realized that the Gentiles not the Jews
are the ones accepting the Gospel
He re-evaluated his pharisaic belief that
Gentiles have to become Jews first
He began to theologize on the Father’s plan
for salvation (Romans)
44. 44
“For if you were cut from what is by
nature a wild olive tree, and grafted,
contrary to nature, into a cultivated
one, how much more will they who
belong to it by nature be grafted back
into their own olive tree.”
Romans 11:24
45. 45
Summary of Critical EventsSummary of Critical EventsPEPE
1) Paul’s vision of the risen Christ
2) Expectation of imminent 2nd
coming
3) The Greeks rejection of the bodily
resurrection
4) Paul’s brush with death at Ephesus
46. 46
Summary of Critical EventsSummary of Critical EventsPEPE
5) Paul’s Encounter with false apostles at
Corinth (see 2 Cor. 11)
6) The Controversy with Jewish Christians
about the Mosaic law
7) The Jews rejection of Gentiles’
acceptance of the gospel
47. 47
The Revelation to PaulThe Revelation to PaulDHDH
Around A.D. 32 or 33
Paul, A Jew born in
Tarsus of Cilicia, a
Pharisee by choice, a
persecutor of Christians
by conviction, underwent
a remarkable
transformation.
49. 49
The Revelation to PaulThe Revelation to Paul
“Now I want you to know, brothers,
That the gospel preached by me
Is not of human origin. For I did not
receive it from a human being,
Nor was I taught it,
But it came through a revelation of
Jesus Christ.”
Gal 1:11-12
50. 50
The Revelation to Paul*The Revelation to Paul*
“But when [God], who from my mother’s
womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the
Gentiles.”
Gal 1:15-16
51. 51
In this revelation Paul saw Jesus like the rest of
the Apostles saw the resurrected Christ
His apostolic role was apparently challenged in
the early church, yet he defended his position
52. 52
The Revelation to PaulThe Revelation to Paul
“Am I not free?
Am I not an apostle?
Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
Are you not my work in the Lord?”
1 Cor 9:1
53. 53
The Revelation to PaulThe Revelation to Paul
“[Christ] appeared to Cephas, then to the
twelve … Last of all, as to one born
abnormally, he appeared to me.”
1 Cor 15:5-8
54. 54
The Revelation to PaulThe Revelation to PaulJF&NJBJF&NJB
This encounter with Jesus changed Paul’s
understanding of the Messiah to someone who
frees humanity
Far more than his Pharisaic background &
Hellenistic cultural roots, the revelation of
Jesus gave Paul an ineffable insight into the
“mystery of Christ” and God’s plan of
salvation.
55. 55
The Revelation to PaulThe Revelation to Paul
“If I preach the gospel,
this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it.”
1 Cor 9:16
56. 56
“to reveal
his Son to
me, so that
I might
proclaim
him to the
Gentiles…”
Gal 1:16
57. 57
ReferencesReferences
1. [RB] An Introduction to the New Testament.
Raymond Brown S.S. Ph.D. Doubleday, 1997.
2. [MG] Apostle of the Crucified Lord. A
theological Introduction to Paul & his Letters.
Michael J. Gorman. Eerdmans, 2004.
3. [SM] Paul, His letters & his theology. An
Introduction to Paul’s Epistles. Stanley B.
Marrow. Paulist Press, 1986.
4. [NJB] The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.
Brown, Fitzmyer, Murphy. Prentice Hall, 1990.
58. 58
ReferencesReferences
5. [JF] According to Paul. Studies in the Theology
of the Apostle. Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J. 1993.
6. [VK] What are they saying about Paul & the
law? Veronica Koperski. Paulist Press 2001.
7. [JA] Paul & Judaism: The apostle in the Context
of Recent Interpretation. James W. Aageson.
Word & World Volume XX No. 3 Summer 2000.
8. [CC] The Letters of Paul. Charles B Cousar.
Interpreting Biblical Text IBT. Abingdon Press
1996.
9. [NTW] What Saint Paul Really Said. N. T.
Wright. Eerdmans, 1997.
59. 59
ReferencesReferences
10.[OF] A Concise Dictionary of Theology. Gerald
O’Collins S.J. & Edward G. Farrugia, S.J.
Paulist Press 2000.
11.[PP] Reading the New Testament. Pheme
Perkins. Paulist Press 1983.
12.[NAB] New American Bible. The Catholic
Bible. Personal Study Edition. Oxford University
Press 1995.
13.[CCC] Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1994.
60. 60
ReferencesReferences
14.[DH] Meeting St. Paul Today, Understanding
the Man His Mission and His Message. Daniel
J. Harrington S.J. Loyola Press 2008.
15.[PE] Seven Pauline Letters. Peter F. Ellis. The
Liturgical Press. 1982
16.[FJ] New Testament Letter Structure
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/NT_Letters.htm
17.[JB] Jesus is Lord: Paul’s Life in Christ.
Joseph Blenkinsopp. Paulist Press. 1964.
61. 61
ReferencesReferences
18.[DBH] Born Fundamentalist Born Again
Catholic. David B. Currie Ignatius Press 1996.
19.[CTT] Crossing the Tiber. Stephen K. Ray
Ignatius Press 1997.
20.[RW] 101 Questions & Answers on Paul.
Ronald D. Witherup Paulist Press 2003.
Hinweis der Redaktion
JF
Benjamin the youngest son of Jacob
Beloved by his father
Smallest among all the tribes from which came Saul, after whom the apostle was named
Same tribe from whom came Jeremiah
JF
Benjamin the youngest son of Jacob
Beloved by his father
Smallest among all the tribes from which came Saul, after whom the apostle was named
Same tribe from whom came Jeremiah
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
That is what our catholic faith based on
In Chapter 12 he talks about the different gifts
What does God do: God serves
Prophecy fulfilled only through Jesus
Sign of new covenant is love alone.
Prophecy fulfilled only through Jesus
Sign of new covenant is love alone.
Ex. Paul would convert a community and when he moved on they began to fall apart due to new doctrines & new controversies.
Thirteen letters attributed to Paul & named after the community or person to whom it is addressed.
Galatians and Romans were written late in paul’s career,
In earlier letters like corinth and thess he is indiffernt about the law
In later ltters he atacks vehemently see ellis 174
Every individual is conditioned by his/her environment & influenced by his/her training & education
Theology is approached differently from a Hellenistic mind to a Rabbinic mind*.
We must consider these concepts to better understand St. Paul
Even in the way we look at God, in Rabinic thought, God changes his mind
And gets angry and regrets what he has done, in Hellenistic thought that is far from
Ever happening.
considered itself set apart from rest of Jews.
He dealt with Covenant beween God and his people
LXX Greek Septuagint
that gets angry, regrets, changes his mind.
Covenant wit hGodsee romans
Although Luke has him brought up in Jerusalem & educated by Gamaliel*
In this example Paul is showing to the Corinthians that salvation is not something they have already achieved (as exaltation theology would have it) but something for which they must strive and even suffer.
Isthmian games were held regularly at Corinth as a sort of warm up for the Olympics, and the city was regularly filled with athletes. Paul compares the Christian to an athlete who knows that he has to train if he wants to triumph in the games.
Paul’s Cynic-Stoic mode of argumentation
Conversational style
Lively debate with an imaginary interlocutor
Short sentences & Interjected questions
The church as the “body” of Christ is developed from Greco-Roman understanding of State as body politic.
As a Pharisee Paul already believed in the resurrection of the dead.
His vision did not initiate his belief in the resurrection of the dead but confirmed it.
Pharisees believed in the Resurrection of the dead
With Old Testament Roots in Daniel 12 (ex 2)
2 MC 6-7; Wisdom 1-4
Pharisees believed the resurrection of the dead as a sign of the coming and completion of God’s promised kingdom.
Parousia is second coming
They wanted God to suddenly come and destroy his enemies & rewards his friends.
God will soon consume his plan of salvation.
They still held the Jewish thought in their minds that God will give them victory as they saw it.
Later on they saw more to Christ coming back than squaring of acc
Paul was convinced that the end has begun now that Jesus’ resurrection has occurred.
Most important aspect of parousia for him was the fulfillment of union with Christ.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Cor 15:51-52
The rejection of bodily resurrection, as opposed to “soul” resurrection, by the Greeks and early Gnostics caused Paul to defend the bodily resurrection of the Christians.
“There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the heavenly is one kind and that of the earthly another. …So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.” 1 Cor. 15:36-44
He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.”
“There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the heavenly is one kind and that of the earthly another. …So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.” 1 Cor. 15:36-44
He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.”
Not sure which incident, paul has been arressted many times and put in prison
* This lead Paul to a more profound conception of Christian existence and its relationship to the passion, death, & resurrection of Christ.
Asia: a Roman province in western Asia Minor, the capital of which was Ephesus.
6 [9-10] The sentence of death: it is unclear whether Paul is alluding to a physical illness or to an external threat to life. The result of the situation was to produce an attitude of faith in God alone. God who raises the dead: rescue is the constant pattern of God's activity; his final act of encouragement is the resurrection.
Corinth city in Greece
So called apostles who cam to Corinth after Paul left, charged money and preached a different gospel.
They were more elegant than Paul and made fun of him.
He’s like we gotta do something about this.
So called apostles who cam to Corinth after Paul left, charged money and preached a different gospel.
They were more elegant than Paul and made fun of him.
So called apostles who cam to Corinth after Paul left, charged money and preached a different gospel.
They were more elegant than Paul and made fun of him.
Paul spoke of this experience as the revelation of the Son to him by the Father NJB & DH
This experience also involved a call to proclaim Christ to those who had not heard of him, especially to non-Jews. NJB & DH