Who was Paul? His early life, and why it matters
When you think of Paul, what comes to mind?
For as much as Paul wrote, and as influential as he was, there is still much we don’t know about Paul.
Paul describes his own life in Philippians 3:5–6, where he lists seven things ascribed to him or achieved by him:
He states that he was “circumcised on the eighth day.” He calls himself “of the people of Israel.” He says he is “of the tribe of Benjamin.” He tells his readers that he is “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” When he thinks of his life relative to the law, he calls himself “a Pharisee.” When he speaks of his zeal, he talks of “persecuting the church.” Lastly, he says that with respect to the…
Is Paul’s apostolic call for God’s sake? (Rom 1:5) – Mondays with Mounce 283
One of the difficult tasks in translation is how to order phrases. In English, we use proximity to connect ideas. Consider the NIV on Rom 1:5.
“Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.”
In English, “for his name’s sake” must modify “the obedience that comes from faith.” But in Greek, this is probably not the case. As you know, Greek’s phrases do not have to be next to the word they are modifying. Sometimes there are grammatical “hooks” such as a relative pronoun agreeing with its antecedent in gender and number. But other times the hooks are more subtle.
In his commentary, Doug Moo makes a good case for seeing χάριν καὶ ἀποστολήν…
Exegetical, Theological, & Practical Insights on Paul and Money
In a world of mawing economic disparity, industry and vocational disruption, financial collapse, and nation-state economic anxiety, where can Christians turn for exegetical, theological, and practical insights on money and finances?
Keith Krell and the late Verlyn Verbrugge have given the Church a sturdy guide in their new book Paul and Money. More than a book on fiduciary legal tender, it’s a biblical and theological analysis of the apostle’s teachings and practices on how the world of finances intersects with our lives.
“Our goal is not to simply exegete certain statements in Paul’s writings about how Christians should use their money. There are many more issues that surface as one examines how financial matters intersect in Paul’s letters.” (26)
“Thinking Through Paul” Is Distinct Among Pauline Resources in 7 Ways
(Can’t see the video? Watch it here)
In September we were pleased to release the monumental new book by Bruce Longnecker and Todd Still, Thinking Through Paul. The book is designed to help students grasp Paul’s life, letters, and theology, and it’s distinctive among Pauline studies resources because its scope is just as deep as it is wide.
In today’s video Longenecker describes 7 ways the book is distinct:
Covers Paul’s life, letters, and theology; Probes representative passages from each letter to show what it is trying to do; Holds the historical and theological dimensions in tension; Paints a complex, nuanced, and intricate picture of Pauline theology; Encourages students to think through Paul to analyze their own situations; Offers questions for class discussion or essays; Quotes leading historical and…
Why Do We Need Paul’s Epistolary “Stepchild”? For Its 2 Stories — An Excerpt from John Byron’s “1 & 2 Thessalonians” (SGBC)
When you think of Paul you probably don’t immediately think of 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
That’s because they are what John Byron calls “the stepchild of the Pauline corpus.” (1)
In his new commentary on the letters, Byron explains that, while they are often overlooked and neglected, we need them because of their two stories. As Byron describes in the excerpt below:
The first story is about us as much as it is about the Thessalonians, because it’s about a group of believers “struggling to understand their identity in God and the way the church functions in a world that is often hostile toward them.” (1) The other story is about God: “it is not a story that starts with Thessalonica. The Story of God begins…
Wednesday Giveaway – 4 Views on the Apostle Paul
"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." -1 Cor. 9:22b-23
UPDATE 8/9/13: The winner of this giveaway is Mike K. Thanks to everyone else for joining the discussion!
The Apostle Paul. Few individuals have influenced the Christian church as much as Paul. Of course, his letters contain some things that are "hard to understand" (2 Pet. 3:15), and we may come away with different perspectives on these topics:
What did Paul think about salvation? What was Paul's view of the significance of Christ? What is the best framework for describing Paul's theological perspective? What was Paul's vision for the churches?
These…
Peter Walker – In the Steps of Paul
The Centre for Public Christianity interviewed Peter Walker about his book In the Steps of Paul: An Illustrated Guide to the Apostle's Life and Journeys.
-Andrew
In the footsteps of St Paul from CPX on Vimeo.
Why does this book cover look different from the one featured in the video?
The cover shown here is of the U.S. edition, published by Zondervan. The cover in the video is of U.K. edition published by Lion Hudson.