.x:7

PAUL: LIFE, LETTERS AND THOUGHT                       R. A. Kraft   
The Search for a Starting Point 

Ancient Sources Attributed to Paul ("Primary" Sources)

  Group One      Group Two       Group Three     Group Four 

  Galatians      Philemon        1 Thessalon.    1 Timothy
  Romans         Philippians     2 Thessalon.    2 Timothy
  1 Corinth.     Ephesians                       Titus
  2 Corinth.     Colossians                      3 Corinth. 
                 Laodiceans 

  Group Five     Group Six       Group Seven

  Seneca-        Apoc./Vision    Prayer (NHL) 
    Corresp.     Apoc #2 (NHL)

Other Ancient Sources with Information about Paul ("Secondary") 

  Acts of the Apostles (New Testament)
  Acts of Paul
  Acts of Peter (first section) 
  Martyrdom of Peter and Paul 
  Ascent of James and Ps-Clementines (Hom 17.13-19, Rec 70f)
  Arabic Excerpts of Jewish Source and related  
    Arabic Muslim Source (ed. Pines)
  Samaritan Chronicle 2 (ed. MacDonald) 
  (Various briefer references; e.g. 2 Peter 3.15f, 1 Clement 5, 
    Ignatius Eph 12.2 [etc], Polycarp Phil 3.2, Epistle of the
    Apostles 31-33, Life of Mani 60.12ff[p.47]) 
  (Debates concerning use of Paul's writings by Marcion [esp. 
    in Tertullian] and "Gnostics" [esp. in Irenaeus]) 

Deciding Where to Begin, What to Trust

  Can the sources be trusted for general impressions? Which?
    To what extent do the sources agree/disagree? 
    What vested interests do they betray in the presentations?  
  Is it probable that Paul wrote anything? (If so,) 
    Is it probable that any of his writings are preserved?
  Which preserved writings have the best claim to authenticity? 
    Possible criteria:
      Earliest references to and use of primary materials 
      Relative development within the "primary" materials 
      Correspondence between primary and secondary data 
  Does the resulting picture provide a satisfactory account 
      of the entire body of ancient materials?

Influential Modern Approaches 

  Minimalist: Only Gal-Rom-1Cor-2 Cor are clearly authentic 
  "Critical Orthodoxy": also Phlm, Phlp, 1 Thess (e.g. Meeks) 
  Mild Critical: also 2 Thess, Ephesians, Colossians
  Canonical: also Pastorals (1-2 Timothy & Titus) 

//end// [1/26/84] 


 
PAUL: LIFE, LETTERS AND THOUGHT                       R. A. Kraft   
Biographical Information on Paul

Item      Source
          Group 1    Groups 2-3 Groups 4-7 Other
                                                      
Name:     Paul       Paul       Paul       +Saul

Stock:    Hebrew
          Israelite 
          Jew 
          Benjaminite 

Parental                                   Tarsus (Ac 27.3 etc.)
    Home:                                  Giselis in Judea (?) 
                                             (Jerome) 

Date of 
   Birth: 

Family:   wealthy?
           (1 Cor 4.12) 
                                           father Roman citizen 
                                             (Ac 22.25ff) 
                                           sister & nephew in 
                                             Jerusalem (Ac 23.16) 
          married?   wife?                 married (Clem Alex 
           (1C 9.4f)  (Php 4.3)              Strom 3.6.52)

Early 
    Life: 

Training: Judaism    Pharisee              Pharisee (Ac 22.3 etc.)
           (G 1.13f)  (Php 3.5) 

Trade:    unspecified (1Th 2.9)            tentmaker (Ac 18.3)
          (1C 9.16-18)(2Th 3.7f)

Call:     sent to                          (Ac 22.21,26.17) 
          gentiles                         and Israel (Ac 9.15, 
                                             cf 13.46,18.6,26.20) 

Journeys: Damascus
          Jerusalem 
          Antioch etc.
          Galatia 
          Ephesus-Troas 
          Corinth    Athens 
          Macedonia 
          Illyricum 

Last      to Spain?                        (Ac P & P 1-3, Mur.Can)
 Days &    (R 15.24)                       (see 1Clem 5 "west") 
  Death:                                   beheaded (Eus H 2.25)
                                           in Rome (Ac P, M P & P)

//end// [drafted 3/22/84; rev. 6/84]