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Galatians

Dive into the key themes and historical contexts of the letters written by the Apostle Paul to the churches in Galatia, Ephesus, and Philippi. Understand the challenges faced by the early Christian communities and discover the timeless relevance of these letters for the modern day.

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Galatians

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  1. Galatians

  2. Outline • 1:1-5 – Greetings • 1:6-2:14 – Defending Paul’s Apostolic Authority • 2:15-4:31 – One is saved by faith in Christ (or by the faithfulness of Christ) rather than Law • 5:1-6:10 – Describing Freedom in Christ through the Spirit

  3. Features • Written to churches (plural)! • No thanksgiving section • The harsh tone in the letter – apologetic letter • Paul’s autobiography of his conversion (1:11-17) • Paul confronting Peter (2:11-14) • The opponents (1:7; 4:17; 5:7, 10; 6:12-13). See also Acts 15:1-4. Judaisers, doing “clean up acts” after Paul, hoping to make Gentiles to become Jews.

  4. Issues • Galatians and events in Acts & the dating of Galatians • Gal 1:18-24 – Jerusalem visit after 3 years, stayed 15 days with Peter (Cephas) • Gal 2:1-10 – another Jerusalem visit after 14 years • One Meeting: Gal 2 = Acts 15 (no ref to 11:30) • Two Meetings: Gal 2 = Acts 11:30, early writing of Galatians, Acts 15

  5. 2 alternatives

  6. 2 alternatives

  7. Issues • The destination: South or North Galatia • North: the old kingdom, where Galatians could mean the people of Gallic. Paul may not have visited this region which is remote and inaccessible • South: the new province – where Paul visited including Antioch, Iconium, Derba, Lystrain all his missionary journeys

  8. Issues • Paul’s apostleship in question • 2:10 – “remembering the poor” as Pauline focus? • 2:15-16 – “faith in Jesus Christ” or “faithfulness of Jesus Christ”

  9. Issues • Observing the Law: the whole torah or “boundary markers” (circumcision, food laws and sabbath”  ethnocentric pride/national identity • What is at stake in Galatia? The Gospel – the death of Jesus

  10. Application • Christianity today – a set of rules/regulations/tradition to follow? • Salvation = ? • Walking in line with the truth of the gospel (2:14) • The experience of God/Holy Spirit (3:1-5)

  11. Ephesians

  12. Authorship • For or against Paul? • Impersonal in nature despite spending 3 years in Ephesus • Similarity with Colossians – literary dependency? • Theological content – especially soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology, trinity  theological content a later development?

  13. Recipients • Whom does Eph 1:1 indicate as the intended readers of the Letter to the Ephesians? How do you resolve the textual issue in 1:1? Is “in Ephesus” original or a later addition by the scribes? • Circular letter theory?

  14. Recipients • What does Eph 2:1-2, 11-13; 3:1; 4:17-24; 5:8 indicate about the ethnicity of the intended readers of the Letter to the Ephesians? In other words, were the intended readers Jews or gentiles? • Life setting of the recipients?

  15. Paul’s Ministry in Ephesus • What do Eph 1:15-16; 2:1-2; 4:20-24; 5:8; 6:19-20 indicate about the relationship of the author to the intended readers? • From what Luke records in Acts 18:18-22; 19:1-20:1; 20:15-21:1, describe the history of Paul’s relationship with the church in Ephesus • How do you reconcile 1) and 2) above?

  16. Relationship with Colossians • Many close parallels

  17. Ephesians • Date & Place • Early 60s, Roman imprisonment (3:1; 4:1; 6:20); cf Acts 28) • Tychicus (6:21-22; cf. Col 4:7-9)

  18. Ephesians • Occasion, Purpose and Theme • Chapters 1-3 – indicatives • Chapters 4-6 - imperatives

  19. Historical Setting • City of Ephesus • Religious cult • Paul’s ministry in Ephesus – see Acts 19

  20. Artemis – Ephesus Archeological Museum

  21. Specific Characteristics • General letter compared to other Pauline corpus • Close similarities with Colossians (see above) • Long sentences: • 1:3-14 • 1:15-23 • 2:1-7 • 3:2-13 • 3:13-19 • 4:1-6 • 4:11-16 • 6:14-20

  22. Specific Characteristics • Emphasis on the saving drama of God • Double extended Prayers of thanksgiving (1:15-23; 3:14-21) • Divine mystery • Christ’s exaltation • Unity in the body • The church as the body of Christ – developed ecclesiology • The “household code” (5:22-6:9)

  23. Household Codes (5:22-6:9)

  24. Specific Characteristics • The imagery of spiritual warfare (6:10-20)

  25. Introduction to Philippians Earliest Christian Basilica at Philippi (dated 5th-6th Century)

  26. Philippians - Overview Based on Paul’s letter to the Philippians and Act 16, answer the following 6 preliminary questions • Who wrote the letter? • To whom was the letter written? • From where was the letter written? • When was the letter written? • Why was the letter written? • What are the main themes of the letter?

  27. 1. Who Wrote the Letter? • 1:1 – Paul with Timothy as co-author. • Most likely Paul is the author. • first person singular pronouns – 58x • first person singular verbs – 57x

  28. Paul writes as one with authority (apostle) and humility (servant/slave) 1:1 – “slaves of Christ Jesus” 1. Who Wrote the Letter?

  29. 1. Who Wrote the Letter? • The mention of Timothy as co-author • Spoken highly by Paul (2:19-24) • Personally known to the Philippians and cared for them (2:20) • True model for the Philippians as compared to the opponents (2:22) • Timothy to be sent to the Philippians soon (2:23)

  30. 1:1 – “to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons” 2. To Whom Was the Letter Written? Inscription: “Porphyrus the Bishop made an adornment of the Basilica of Paul in Christ.” Mosaic floor from the the earliest place of worship dedicated to St Paul in 313, Philippi.

  31. 2. To Whom Was the Letter Written? • City of Philippi • “a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia” (Acts 16:12) • But no synagogue less than 10 male Jews a very Gentile city

  32. 2. To Whom Was the Letter Written? • How was the church founded? • Story of the founding of the church – Acts 16 • Founded by Paul during his Second Missionary Journey after receiving the Macedonian Call (Acts 16:9-10) • Most likely around the year 50-51 • From Troas (where Luke joined the team – the “we” passage – Acts 16:10), sailed to Macedonia • First city in the region of Macedonia after landing at the port of Neapolis (Acts 16:11-12)

  33. Port of Neapolis today

  34. From Neapolis to Philippi through the Via Egnatia

  35. 2. To Whom Was the Letter Written? • How was the church founded? • Sabbath by the river • Paul’s witness to the women (Acts 16:13) • First converts: Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth and her household • First house church: Lydia’s house (Acts 16:15, 40) which also provided hospitality for Paul, Timothy, Silas and Luke

  36. 2. To Whom Was the Letter Written? • How was the church founded? (Acts 16:16-24) • Paul’s encounter with the slave girl possessed by the pythonian spirit • “proclaiming a way of salvation” – a distortion of the gospel. • Paul and Silas “advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practise” – a charge of treason • Persecution, sufferings and imprisonment followed

  37. 2. To Whom Was the Letter Written? • How was the church founded? (Acts 16:25-40) • Paul’s encounter with the jailor and jailhouse rock • “What must I do to be saved?” • Individual salvation? Household salvation? • Paul and Silas released from prison • Paul’s claim to Roman citizenship – why not earlier when he was being charged but only now when he was released?

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