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introduction, in which Paul’s attitude toward Jewish legalism is made an
934 words | Chapter 76
explanation of the superficially obvious contrast between Jesus and
Paul, there is a biographical sketch: Paul of Tarsus, a Roman citizen
with Roman name, talking Latin and not a narrow, one-sided Jew; his
Jewish training; in Jerusalem, under Gamaliel (see the article
GAMALIEL); first impressions as to Jesus, and Saul as persecutor; the
vision at Damascus and its spiritual content; his new theory of the law
and its universal value; Christology of Paul,—his deep insight into
Jesus’s character; Paul’s theology rooted in experience; his early
apostolate; his first missionary journey; the issue of Gentile
Christianity raised; Paul’s conciliatory spirit; Peter’s visit to
Antioch; Paul’s protest; the second mission tour; Paul in Europe—Athens,
Corinth, etc.; first missionary letters; as an ethical teacher; Paul,
the Law, the Spirit; later travels; later letters; Paulinism—its
Christocentric character; apparent contrasts and contradictions between
Paul’s gospel and Jesus’s gospel—one seen through the eyes of a
conscious sinner, the other the sinless consciousness of the Saviour;
Paul’s position between Judaeo-Christianity and Gnosticism—see also the
article GNOSTICISM, by Wilhelm Bousset, professor of New Testament
exegesis, Göttingen.
[Sidenote: The Pauline Epistles]
In general on the Pauline epistles the student should not only read this
article PAUL, but should turn again to the treatment of New Testament
canon in the article BIBLE (Vol. 3, pp. 872–873), and should look over
the first part of the article JESUS CHRIST which finds in 1st
Thessalonians the earliest extant document of Christianity. Then let him
read the articles:
THESSALONIANS, EPISTLES TO THE, by the Rev. James Everett Frame,
professor of Biblical theology, Union Theological Seminary, New York
City. See also in the article PAUL (Vol. 20, pp. 945–946) for Paul at
Thessalonica, and the articles ESCHATOLOGY and APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE
for the doctrine of the “second coming” or “Parousia,” especially in 2
Thess., chap. 2.
CORINTHIANS, EPISTLES TO THE, by the Rev. Dr. James Hardy Ropes,
professor of New Testament criticism and interpretation, Harvard; and
the articles CORINTH, APOLLOS, PETER, ASCETICISM, FASTING, EUCHARIST (1
Cor., chap. 11, vs. 23 sqq. is the oldest extant account of the Lord’s
Supper), TITUS.
GALATIANS, EPISTLE TO THE, by the Rev. Dr. James Moffatt, author of _The
Historical New Testament_: and the articles GALATIA (for the “South
Galatian” theory), ANTINOMIANISM (for Christianity _vs._ legalism).
ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE, by Dr. Moffatt; and the article HEBREW RELIGION
for the covenant which Paul here presents as one of faith and not of the
law.
EPHESIANS, EPISTLE TO THE, by Prof. J. H. Ropes, pointing out that the
theme is “the unity of mankind in Christ and hence the unity and
divinity of the Church of Christ”; the article EPHESUS; the articles on
COLOSSIANS and on 1st PETER for textual criticism; the article MARRIAGE
for Paul’s influence (Eph. ch. 5, v. 23–32) on the Church’s attitude
toward marriage; and the article GNOSTICISM for the tendency in the
church which Paul attacked in this epistle and in Colossians.
COLOSSIANS, by Prof. J. E. Frame; the article COLOSSAE; ANGEL (on chap.
2, v. 18); ASCETICISM (on chap. 2, v. 16).
PHILEMON, EPISTLE TO, by Dr. Moffatt; the article SLAVERY, _Rome_ (Vol.
25, p. 218) for the status of a runaway like Onesimus.
PHILIPPIANS, EPISTLE TO THE, by Dr. Moffatt; the article PHILIPPI;
ANTINOMIANISM (on the beginning of chap. 3); and on the Kenosis or
emptying of self of Christ in Phil. 2, 7, see the article on CHARLES
GORE (Vol. 2, p. 255), and in the article THEOLOGY the discussion in
column 1 of p. 781 (Vol. 26).
TIMOTHY, FIRST EPISTLE TO; and TIMOTHY, SECOND EPISTLE TO, by Dr.
Moffatt; the article TIMOTHY; the articles MARRIAGE and CELIBACY (on 1
Tim. 4, 3); FASTING, the article GNOSTICISM (for the “knowledge falsely
so-called” of 1 Tim. 6, 20), and the article PASTORAL EPISTLES on these
letters and on that to Titus. The article TITUS has much important
criticism on Timothy.
TITUS, THE EPISTLE TO, by Dr. Moffatt; the articles BISHOP and
PRESBYTER, etc.
HEBREWS, EPISTLE TO THE, by Dr. J. Vernon Bartlett; and, on authorship,
the articles PAUL, BARNABAS, APOLLOS, LUKE, CLEMENT, STEPHEN; and the
articles CLEMENTINE LITERATURE, HEBREW RELIGION, TEMPLE, ATONEMENT AND
DAY OF ATONEMENT, ANGEL, MOSES, PRIEST, AARON, MELCHIZEDEK, SACRIFICE,
MESSIAH.
[Sidenote: The Other Epistles]
Before turning to the articles on the other books of the New Testament,
let the student read a part of the article THEOLOGY, by the Rev. Dr.
Robert Mackintosh of the Lancashire Independent College, Manchester,
with special attention to the paragraphs (end of p. 773 and p. 774, Vol.
26) on Jewish theology, St. Paul and contents of the New Testament. Here
“Paulinism” is shown not merely in the Pauline writings but in the Acts,
in 1st Peter (“good independent Paulinism”), and even in the Apocalypse,
at least as regards the atonement and Christology. “The Johannine Gospel
and Epistles are later than Paulinism, and presuppose its leading or
less startling positions.” And the same article (p. 783) after pointing
out that Luther and the evangelical revival “went back to St. Paul” asks
“can Christianity not dig deeper by going back to Jesus?” The writer
also suggests that the German school of Ritschl in “not idolizing
Paulinism” have “idolized Luther.”
The other principal topics to be studied are:
JAMES, EPISTLE OF, by the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Wisner Bacon, professor of
New Testament criticism and exegesis, Yale; the article on JAMES by the
Rev. Dr. George Milligan, Professor of divinity and Biblical criticism,
Glasgow; and the articles REVELATION, CLEMENT, HERMAS, etc., for the
question of date and relation with other writings; WISDOM LITERATURE,
for earlier writings on the “Wisdom” and proverbial expressions of
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