Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles
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Transcript of Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and the Deutero-Pauline Epistles
Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and
the Deutero-Pauline Epistles
Intergenerational SeminaryNew 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• 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
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
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
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
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
The Righteousness of God
– 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)
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)?
The Deutero-Pauline Epistles
• Colossians• 2 Thessalonians • Ephesians• Pastoral Epistles
– 1 and 2 Timothy– Titus
Mark Matthew/Luke-ActsJohn
Chronology of Paul’s letters
50 60 70 80 90 100
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
Philippians
Philemon
1 & 2 Corinthians
RomansGalatians
Colossians
Ephesians
1 & 2 Timothy
Titus
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
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
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)
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
To Read for Next Week• James
– Luther’s “epistle of straw”