Paul, the Founder of Christianity

Yoseop Ra

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781666717037, 9781666717044
• eBook ISBN: 9781666717051
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Although many scholars have studied Paul's theology, they have not provided satisfactory interpretation. This is because his genuine epistles were studied as they have been left in the New Testament. Rather, from a redactional point of view, Paul, the Founder of Christianity approaches Paul's seven epistles: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. The book reconstructs his life and uncovers the compilation of sixteen short letters into seven epistles. Accordingly, these can be divided according to the chronological order of composition.When the transformation of Paul's theology is traced, one can see a progressive development of Christology, the death of Jesus Christ, redemption and salvation, the Law, the end of world, the spirit of God, and the church of God. As a result, it can be argued that after the Antioch incident, Paul had conflict with the apostles of Jerusalem and founded Christianity for gentiles--an argument that is presented in detail based on the evidence found in Paul's sixteen letters.

1

The Reconstructed Life and Letters of Paul

Paul’s life can be reconstructed on the basis of the sixteen letters sent to the churches in the region of Gentiles. When they have been arranged in chronological order, they will show that Paul received the revelation about the Son of God, inherited the tradition about Christ in Damascus, and learned more about Jesus from Cephas in Jerusalem. Later, he developed his theological interpretation on various topics during the missionary trips.16 His life can be divided into three parts according to his relationship with the apostles of Jerusalem. The first one starts with the event of revelation about the Son of God in Damascus and finishes with his return to Jerusalem to meet the apostles after the first missionary trip. The second part includes Paul’s second trip after the theological controversy over the Gentile table in Antioch. The apostles of Jerusalem sent representatives to make the Gentiles challenge Paul against the gospel that he had proclaimed. Having faced their challenge, Paul developed his theological interpretation on various topics. And the third part consists of Paul’s trip to Rome and stay there. Among the three different parts, the second one is to be paid attention most because, having faced the challenge of some Gentiles sponsored by the apostles of Jerusalem, Paul drastically developed his theological view on how the Gentiles could be the true people of God. He got through the harsh situation with new interpretations of various topics. At that time, having unfolded his view on the crucifixion of Christ as the means of redemption and salvation, he sublimated the theology to the gospel of Christ. This is a breakthrough that made Paul able to win the Thessalonians and the Philippians, but he failed to win the Corinthians and the Galatians. In the meantime, having been independent from the Jerusalem church, Christianity was born among the Gentiles.17

A. The First Missionary Trip

It is necessary to look at what Paul achieved at the beginning of his mission to the Gentiles. A certain amount of information has been known about his life from the time of receiving the revelation about the Son of God to the second visit to Jerusalem for the apostolic meeting. In the meantime, the first missionary trip took place with a great achievement among the Gentiles. It seems that Paul was subordinate to the apostolic authority at that time. Paul relied upon the Jewish tradition on various topics.

A Persecutor of Church

A certain amount of information has been known about Paul before the event of revelation. The most typical feature is that he was a persecutor of the church of God. This is due to his zeal for the Law.

The earliest part of Paul’s biography is absent. His birthplace, birthdate, and parents are not mentioned in his epistles.18 It is, however, definite that he was a Jew as known from the description that he was circumcised on the eighth day of birth and born as a man of the tribe of Benjamin (Phil 3:5). In addition, Paul identified himself as a Hebrew, an Israelite, and a descendant of Abraham (2 Cor 11:22). From a religious perspective, he was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of his own age (Gal 1:14).19 Moreover, as a Pharisee, ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Prologue
• Chapter 1: The Reconstructed Life and Letters of Paul
• Chapter 2: The Lord Jesus Christ Son of God
• Chapter 3: The Death of Jesus Christ
• Chapter 4: Redemption and Salvation
• Chapter 5: The Law
• Chapter 6: The End of World
• Chapter 7: The Spirit of God
• Chapter 8: The Church of God
• Epilogue
• Bibliography