New Testament- the epistles

Onesimus

A slave of Philemon. Philemon was converted by Paul. The runaway slave. Paul wrote a letter from prison to a relatively wealthy Christian Philemon, about the runaway slave, whom Paul had converted. The letter of Philemon is an intervention on Onesimus's behalf, urging Philemon not to punish him. Paul may have wanted the letter to suggest that Philemon give him Onesimus for his own service. It is thought that Onesimus possibly went to Paul asking for help. Since both were converted to Christianity, Paul states that they are "brothers" in the religious sense so they should treat each other accordingly.

I Corinthians 1:10-25

Disagreements in the church - they need to follow Christ because that is who died and raised from the dead for them and in whose name they were baptized. Mistake people such as Paul and other major leaders as the ones they should worship which is false because that is like worshipping another God (there is only 1 God and Jesus is his son). This indicates the factions or splits in the congregation. People are following their respective leader or person who baptized them, and not Jesus.

I Corinthians 15

Discloses Paul's understanding of resurrection, especially the spiritual resurrection. There's a difference spiritual and bodily resurrection. The raised body is not like our bodies on earth. Because the exact knowledge/details are unclear, Paul uses an "in-between" concept.

Galatians 3:27-29

Everyone has the ability to be a Christian. Anyone can be baptized; Jew, Gentile, slaves, free, male, or female. Paul states that the church is united in their belief of God being the one true God and baptism under the name of Jesus as He was crucified on the cross for all people's sins.

Pseudepigrapha

From the Greek, literally meaning "false writings" and commonly referring to ancient non-canonical Jewish and Christian literary texts, many of which were written pseudonymously.

Pauline Pseudepigrapha

From the Greek, literally meaning "false writings".The Pauline refers to those texts which claimed pseudonymously to be written by Paul. These include the Pastoral Epistles of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. They could possibly include the Deutero-Pauline epistles of Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians.

Hebrews 8:7-13

God promises to make a new covenant with the people. The goal was to keep people from leaving the church and he does this by explaining how Jesus fulfills the prophecies. Making a new covenant because Moses broke the old one making it obsolete.

Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch, Syria in the early second century. He was arrested by the Roman authorities for Christian activities and sent to Rome in order to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. On his journey to martyrdom, he wrote seven letters, which still survive. These letters are included among the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. They are addressed to several churches in the Asia Minor that had sent delegations to meet with him as he passed through Rome around 110 CE.

I Corinthians 2:2

Jesus was crucified. The people need to resolve their oppositions of the crucifixion and to make the conscious decision like Paul did, to put their faith into the crucifixion to help them better understand Jesus' mission and resurrection.

Gematria

Jewish method of interpreting a word on the basis of the numerical value of its letters (in both Greek and Hebrew, the letters of the alphabet also serve as numerals).

Occasional Letters

Letters that were written in response to a specific occasion or situation. They replied directly to events that had happened. Paul wrote many occasional letters. The exception is Romans because he wasn't there, so he wasn't there for the occasion.

The Apocalypse of Peter

One of the important Christian apocalypses of the 2nd century with Hellenistic overtones. Not in the Bible. Written in the name of Jesus' disciple, Peter. The first Christian writing to describe a journey through hell and heaven. Begins when Peter listens to Jesus' message on "apocalyptic discourse". Jesus explains in detail what hell is like. There is only one way to avoid facing eternal torment for sins: don't sin. Only those who believe in Christ and lead upright moral lives can expect to enter into his eternal kingdom. All others will be damned by God to face unspeakable pain and suffering for all eternity.

Romans 1:16-17

Paul makes a point with these verses that his gospel message is not made up by him, but that it is not only a revelation of God which is in Galatian, it is also rooted in Jewish scripture. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. Paul's gospel is God's powerful means of salvation. This salvation comes to those who have faith. Salvation comes first to the Jews and then to the Greeks. The gospel reveals the righteousness of God. The Scriptures proclaim the gospel.

Paul's modus operandi

Paul's method or strategy in his ministry. According to Acts, he would go straight to preaching in synagogues when he arrived in new cities. Him and his men would set up a shop, most likely working with leather, and preach to anyone who they came into contact with. Not much press on anyone or forcing their religion on anyone. Just preached to all who would listen and converting as many as they could, even a few makes a difference in the world.

Philippians 2:6-11

People should humble themselves and serve one another as well as follow the example Christ has laid out through how He lived His life. Christ became human and accepted the crucifixion to save the people, putting them before himself, and He was then exalted by God. This is a model of behavior for the people to follow in this community (Philippi) as well as all others.

Melito

Second-century Jewish leader from Asia Minor. A harsh writing comes from him. He wrote that Israel is guilty for murdering its own God and that Jews who continued to reject Christ were capable of the murder. Deicide-killing God. Jews are God killers.

Sources for the Study of Paul

Sources that are undisputedly written by Paul, there are 7 of them. Include Philemon, Romans, Philippians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and 1 Thessalonians (Please Remember To Go Call Philip). Following that we look to Deutro, Acts, Pastoral. 4 categories as sources for Paul.

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Talks about how Christ is superior to priest. He is aligned with the ideals of the time and in Jewish traditions, but he is higher than all. Jesus comes from a strong lineage of Abraham. Jesus is the great high priest who has passed through the kingdom of heaven.

I Corinthians 11:23-28

The Lord's Supper. The rich were eating it all before the poorer people arrived from a full day of work. Paul say's you should not over eat or drink because it harms what it stands for. The Lord's Supper is the bread which is considered the body of Christ and the wine which is considered the blood of Christ. At the time of Paul, it is a full meal not a ritual activity. Therefore, Paul invokes the Last Supper as an illustration of how people in the community should dine together.

Colossians 1:15-20

The author insists that Christ is the fullest expression of the divine. There is little reason for Christian believers to worship angels when they can worship the one "in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." Other invisible beings were said to be created by and made less important to Christ himself. Christ is responsible for the ultimate benefits bestowed on the believers.

Deutero-Pauline Epistles

The letters of Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians, which have a "secondary" (Deutero) standing in the Pauline corpus because scholars debate whether they were written by Paul. Most likely written by a second generation that study Paul's writings and then wrote letters they believed Paul would write. (2TEC)

Major Issue at Thessalonica

The main issue was that people were dying and the living feared that the dead's would not be saved when Jesus returned to get the people of earth who lived faithfully, saving them from God's wrath.

1 Timothy 2:11-15

The tight organization of the church is important not only for addressing the problems from the false teachers but also for monitoring the inner workings of the community itself. In particular, the author is concerned about the role women should play in the congregation and about the positions and activities of widows.

I Thessalonians 4:13-17

These verses are apocalyptic and full of imagery throughout. Paul answers the people's problem which was the worry of what would become of the dead's souls in the rapture. Paul answers their fear by saying the dead will be the first to be saved from God's wrath and then the living.

I Thessalonians 1:9-10

These verses are apocalyptic. Paul believed that Jesus would return at any moment in his lifetime and that he would witness this greatness. Tells the people to give up their idols and look to Jesus and the resurrection. He bases his argument on the resurrection because he is assumed to have been alive for it and not for any of the other historical events by Jesus and his followers. The people must declare their new found beliefs in Jesus even in opposition.

James 2:14-26

This letter is in dialogue with Romans. Justification by grace through faith. Salvation is a gift from God. James is supposedly Jesus's brother head of a church. Assumed to be uneducated because he is a fisherman. Acknowledge an internal dispute that even though you are justified you still have to do something, like take in the orphan or cook for the widow.

Lawless Person

A kind of antichrist figure that is to be revealed before Christ returns. Paul believed that these events would transpire before the end. They are destined for destruction, exalting himself above all other and will declare himself to be God. Opposes the biblical God and is lawless because he follows no laws.

1 Clement

A letter from the church of Rome that urges the Christians of Corinth to reinstate the presbyters who had been (wrongly) deposed from office. Written between 70 and 140 CE. One of the oldest Christian documents, along with the Didache, outside of the New Testament, read in church, along with other epistles, some of which later became part of the Christian canon.

Apocalypse

A literary genre in which an author, usually pseudonymous, reports symbolic dreams or visions, given or interpreted through an angelic mediator, which reveal the heavenly mysteries that can make sense of earthly realities. Jesus was preparing people for the destruction and divine recreation of society.

Pauline Corpus

All of the letters of the New Testament that claim to be written by Paul, including the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles.

Polycarp

Bishop of Smyrna in the first half of the second century, and one of the best known of the early proto-orthodox leaders. In addition to a letter written to him by Ignatius, we have a letter written by him to the church in Philippi, and an allegedly eyewitness account of his martyrdom in the arena at Smyrna around 155 C.E. Known for being martyred, 86 years old. His death aligns with Jesus' death.

Catholic Epistles

Catholic means universal or general. For this reason these texts are sometimes called the general epistles. Encompass all books in the New Testament other than the Gospels, Acts, and the letters attributed to Paul. Thought to address universal problems experienced by Christians everywhere, as opposed to Paul's letters, which have been thought to address specific congregations about specific problems. Examples are James Jude and 1 and 2 Peter. Circulated to multiple congregations.

Romans 3:21-26

Main focus is that of salvation through faith in Christ's death and resurrection as opposed to following of the Law. Paul re-emphasizes the equality of both Jews and Gentiles, but it must be remembered that salvation will come first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. This is because Jews were sent in fulfillment of the Jewish scripture.

The Didache

Means the teaching of the 12 apostles. Give us insight into worship practices of the community and conduct and behavior. Its final production may date to around 100 C.E. It's a manual.

Pastoral Epistles

New Testament letters that Paul allegedly wrote to two pastors, Timothy (1 and 2 Timothy) and Titus, concerning their pastoral duties. Virtually all scholars believe they are not authentic Paul.

The Epistle of Barnabas

Non-canonical. Not actually an epistle, but a treatise about the true nature of Judaism. Attributed to Barnabus, but he couldn't have written it because it was produced around 130 C.E. Author argues that Judaism is a false religion, that Jews have never understood their own law, and that they have never had a true covenant with God-since they broke the covenant as soon as it was made with Moses on Mount Sinai. Must choose to live in a life of darkness and death or life and light. Circumcision is metaphorical, not actually cutting off the physical part. Discontinuity (sever relationship with Judaism).

The Shepherd of Hermas

One of the important Christian apocalypses from the late 1st or mid-2nd century. Book is titled The Shepherd and is written by a Christian named Hermas. It is unusual in that it is not pseudonymous. The author urged that it not be read as scripture because it was written "recently" (i.e. not ancient enough) and because its author was someone who was known to the Roman church, not an apostle. The book divides itself into 5 visions, 12 sets of commandments, and 10 parables. Entire book is driven by an ethical concern. Primary issues involve Christians who have lapsed into sin after being baptized.

Homonymous

Words that have two or more meanings. This term typically refers to an author who shares the same name as a famous person. James is an example of a homonymous text.