Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 12:46:29 -0500 Subject: Minutes: 30th Jan. 2001. The 3rd class of Paul, Life and Letters. From: dickson kungu -The class class started with Dr. Kraft demonstrating how to do a quick evaluation of a book to determine its relevance for academic use. -Students were directed to read in the following order: Galatians, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, and Acts 9ff ( with special attention to Paul). -Dr. Kraft demostrated how to do a word or passage search in BibleGateway. Students were encouraged to compare different Bible translations. -The class discussion went as follows: -- Galatians 1-2 (autobiography; justifying Paul's message before Jerusalem leaders; Paul's criticism of Peter; Paul's call (not conversion); Paul's Jewish modified view that the Messiah has come). --Galatians 3 (Moronic Galatians had a spell put on them; Jewish scriptures used in argument). Q: To what extent did Paul receive his message ("the gospel") 1st hand or to what extent did he learn it from predecessors? A: Paul argues in Galatians that he received it by revelation but in 1 Corinthians 15 he uses language that suggests that at least some of it was handed down to him from others. Q: How did the churches know so much Jewish scripture? A: Teachers work with assumptions and Paul is optimistic about his audience's knowledge. Perhaps some of them were "god-fearers" as well, and had heard scriptures through alliance with synagogues. Q: Did the churches teach each other? A: We do not know very much about the Galatians. --We took note of Paul's former ways with scriptures as an opponent of the Jesus movement. What passages would he have used against Jesus' followers? --We went through Galatians 3 in some detail shifting from Greek to English along the way. --We discussed forensic righteousness and the promise to Abraham and his seed. --We talked about terms: Midrash (study) and Haggadah (story, non-legal), Christ and Messiah. --We talked about redemption (buying and setting free of slaves) and the implications of Jesus' crucifixion as a curse. --We discussed the implications of Jesus as the Messiah on Paul's understanding of the curse in Deuteronomy ("cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree"). --We saw that the turning point for Paul is the experience with the Messiah who was crucified and thereby ended the temporary sway of the law. --The curse of the cross became the means of salvation for Jews and Gentiles. --We saw how Paul could use "seed" as singular to connect Abraham and Jesus, and "seed" as plural to connect Christ and those "in Christ". --The focus on eschatology since the Messiah had come already, and how that relegated the Law to a mediatorial role. -Two students gave book reports in the second half of the class: (1) Dickson Kungu on W.D. Davies. Paul and Rabbinic Judaism (Paul remained a Pharisee but was convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected Messiah of Israel. Many of his concepts can be traced to the Judaism of his time, and there is no need to look for his ideas in Hellenism. The infiltration of Judaism by Greek ideas is not denied). (2) Debra Bucher on Daniel Boyarin. A Radical Jew (Paul was a Jewish cultural critic and a Hellinistic Jew. Boyarin concentrates on Galatians, especially Ch. 3. Paul sought to eradicate differences among people by use of allegory. A person's identity is crucial in interpreting Paul. Paul used Midrash to support his Hellenistic theology. An anti-Jewish interpretation of Pauline letters is possible, but wrong. Paul is viewed as the head of western universalism). -Dr. Kraft mentioned some other books on Paul by Jewish scholars, including Richard L. Rubenstein, My Brother Paul (1972, from a Freudian psychological perspective); Alan Segal, Paul the Convert (1990); and Joseph Klausner, From Jesus to Paul (ET 1961). [Also worth mentioning in this context is H.J.Schoeps, Paul (ET 1961).] -Dr. Kraft noted (with obvious satisfaction) that Paul was increasingly becoming important as a witness for 1st century Judaism. //end of minutes 010130// 2/6/01 Class Notes- Life and Letters of Paul Debra Bucher 1. Bob Kraft referred the class to "Paul's Eschatological Perspective" chart to help up better understand Paul's view of history. One important point to note is that, for Paul, flesh and body are not the same thing. Flesh generally stands for the susceptibility towards sin which leads to death. Other points in Paul's scheme: -Abraham is identified with promise (see Gal 3.7-29) -Moses is identified with the Torah, which shows us what we lack. The Torah is not bad, just temporary (see Rom 2.1-3.31, Gal, 3.1-4.31, 2 Cor 3) -Paul has already been spiritually resurrected with Jesus. Jesus is evidence that the resurrection is real and is the "first fruits" -At the End, God is all in all, which gets interpreted differently by different people When studying the chart, focus on the passages at the bottom. We should ask ourselves to what extent did Paul adjust his thought as time went on. 2. Movie: Peter and Paul 3. Discussion of issues raised in the movie: -Bob Kraft believes that Acts represents a conflation of sources, some of which relate to the Antioch church and others to the Jerusalem church -Acts 6 mentions the Hebraists and the Hellenists. Are these linguistic or cultural terms or something else? -The Galilee plays little role in the book of Acts, however, Matt. and Mark both have resurrection accounts which take place there. Comparison between Acts 15 and Galatians 1-2 as it relates to the chronology of Paul's life: -Acts 9:26-28: Paul in Jerusalem with the disciples -Acts 11:19-26 Barnabas takes Paul to Antioch -Acts 11:30 Paul and Barnabas take relief to people in Judea -Acts 15: Paul in Jerusalem for a third time to discuss the question of Gentile circumcision. Bob Kraft suggests that Acts 11 could be a source from the Antioch church and Acts 15 a source from the Jerusalem church, especially if you want to rectify the chronology in Acts with that of Galatians 1-2 Galatians 1-2 - Paul making a case about his independence -"event" (conversion, experience) -wilderness -after 3 years went to Jerusalem and spent 2 weeks there -return to Syria -after 14 years, back in Jerusalem For next week: read 1 & 2 Corinthians, especially 2 Corinthians 11 //end of minutes 010206//