RLGN1302 New Testament History

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RLGN1302New Testament History

• The Pauline Epistles

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The Pauline Epistles

• The Pastoral Epistles
• General issues
• 1 Timothy and Titus deal with church
  administration, while 2 Timothy is Pauls
  testament to his younger protegé
• The veracity of all three of these works as
  genuinely Pauline has been challenged along the
  lines of style, vocabulary, and the level of
  church organization some scholars see in these
  letters
• The content of 1 Timothy and Titus are so
  similar, they will be dealt with as one

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy
• Ch. 1 Contains words of warning about dealing
  with argumentative persons who misuse the
  scriptures
• Paul also gives a brief background about his own
  conversion

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• He then charges Timothy to be faithful to his
  calling
• Paul urges Timothy to lead his congregation to
  engage in intercessory prayer, especially for
  leaders.
• Their actions make it possible for Christians to
  live peaceably and peacefully

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Their policies either help or hinder the gospel
• Paul makes a point, though, to remind Timothy
  that the only mediator between God and humanity
  is Jesus Christ, who offered Himself as the
  sacrifice that makes the new life possible

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• At this point, Paul turns to administrative
  issues.
• Worship is to be a top priority
• This demands unity in the congregation
• It demands that there be awareness of non-verbal
  means of communications and the values they
  purvey
• Emphasis is to be given to moral rather than
  physical beauty
• There must be consistency between profession and
  practice
• Good character is to validate good profession

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• The participation of women in worship
• While we will treat this section distinctly
  because of the furor it always raises, one of the
  hints at how it should be understood is that it
  is subsumed under the section on worship.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Women in the early church were suddenly free in
  ways that had never known before. They,
  evidently, were intensely curious about their
  faith. Pauls insistence that the learn in
  silence means that there is a time and place to
  ask question, but neither is in the midst of
  worship.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• In addition, there seems to have been a heresy
  that has come to be known as the Cult of Eve
  that reversed the order of creation and asserted
  the right of female dominance over the male.
  Paul deals with this problem in two ways
• He forbids such women to teach
• He reminds them of the Creation Narrative

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• The curious reference to salvation through child
  bearing (215), as recent research has shown, is
  metaphorical. The children that Christian
  women are to bear are faith, love, and
  holiness. They are to concentrate on validating
  their relationship with God through the fruits it
  produces in their lives, rather than trying to
  rush to be teachers before they are qualified.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• In ch. 3 Paul turns to a discussion of church
  officers.
• The words, bishop and pastor are generally
  recognized to be synonymous. Such a person was
  the leader of a local congregation.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Paul gives the following qualifications
• Above reproach-the pastor must be respected both
  inside and outside the congregation. He must be
  known as an honest and caring person.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• The husband of one wife- the Greek behind this
  translation is not nearly as clear cut as it the
  English rendering makes it sound. A literal
  reading of the Greek would be, a one woman man.
  Does this mean only one wife currently? Does it
  preclude divorce altogether? Is it meant to
  preclude only polygamy? This is the most
  difficult qualification given in the passage.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Temperate- Not easily angered
• Sensible-Prudent and wise
• Dignified-Worthy of respect
• Hospitable-Kind to visitors and guests
• Apt to teach-likes helping others learn
• Not a drunkard

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Prone to gentleness
• Not argumentative
• Not greedy
• A good manager of his household, which is a
  microcosm of the church
• Not a new convert
• Does this passage preclude women from the
  pastorate?

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Deacons should have similar qualification. In
  addition Paul adds these
• Not gossips
• Not drunkards
• Not greedy or materialistic
• Theologically sound
• Seasoned individuals

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• The women-the reader must decide if the word used
  here means the wives of the aforementioned, or
  the deaconesses. According to very early
  Christian documents, deaconesses were present in
  the early church.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• In the present context in which Paul is
  discussing church officers, it is as least
  possible that he is referring to such here. In
  Romans 161, Paul refers to Phoebe using this
  term, although most modern translations render it
  servant.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• In ch. 4 Paul places a great deal of emphasis on
  teaching. It is the safeguard against false
  doctrine, it is the hallmark of a good minister.
• In Ch. 51-8 Paul offers admonitions about the
  ministers relationships with others in the
  congregation. All relationships are to be
  characterized by respect.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• In 59-16 Paul outlines the responsibility of the
  church to care for widows.
• Before the church assumes responsibility for such
  a resource-intensive ministry, such person should
  be commended to their families, even extended
  families. Paul says that a person who will not
  assume such care is worse than an unbeliever.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• Then Paul lays out certain age requirements and
  responsibilities for these women. The care the
  church is to provide is not welfare. It is to be
  earned!
• In 517-19 Paul turns his attention to the
  churchs responsibility to its pastor. The
  church should provide for its pastor and should
  give him the benefit of the doubt.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• In 520-22, some last bits of advice on being a
  pastor Church discipline is to be conducted
  before the congregation so that all may have some
  benefit, It is never to be practiced with
  partiality, ordination is not to be given too
  hastily, stay clear of others folks sins.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 1 Timothy (Continued)
• 61-2- a word to slaves
• 63-10- a word of warning
• 611-16-a word of challenge and exhortation
• 617-19-a word to the wealthy
• 620-21-a parting word

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy
• This epistle is very personal in nature. In it
  Paul contemplates his own mortality as he awaits
  his execution. Consequently, Paul has many
  admonitions to pass to this man to whom he refers
  as his son in the gospel.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• In ch. 1 Paul discusses Timothys legacy of faith
  that began with his grandmother and was handed
  down to him through his mother.
• Paul challenges Timothy not to give in to
  timidity, but to appropriate the power of God,
  love and self-control.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• Paul challenges Timothy to speak the gospel
  boldly following the pattern that Paul had
  provided for him (113).
• Timothy was not only to guard the truth he had
  received (114), but to pass it on to trustworthy
  individuals who would continue to pass it along
  (21-2).

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• Paul warns Timothy against becoming too involved
  in the affairs of this world (24-7)
• Once again, Paul warns Timothy against disputing
  over words. Instead, he is to Be diligent to
  present yourself approved to God as a workman who
  does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling
  the word of truth. (214)

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• He reminds Timothy of the need for
  self-discipline both negativelyto suppress
  ungodly passionsand positivelyto cultivate
  godly character (220-26)

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• 31-9 is a warning about and a description of
  false teachers
• Paul challenges Timothy to follow Pauls example
  and remember and implement what he has learned
  from the scriptures

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• In 316 Paul reminds Timothy of the value of
  scripture. It is ?e?p?e?st??, God breathed. It
  is the source of doctrine, the basis of reproof
  and correction, and contains the pattern for
  right relationship with God and others.

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The Pauline Epistles

• 2 Timothy (Continued)
• In 41-5 Paul challenges Timothy to continue
  steadfastly in the practice of his calling
• In 46-8 Paul speaks of his imminent demise
• 49-22 contain closing remarks in which we learn
  that Pauls breach of fellowship with John Mark
  has evidently been healed.

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The Pauline Epistles

• Philemon
• This letter is actually categorized as one of the
  Prison or Captivity epistles
• Paul is writing to one of the members, perhaps
  even a patron, of the church at Colossae.
• The way Paul addresses Philemonour dear friend
  and fellow workerhints at the intimate and
  sensitive nature of the letter

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The Pauline Epistles

• Philemon (Continued)
• This address also yields insight into Pauls
  views on pastoral authority. Paul does not try
  force Philemon to obey him. Instead, he tries to
  help his friend view the circumstances from a
  different point of view Gods.

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The Pauline Epistles

• Philemon (Continued)
• Philemon was the owner of a slave named Onesimus
  (the name, ironically, means profitable, c.f.,
  v. 11), who had run away and probably pilfered
  (v. 18) some of his masters money to finance his
  escape.

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The Pauline Epistles

• Philemon (Continued)
• Some people really take Paul to task because he
  does not advocate for Onesimus immediate
  manumission. Three things need to be considered,
  however
• This is part of Pauls pastoral strategy. He
  wants Philemon to do the right thing for the
  right reason, because he wants to and is
  convinced it is right, rather than just being
  forced.

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The Pauline Epistles

• Philemon (Continued)
• Paul is also a man of his day. To judge Paul by
  21st century standards is to be guilty of
  anachronism. Slavery, as unsavory as it is to
  modern sensibilities, was a reality in the 1st
  century.
• There can be no doubt that, if Philemon followed
  Pauls counsel, Onesimus would not only be
  forgiven, but freed. One early church tradition
  asserts that Onesimus eventually became the
  bishop of Ephesus.

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The Pauline Epistles

• Philemon (Continued)
• One of the important issues in this letter is
  that our relationships in Christ trump our
  earthly relationships. Paul wants Philemon to
  implement his commitment to the superiority of
  the spiritual over the earthly in a way that is
  practical and even costly.