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Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles

Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles. Intergenerational Seminary New Testament Session #3. Christological Hymn of Philippians 2. Christology Bottom-up, or Top-down? How do we view Christ?. Romans. Background. Longest letter in the New Testament

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Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles

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  1. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, andthe Deutero-Pauline Epistles Intergenerational Seminary New Testament Session #3

  2. Christological Hymn of Philippians 2 • Christology • Bottom-up, or • Top-down? • How do we view Christ?

  3. Romans

  4. Background • Longest letter in the New Testament • More reflective than any other Pauline letter • Also most liturgical (language of Jewish worship: 3:25, 12:1, 15:16) • Paul’s last letter • More reasoned than Galatians • Compare Romans 3:1-2 and Galatians 5:2 • Spurred debates that led to the split in Western Christianity • First textbook of Protestant systematic theology (Melanchthon’s Loci communes, 1521) organized according to the structure of Romans

  5. Context • Written in the winter of 57/58 from Corinth • On the eve of Paul’s trip to Jerusalem • Apprehensive: 15:30-31 • Tension with James (Acts 21:17-25) • Romans not as bold re: Judaism as was Galatians • Planning a major move toward the • Written to the church in Rome (a city Paul had yet to visit) • Had to speak more gingerly than to the churches which he founded, such as at Corinth

  6. Outline • 1:1-15 – Address and greeting • 1:16 – 11:36: Doctrinal section • Part I (1:16 – 4:25): Uprightness of God revealed through the gospel • Part II (5:1-8:39): God’s salvation & justification by faith • Part III (9:1-11:36): God’s promises to Israel • 12:1 – 15:13: Hortatory section • Part I (12:1 – 13:14): Advice for Christian living • Part II (14:1 – 15:13): The strong owe love to the weak • 15:14-33: Paul’s travel plans and blessing • 16: Recommendations for Phoebe and greetings to Romans, concluding doxology

  7. Paul and the Law • Positive • He upholds it (3:31) • The Law is holy (7:20) and fulfilled (8:4) • He insists on the commandments (13:8-10) • Negative • No one is justified by it (3:20) • The Law brings wrath (4:15) • The law increases sin (5:20) • Solution: Paul upholds the ethical commands, but not the cultic ones

  8. The law and grace • Natural law (1:18-24) • Everyone is guilty/responsible • The law is available to all (2:12-16) • “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (3:23) • Faith is the key • Uses Abraham as an example • Bottom line • Even Gentiles are held to the Law • Even Jews are justified by faith

  9. The Righteousness of God • dikaiosunh qeou • Divine virtue: the righteous God who punishes sinners • Haunted Martin Luther • Active attribute of God: the God who justifies • Source/origin: righteousness as a gift from God (Philippians 3:9)

  10. Justification • Justification through Christ takes the place of justification through the Law • Christ died for sinners (5:8) • Christ was “raised for our justification” (4:25) • Not a new theme, but one that Paul expanded • Justification by grace through faith (3:24-25) • Forensic (declared upright) or causative (made upright)?

  11. The Deutero-Pauline Epistles • Colossians • 2 Thessalonians • Ephesians • Pastoral Epistles • 1 and 2 Timothy • Titus

  12. Chronology of Paul’s letters 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians Philippians Philemon 1 & 2 Corinthians Romans Ephesians Mark Matthew/Luke-Acts John 50 60 70 80 90 100 1 & 2 Timothy Titus Galatians Colossians

  13. Colossians • How do we know Paul didn’t write it? • Colossians says believers share Christ’s resurrection (2:12-13; 3:1), but Paul says that believers died with Christ but have not been raised • Colossians says that Christ is the head of the church, His body (contra Romans 12:4-5) • Colossians says that in Christ there is “forgiveness of sins,” whereas Paul speaks of “freedom from sin” • Colossians (and Ephesians) are full of long, complex sentences

  14. Important elements in Colossians • Likely written from Ephesus ~80 CE • Christ hymn of 1:15 – 20 • Similarities to John’s prologue • Personification of Wisdom • Proverbs 3:19, 8:22 • Wisdom 7:26 • First of 5 household codes (3:18 – 4:1) • Others are Ephesians 5:21 – 6:9; Titus 2:1 – 10; 1 Timothy 2:8 – 15 & 5:1 – 2 & 6:1 – 2; and 1 Peter 2:13 – 3:7

  15. 2 Thessalonians • Likely written late in the 1st century • Whereas 1 Thessalonians spoke of the Second Coming as imminent (4:13 – 5:11), 2 Thessalonians says it’s not (2:1 – 2) and many things need to happen first (2:1 - 12)

  16. Ephesians • Called the “crown of Paulinism” (Dodd) • Likely written in the 90s • Emphasis on the church universal • 2:11 – 22, relationship to Romans • Baptismal covenant: 4:4 – 6 • Household code (5:21 – 6:9) • Longer than the one in Colossians • Begins with a call to “be subject to one another” (5:21) • Obligation of husbands to love is more detailed than obligation of wives to be subject

  17. To Read for Next Week • James • Luther’s “epistle of straw”

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