Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles

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Paul Apostle to the Gentiles

• by Chaplain Ron McCants

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The Letters of Paul

• Author of 13-14 of the 27 books of the New
  Testament
• Romans First and Second Corinthians
• Galatians Ephesians
• Philippians Colossians
• First and Second Thessalonians
• First and Second Timothy
• Titus Philemon

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Controversial Leader 30 C.E. - 65 C.E.

• Returns to Damascus then exits the city for
  safety (Gal 117 Acts 920-25 2 Cor 1132-33)
• In Lystra Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for gods
  (Acts 148-18)
• Paul and Silas imprisoned after casting out a
  demon from a slave girl (Acts 1616-25)

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Pauls Legend

• Saint Augustine (385-430) influenced by Paul
• Also Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley,
  Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr
• Scholars recognize Paul's debt to Jewish
  heritage, "a member of the people of Israel as
  to the law, a Pharisee" (Phil. 35)

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Historical Paul

• Birth - Acts 911 223
• Background - A native of the Hellenistic world of
  the Roman Empire
• Writings in Greek

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Pauls Heritage

• References to the Mosaic Torah, nomas, law
• Former notion of salvation by works of the
  Law-Torah
• His love encompassed both Israel after the flesh
  and Israel after the Spirit.

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Apostle Paul

• Conversion - Luke's account of Saul/Paul vision
  of the Risen Messiah on the road to Damascus
  (Acts 91-22)
• The thought himself as a better Jew

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Missionary Journeys three or more

• Paul tried to revisit the churches he had
  established (Col. 416)

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• No physical description of Paul survives in
  credible sources
• (2 Cor. 127-10).
• Paul a creative thinker whose influence stands
  next after Jesus himself.

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Pauls Death

• Paul and Peter jointly martyred in Rome during
  Nero's postfire persecution of 65 C.E.

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Class Assignment

• Reflect on the following questions
• What would Paul do with politics today?
• What issues would Paul be concerned with?
• How would Paul relate his religion to todays
  religion?