NT Module 3

MODULE 2:
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHORS OF PAULINE WRITINGS
Learning Outcomes:
> Have an understanding of the background of the authors of Pauline Writings
> Knowledgeable of the situation, what kind of political, economic and culture/traditions
of the people
INTRODUCTION
The Pauline epistles, also called Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of
the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. ...
The Pauline epistles are usually placed between the Acts of the Apostles and the Catholic epistles in
modern editions.
A young man named Saul was bent on eliminating Christianity from the face of the earth.
He was a Jew, a Pharisee (well-versed in the Old Testament), a man of knowledge,
letters, and spirit.
Then Jesus directly intervened. The risen savior appeared to Saul on the road to
Damascus—an encounter that completely transformed him. This man Saul became the
beloved apostle, saint, evangelist, theologian, and pastor we call Paul.
Paul’s an important character: out of the 27 books in the New Testament, Paul wrote
13.
Out of all the biblical human authors, Paul has written the most books of the Bible.
Paul was chosen for a few specific tasks (Eph 3:8–9):
 Preach Christ to the Gentiles
 Convey God’s plan for managing the church
We see Paul doing the first in the book of Acts. We see him doing the second in his
letters (there’s certainly overlap, though).
Engage Brainstorming:
Who was Paul?
What are the books in the New Testament written by Paul?
What was the status of Paul?
Explain Pauline epistles to churches

Nine of Paul’s letters were addressed to local churches in certain areas of
the Roman empire. On the whole, these epistles tend to deal with three
general issues:
1. Doctrine: what Christians should know
2. Application: what Christians should do with doctrine
3. Logistics: specific instructions, greetings, etc.
Paul’s writings on application are usually rather general. You’ll see Paul
telling children to obey parents, masters to be kind to their slaves, and the
like; you won’t see Paul giving children a list of things to do, or giving
masters a bill of slaves’ rights in the church.
In short, Paul focuses on the “why” (doctrine) and the “what”
(application), not the “how.”
Paul’s a very organized writer, and these epistles can usually be split into
sections based on these issues. The book of Romans is a good example:
1. In the first 11 chapters, Paul explains what the gospel is.
2. In chapters 12–15, he explains what it means to be a “living
sacrifice” (Ro 12:1–2).
3. At the end of chapter 15, he discusses his plans to visit, and the
final chapter of Romans includes many greetings to Christians in
the area.
As you read these epistles, keep an eye out for these themes.
Here’s the list of Paul’s epistles to churches:
 Romans. Paul explains how the gospel works and how to respond.
Paul wrote this letter before he had visited the Roman church.
 1 Corinthians. In 55 A.D., Paul admonished the local church that
he had founded in Corinth.
 2 Corinthians. Come 56 A.D., the Corinthian church had escalated
and then resolved their conflict with Paul. Second Corinthians is
Paul’s a letter of forgiveness and reconciliation.
 Galatians. Someone had misled the churches of Galatia—
resubjecting them to the Law of Moses and devaluing God’s grace.
Paul writes the Galatians an aggressive letter to set them straight
on their freedom in Christ.
 Ephesians. Paul outlines doctrines of grace, peace, and salvation,
and then instructs the church to walk in a manner worthy of Jesus
Christ.
 Philippians. Even though he’s suffering in prison, Paul finds joy in
Christ. He writes to the church at Philippi urging them to take on a
Christlike attitude.
 Colossians. This letter explains to the church at Colossae who
they are in Christ.
 1 Thessalonians. The church of Thessalonica is setting a great
example for other churches, even though they’re being persecuted
for their faith. Paul encourages them to “excel still more.”
 2 Thessalonians. The affliction just won’t let up on the
Thessalonian church, so Paul coaches them on standing firm until
Jesus’ return.
Pastoral epistles from Paul
Three of Paul’s letters are addressed to individual pastors. Two are written to
Timothy, and the last is written to Titus. Because these letters are for specific
individuals, they include more specific instructions than the other letters.
Paul considers Timothy and Titus to be his sons in the faith (1 Ti 1:2; Tt 1:4).
He trusts them to manage their local churches well (1 Ti 3:15; Tt 1:5) and
maintain his sound teaching (1 Ti 4:6; Tt 2:1).
Here’s a high-level idea of what each pastoral epistle is about:
 1 Timothy. This is Paul’s guide to godliness and sound teaching
for the young pastor Timothy at Ephesus.
 2 Timothy. Paul’s death is drawing near, and he charges Timothy
to carry on his gospel work.
 Titus. Paul had left Titus at Crete to set up order in the churches
there. Now he writes Titus instructions for leading a counter-
cultural church.
Today, these letters still teach us how the church should be managed—
they’re especially helpful for church planters.
Then there’s Philemon
Philemon is a hybrid of the two categories. It’s a message to Philemon, a
leader in the Colossian church, but it’s addressed to the church his house as
well (Phlm 2). In a way, it’s an open letter to an individual.
Philemon’s runaway slave had converted to Christianity, and Paul was
sending him back to Philemon. Paul encourages Philemon to welcome the
runaway as a brother, not a slave—the rest of the church is witness to Paul’s
exhortation.
So the letter to Philemon has specific instructions for an individual church
leader (like the pastoral epistles) but is addressed to a local congregation
(like a church letter). You can learn more about Philemon’s role here.
The Pauline Epistles’ roles in the Bible
Unlike the Gospels and Acts, the Pauline epistles hardly contain any
narrative. These are primarily correspondence: Paul sends greetings,
instructions, encouragement, and background information.
Because of this, the epistles contain the majority of Christians’ theology. This
is where the story of Jesus described in the Gospels is explained in greater
detail. It’s also where we learn how Christians should live in response to
Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Paul’s Social Status
From Paul’s own letters we know that he

was a Jew and belonged to that religious
party known as Pharisees. From his writing
style we know that he was also well versed
in the methods of biblical exegesis that he
could learned by study with Jewish scholars.
From the Acts of the Apostles we learn other

details about social standing which Paul
himself does not mention, chiefly that he
was a citizen of the city of Tarsus in
Southeast Asia Minor and a Roman citizen as
well. In addition, it is in the book of Acts
that his trade was tentmaking, which
perhaps means leather working in general.
EXERCISES:
Note: No assignment activity for this week. But please STUDY Module 1,2 & 3
because by next week ( the schedule date will be posted on the GC), I will give you
a long quiz that will serve as your Pre-Mid Examinations.
You might ask why our Module 3 is about Pauline Writings? It is because I have to
give more time on the Gospel Books since there’s a lot of things to discuss on the
Gospel Books specially the life- and ministry of Jesus.
Thank you and God Bless! Be safe everyone.

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MODULE 2:

BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHORS OF PAULINE WRITINGS

What was the status of Paul?

Explain Pauline epistles to churches

From Paul’s own letters we know that he

From the Acts of the Apostles we learn other

Thank you and God Bless! Be safe everyone.

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