RELG 3100 - Paul and His Letters

Hours: 4
The letters of Paul and the several letters written in his name after his death, as well as one sermon mistakenly ascribed to Paul, constitute nearly half of the writings of the New Testament. Moreover, Paul is the hero of the Acts of the Apostles. Therefore, Paul, as a man and a theologian, dominates the New Testament and was a major force in the development of Christian thought as we know it. This course will emphasize how to understand each letter in its original context and situation, and as gathered into a Pauline collection and then into the Bible. We will also study the writings’ use of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and relationship to their times. We will pay particular attention to what the letters and the Acts have to tell us about Paul himself, what they reveal about developing Christian churches in his time and how they present the theological ideas for which Paul is not only our earliest Christian representative, but also a most popular component of modern Christian thought and practice.
Notes: Paired with INST 4100 to fulfill the dyad requirement.

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RELG 3100 - Paul and His Letters