Paul and the Crises of His Churches: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon

1. Paul and the Crises of His Churches: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon The New TestamentBart D. Ehrman Chapter 21

2. What to Expect This chapter considers five of Paul�s undisputed epistles What problems arose in the churches, and how did he deal with them? Some aspects of Paul�s message remain constant, but other aspects vary as he tries to address theological and practical problems

3. 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians is written to the church in Corinth, a port city with a reputation for dubious morals The different socioeconomic levels of the Corinthian Christians may explain some of the problems The community experienced disunity in the church, immorality, and difficulties during worship services

4. 1 Corinthians Paul deals with these problems one by one in his letter He felt the major problem was the Corinthians� failure to appreciate that their salvation was not yet accomplished They failed to take seriously the power of evil, and their behavior caused divisions in the church and led to a lack of concern for other members

5. 2 Corinthians 2 Corinthians appears to consist of various letters after 1 Corinthians, combined into one Other apostles in Corinth were saying that Christians could experience the full benefits of salvation in the here and now Paul�s letters of 2 Corinthians were in response to this view, which Paul opposed

6. 2 Corinthians Paul wrote an angry letter and sent it through a personal messenger, Titus Either the letter or Titus had the desired effect: the community changed its mind Paul then wrote a grateful, conciliatory letter in response 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians share many of the same apocalyptic themes

7. Galatians The letter is written to a group of churches in the Roman province Galatia Other missionaries had been proclaiming a different version of the gospel to the churches Paul had established there They insisted that Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the Jewish Law

8. Galatians Paul responded with an autobiographical sketch designed to show his gospel came directly from God He argued that salvation would come to Gentiles by faith in Christ alone The letter shows that for Paul, the law-free gospel does not lead to lawless behavior

9. Philippians Paul wrote the letter from prison, to Christians he had converted in the city of Philippi in eastern Macedonia It may be two or more letters combined Paul wrote his thanks for financial support, to express his joy at how well they were doing, and to urge them to maintain the unity of their congregation

10. Philemon This letter was also written from prison, to a wealthy Christian Philemon about his runaway slave, whom Paul had converted The letter is an intervention, urging Philemon not to punish the slave Paul may have written the letter in the hope that Philemon would give the slave to him for his own service