Paul The Pastoral Epistles And The Early Church Library Of Pauline Studies

Paul's influence on the history of Christian life and theology is as profound as it is pervasive. A brief survey of almost twenty centuries of Christian thought and practice will confirm the enduring importance of Paul for the life of the church in the Roman and Protestant traditions of the West as well as the Orthodox traditions of the East. Even as Christianity, at the dawn of its third millennium, has become increasingly global and traditions have come to develop and intersect in new and complex ways, Paul's place in the story of Christianity remains deeply rooted in the church's theology, worship, and pastoral life. In both past and present, Paul's influence on the Christian church can hardly be overestimated. Among the many intriguing issues generated by the historical Paul, his New Testament letters, and early church history is the question, what happened to Paul after Paul? Whether we think in terms of the reception of Paul's theology, or the ongoing legacy of Paul, or early Christian reinterpretation of his letters, the questions persist: what did the early church do with Paul's memory? How did it reshape his theology? And what role did his letters come to play in the life of the church? The focus of the present discussion is in the early decades and centuries of Christianity, a time when the memory and legacy of Paul came to serve varied and often competing interests in the emerging church. It was a time when Paul's reputation and importance to the church were being reinforced and when his epistles were gaining the authority that would ensure their place in the sacred library of Christianity. It was also the time when the Jesus movement forged itself into Christianity, a process in which Paul played a pivotal role and eventually also became an object of revision and transformation himself. What is virtually indisputable in this process is that Paul, during his lifetime and after, played a critical role in making Christianity what it was to become.

"This essay is an attempt to show how the language of the Pastoral Epistles can be used as a key to unlock the old secret of their origin. It is not a complete Introduction to these epistles, but only a contribution towards that larger subject. On the other hand, it includes rather more than a series of linguistic studies pure and simple. In the matter before us, language is only one of several factors which are closely interconnected and refuse to be kept in separate water-tight compartments. The full significance of each is only seen in its relation to the rest." --From the preface

>

Aside from Jesus, the Apostle Paul had the greatest formative influence on the early Christian movement. Yet who was this passionate missionary who carried the message of Christ throughout the Mediterranean world? The New Testament writings give us not one but two portraits of Paul. We read numerous details of Paul's life and relationships in the Book of Acts and we also find an additional set of details about Paul's activities in his letters. Yet how consistent are these two portraits? And which one gives us the most accurate picture of the historical Paul? In this volume Thomas E. Phillips examines the portrayals of Paul in recent biblical scholarship in the light of these two major NT portraits. Believing the apostolic conference at Jerusalem to be a watershed event, Phillips draws conclusions that help contemporary readers get a more accurate picture of Paul.

In his New Testament letters to Timothy and Titus, the apostle Paul is concerned with church order, defending correct doctrine, and passing on the faith. In this introduction and commentary to both letters, Osvaldo Padilla sets them in their distinct context of Paul's later ministry and draws out their pastoral wisdom. With thoughtful exposition he shows how the lessons Paul imparts to Timothy and Titus are still relevant to us today and how we can learn from them in our own walk with Christ. This Tyndale New Testament Commentary volume examines the text section-by-section—exploring the historical background in which the letters to Timothy and Titus were written, providing a detailed commentary on their content, and then unpacking their theology. The Pastoral Epistles will leave you with a thorough knowledge of what the pastoral epistles say and how they are structured, as well as a better understanding of their meaning for both the original recipients and modern Christians. Clear and compelling, Padilla's introduction to Timothy and Titus will give anyone looking for comprehensive but accessible commentaries on the pastoral epistles a renewed appreciation for the wisdom in these two letters and what they can teach us. The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries are ideal for students and teachers of theology and an excellent resource for preachers and individual Christians looking to broaden their knowledge and explore the riches of Scripture more deeply.

The Pastoral Epistles throw light on the early days of the church and the final phase of Paul’s life. This commentary scrutinizes the biblical text while attending to the missional, pastoral, and spiritual challenges facing the worldwide Pentecostal and charismatic (or renewalist) movement. It is written for today’s church without ignoring scholarly literature and cultural perspectives. The ministry of women, the appointment of elders, prophecy, church governance, living as a Christian in the Roman Empire, the end times, charismatic gifts, spiritual warfare, slavery, and ordination all feature.

Evangelical essayists explore the history of scholarship on 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus and thoroughly examine Paul's theology in the Pastoral Epistles.

Paul Today discusses and challenges popular interpretations of familiar Pauline texts in view of important controversies and debates. Who was Paul? What do we know about his relationship to Jesus? What was the role of the city of Ephesus? Can Paul's attitudes towards marriage and slavery be redeemed? And what of Paul's attitude to women and their ministry, and to homosexuality? Do we appropriately attribute to Paul ideas about justification and faith? Or is there more to know than meets the eye? Throughout, Need debates and reframes familiar interpretations of Paul through challenge and critique informed by both scholarship and pastoral experience. These essays make constructive, critical approaches to Paul available to a wider circle of interested readers.