6/9: Notes on the board: Paul + shaping the church – Remember that Paul is is a missionary, not a prophet or a disciple. Gospels have not been written: stories about Jesus pass via word of mouth
Paul writes letters to churches/people he works with (epistles)
Paul – Peter (both at head of churches but in conflict: ultimately Paul’s reach is greater)
Divisions: circumcised – uncircumsized, people of law – people of faith. Paul reshapes canonical stories to create a new vision: Abraham becomes a person of faith rather than obedience to God ; Moses is downplayed. Goals: To get a feeling for Paul as writer/thinker, to see how Pual is shaping the church in ways that reframe (change) Jesus of the gospels, to think about Paul’s influence today.
Classwork: together we read 1 Corinthians 13, Paul's most famous piece of writing. I asked everyone to write down their favorite line from the chapter on the front of the notecard. We discussed his writing (full or repetition, parallelism, imagery and particularly metaphor. Then students read 1 chapter from a letter, read it and completed the following: Paul’s letters are important because they shape our view of Jesus (it’s worth thinking about how the tone of Jesus’ teachings as told by Paul are very different from what we read in the Gospels) and because his imagery is so vivid. Let’s pay attention to both as we quickly tour some of his most famous passages. Take your passage (Galatians 3) Read it carefully. On the front of the notecard, take notes about the 3-5 main points and write down 3 quotes and/or rhetorical flourishes (repetition, parallel structure, imagery, metaphor, etc.) that you find effective and/or provocative. On the back: reflect on Paul’s teaching in the chapter: what is important and why. How is Paul echoing Jesus? Reshaping Jesus? Shaping the new church? Does it resonate with your understanding/view of Christianity now?
6/1: In class - on the front of the notecard: Describe what you see when you look at Caravaggio's The Conversion of Paul. Tell me how, based on what you notice, Caravaggio is shaping the biblical story (think about mood, think about what is included, what isn't, etc.). Then, read the chapter assigned to you (Acts 10-13: you should be reading only one).On the back of the notecard: Take notes about plot (no more than 1/2 the card), then write about connections to what we talked about in class today (echoes of what came earlier, divisions, dangers and threats, mystery, Paul's growing importance, etc.
5/21: We talked about the final portfolio today.
Homework: Look for emerging leadership in these three chapters. Make a list of these – be sure to look at who figures centrally (what sorts of people and WHY does this matter as part of the founding of the new church). Look back over your list and explore why these might matter – what do they tell us about what is important in the newly forming church, how do they resonate with your knowledge of Christianity today, etc.)? Then, , read Acts 5, reading both for content and reading closely for evidence of the same element you explored in the first 3 chapters. Add this information to your notes. THINK about how they fit into Jesus’ teachings and his instructions to the disciples (remember that the author of Luke is the author of Acts: it’s worth looking back at Luke’s ending to help you here), about who is favored and who is put aside, etc.