Reflective Paper on Paul
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Reflective Paper: Paul Revisited
Joy M. Tolle
NBST520: New Testament Orientation II (D07)
December 10, 2023
Contents
Introduction
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3
Video Reflection
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3
Paul’s Life
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5
Paul’s Letters
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9
Paul’s Theology
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13
Significance
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15
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................
17
Bibliography
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18
ii
3
Introduction
Paul was the most prolific writer of the New Testament, and much of the church’s theology is derived from his work. Since “Paul had extensive formal training in rabbinic interpretation of the Old Testament” notes Elwell and Yarbrough;
1
this heavily influenced his thinking as the Holy Spirit led him to write.
2
Paul was a predominate leader in the development of the early church,
3
and later became known as the “’apostle to the Gentiles’ (Gal. 2:8, English Standard Version, Crossway, 2001).”
4
Paul was also a highly “controversial figure”
5
in his time. Bird writes in the Four Views on the Apostle Paul
, “You do not get beaten, flogged, imprisoned, and stoned without saying and doing things that are deemed controversial, offensive, and even subversive.”
6
And Paul persists as a controversial figure today; his writings can inspire believers to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1), or incite division among fellow believers debating what Paul “meant by his few remarks on Israel, homosexuality, women, spiritual gifts, and the end times.”
7
Video Reflection
This student’s fieldwork video on the life of Paul gave a condensed version of facts on Paul: his “pedigree” as a Jew, his vast education as a scholar, his driving dedication to eliminate Christians, his Damascus Road experience, and the resulting conversion and/or calling from that 1
Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey
, Third Edition., Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 15.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid, 215.
4
Ibid, 217.
5
Michael F. Bird, “Introduction,” in
Four Views on the Apostle Paul
, ed. Stanley N. Gundry and Michael F.
Bird, Zondervan Counterpoints Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 9.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid, 10.
4
event which explained why he no longer persecuted Christians. The video shared the wide ranging “personalities” of some of his letters, from scathing criticism for ungodly lifestyle practices
8
(1 Cor 5:1), to gratitude (Eph. 1:3, 16) and encouragement (2 Tim. 1:6-8). Since recording the video and going through course work from this New Testament orientation class, this student’s perspective, knowledge, and appreciation of Paul has deepened and broadened. The facts about Paul remain, but the background and purpose behind Paul’s actions and writings are better understood by this student and incorporated into the understanding of who Paul was as Saul, a Jewish scholar persecuting the Christians (Phil. 3:6), and who Paul was after his conversion and calling, his motivations, actions, and teaching. One example of a new perspective on Paul was that this student had never considered Paul’s Damascus Road experience anything but a conversion. Now there is an understanding that
the experience might also be considered a call, as was indicated by George Eldon Ladd.
9
Commentaries
10
and study Bibles
1112
discuss Paul’s experience in Acts 9 as a powerful, rapid transformation.
13
The account in Acts 9 says that Paul appeared to recognize Christ as Lord in the
voice speaking to him, and that he was told to “rise and enter the city and…be told what to do” 8
Elwell and Yarbrough
, Encountering the New Testament,
270.
9
Robert Wayne Stacy, “Paul’s Damascus Road Experience: Call or Conversion?” (video lecture in NBST 520 at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, November 9, 2023). 00:01:00-00:03:50.
10
John F. Woodward and Roy B. Zuck, Gen. Eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament
, David C. Cook, 1983, 375-6.
11
Notes from The Jeremiah Study Bible, English Standard Version (Crossway 2016) (David Jeremiah, Inc, 2019), 1457-8.
12
Notes from The MacArthur Study Bible, Second Edition New American Standard,( La Habra, CA: Lockman Foundation, 2006, 2020), 1420-1.
13
The Jeremiah Study Bible, 1479.
5
(9:6, ESV), which implies that Paul was given an something to do or act upon,
14
so this experience might also be considered a calling. Paul’s Life
This student failed to fully account for Paul’s Jewish background and how it influenced his approach to nearly every aspect of the Christian’s life. Although this student knew Paul was a
devout, well-educated Jew whose life was steeped in Old Testament studies and law,
15
this student did not consider the depth of Paul’s background while reading of Paul’s life in Acts, nor the letters he wrote to various churches and people. As this student has proceeded through the course, the view of Paul is now more fully formed since incorporating Acts, although still focused on his personality and theology as revealed through the epistles. Paul was Jewish but born to Roman citizens in “Tarsus of Cilicia” (Acts 22:1-3), which made him a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25). He was “educated at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:1-3)
and had an outstanding Jewish education. He spoke and wrote Hebrew (Acts 22:2), but also Greek. Living in Tarsus, he was exposed to a Gentile or Greco-Roman culture.
16
He may have used Greek rhetoric in his letters and was highly intelligent as evidenced by his fluency in multiple languages, and his use of logic and arguments in his speeches and letters.
17
Aside from how Paul speaks of himself (Acts 22), there is no autobiography of Paul. Biographical information on Paul’s actions, words, and travels is documented in the book of 14
The Jeremiah Study Bible, 1457.
15
Ibid, 38, 46-7.
16
Stanley E. Porter, The Apostle Paul: His Life, Thought, and Letters
, Eerdmans, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, 9.
17
Thomas R Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology
, InterVarsity Press, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, 191.
6
Acts. It appears that Paul was still being called Saul until Acts 13:9, well after his conversion, where he was then “also called Paul.” From this point forward he is called Paul.
Paul does provide a prolific description of himself in Philippians 3:5-6 and paints himself
as having every reason to be more “confident” in the flesh because he was “circumcised on the eighth day,” from the “people of Israel” “of the tribe of Benjamin” and a “Hebrew of the Hebrews.” “As to the law a Pharisee” and “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church” (zeal was the “highest single virtue of religion” as a Jew)
18
“as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” It is interesting to note that Paul did not say he was sinless, only that he was blameless under the Jewish law, and the distinction in this is that Paul outwardly maintained the law, but also revealed to the reader in Romans 7:14-25 that he was evil and needed Christ’s redeeming salvation. Among the pedigree Paul lists above, he also labels himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1). He describes his demeanor as “humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!” (2 Corinthians 10:1).
Paul did not walk away from his heritage and background, nor ignore his education and training. As E.P. Sanders writes, “Paul was and remained a Jew,”
19
but, this student now understands that Paul became so much more than just his heritage and education after his conversion to Christianity. Instead of ignoring his past and his education, he chose to use it as an example of worthlessness when comparing his past with his present and future self. Pitre Brandt calls Paul a “new covenant Jew,”
20
who considered all his former training and even his Jewish heritage as garbage when compared to the riches he gained in his relationship with Christ. Paul 18
The MacArthur Study Bible, 1576.
19
Brant Pitre, et al., Paul, a New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology
, Eerdmans, 2019, ProQuest Ebook Central, 11.
20
Ibid, 12.
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