LESSON 14
St Paul and the preaching to the Gentiles. The Gospel preached by St Paul. The Council of Jerusalem. The first Letters. Geographical situation and background of the pauline communities. Other pauline letters. Sub-apostolic age: consolidation of right doctrine and ministry.
1. St Paul and the preaching to the Gentiles
Of all the Apostles we know most about St Paul, who was not one of the Twelve, thanks to the accounts in the Acts of the Apostles and the important body of Pauline letters. He was the Apostle of the Gentiles, par excellence, and his missionary journeys brought the Gospel to Asia Minor and Greece, where he founded and directed many churches. Taken prisoner in Jerusalem, his long captivity gave him the opportunity to bear witness to Christ before the Sanhedrin, the Roman Governors of Judaea and King Agrippa II. After being brought to Rome he was set free by Caesar's courts. Imprisoned for a second time, he was tried again and condemned to a martyr's death in Rome. (Cf also J Monforte, Getting to know the Bible, pp 116-117)
2. The Gospel preached by St Paul
St Paul's theology is not always easy to grasp as St Peter warns in his second epistle (II Pt 3:15-16):
And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other scriptures.
We will now briefly look at some of the basic ideas underpinning the teaching of St Paul:
- HUMAN LIFE WITHOUT CHRIST: St Paul is keen to point out what man's life would be and is without redemption
- a) Sin: a fundamental starting point for St Paul is that the work of Christ, Christianity, is redemption, liberation from sin.
- b) The flesh: following the OT tradition, the flesh is opposed to the spirit, all that brings man down, including his feelings, instincts, sentiments and passions which rebel against his intelligence and will. The flesh is an ally of sin, though not the same thing.
- c) Death: the punishment for sin. Man without Christ is a slave of sin, betrayed by the flesh and destined to death.
- d) The Law: also an ally of sin, because although it points out the good, it does not contain the grace to help man avoid evil. It is simply knowledge of sin.
- e) Unredeemed mankind: man by himself, without Christ, is radically incapable of freeing himself from the miserable state he is in because of original sin, and his own personal sins.
- SALVATION IN CHRIST: the insistent teaching of the apostle is that Christ is the Saviour of mankind.
- a) The salvific "mystery": The "Gospel" of St Paul is above all a salvific or soteriological message, i.e., the revelation and putting into effect of God's plan or design for the salvation of mankind. He speaks of the mystery of Christ, the mystery of the Gospel, the mystery of God, the mystery of his will, the mystery of faith or simply, the mystery. It is the divine plan of salvation for all mankind, regardless of people or race, conceived by God from eternity, but only now (in apostolic times) revealed, although it had been foretold in the OT. While begun in this world, it will only reach its fullness in the world to come. It is the plan of divine Wisdom: that all things should be reconciled with God in Christ. This reconciliation is achieved through the Body of Christ which is the Church, the instrument chosen to bring about salvation. It is the "instaurare omnia in Christo" (Eph 1:10): "For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph 1:9-10) The "recapitulation" of all things in Christ (making Christ head -caput- of all things) is a new, and deeper way of expressing the divine salvific plan. This is most evident in St Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, where his teaching on salvation, Christ and the Church find their fullest expression.
- b) The divinity of Christ: Jesus is the only one who could bring this plan of salvation to completion and that is why he was sent into the world. Jesus is the Lord, the Son of God.
- c) The Incarnation of the Son: the mystery of salvation is pure mercy on God's part, and pure love. There are no other reasons for the Incarnation than God's love for us, to redeem us as God and man. The total victory and liberation has been possible because Jesus is God and man.
- d) Theology of the Death of Christ. Here the message is quite simple: Christ died to save us from our sins; through his blood we have been redeemed. The death of Christ has been the perfect reparation for sin.
- e) Theology of the Resurrection of Christ. The historical event of the glorious resurrection of Our Lord from the dead is the proof of what Jesus did and said of himself. It is a crucial point in our faith in Christ; it is the start of the glorification and exaltation of the Humanity of Christ.
- THE CHURCH: Of all the inspired writers of the NT, St Paul is the one who speaks most of the Church and its mysterious nature. He speaks of it as the Mystical Body of Christ, and as such a unity and united. The Church is the People of God, the true Israel and inheritor of the promise made to the Patriarchs: a holy people, a chosen people. The Church is also the universal instrument of salvation. Christ is the Saviour of mankind, and the Church, his Body, is the sacrament and instrument of this salvation. (Cf Navarre Bible, Romans and Galatians, Introduction, p 29ff)
3. The Council of Jerusalem
The following is taken from Catholic.org:
St. Paul, the indefatigable Apostle of the Gentiles, was converted from Judaism on the road to Damascus. He remained some days in Damascus after his Baptism, and then went to Arabia, possibly for a year or two to prepare himself for his future missionary activity. Having returned to Damascus, he stayed there for a time, preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. For this he incurred the hatred of the Jews and had to flee from the city. He then went to Jerusalem to see Peter and pay his homage to the head of the Church.
Later he went back to his native Tarsus, where he began to evangelize his own province until called by Barnabus to Antioch. After one year, on the occasion of a famine, both Barnabus and Paul were sent with alms to the poor Christian community at Jerusalem. Having fulfilled their mission they returned to Antioch.
The Council of Jerusalem is described in chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles:
1* But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses." 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." 12 And all the assembly kept silence...
4.The first Letters: Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans
The order in which we usually find St Paul's letters in the NT is artificial, putting together the letters to communities and then those to individuals. The chronological order is different, and as follows:
- The Letters to the Thessalonians, written from Corinth in the years 50-52 (i.e., around 20 years after the death of Jesus), are the oldest writings of the NT, given that Matthew in Aramaic has not come down to us. They deal fundamentally with the Second Coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the dead. The Great Epistles come next.
- Galatians, I and II Corinthians, and Romans, written between spring 53 and spring 58. Galatians deals with the freedom Christians have regarding the fulfilment of the Mosaic Law and the traditions of the scribes, i.e., the question of the Judaizers. The Letters to the Corinthians cover the unity of the Church and of the Christians. St Paul also deals with moral questions, the Eucharist, the Resurrection. He speaks with the authority of an Apostle and the affection of a father. Romans: the longest of Paul's letters, it covers the principal points of doctrine and the redeeming work of Christ, covering much the same topics as Galatians, but more deeply. Romans is the most profound of the Apostles letters, the backbone of his other epistles. (Cf Navarre Bible, Romans and Galatians, Introduction, pp 19ff)
5. Geographical situation and background of the pauline communities
Paul undertook three missionary journeys. The following is taken from Catholic.org:
Soon after this, Paul and Barnabus made the first missionary journey (click here for map, or here as well), visiting the island of Cypress, then Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia, all in Asia Minor, and establishing churches at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
After the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem Paul, accompanied by Silas and later also by Timothy and Luke, made his second missionary journey (click here for map or here as well), first revisiting the churches previously established by him in Asia Minor, and then passing through Galatia. At Troas a vision of a Macedonian was had by Paul, which impressed him as a call from God to evangelize in Macedonia. He accordingly sailed for Europe, and preached the Gospel in Philippi. Thessalonica, Beroea, Athens, and Corinth. Then he returned to Antioch by way of Ephesus and Jerusalem.
On his third missionary journey (click here for map or here as well) Paul visited nearly the same regions as on the second trip, but made Ephesus where he remained nearly three years, the center of his missionary activity. He laid plans also for another missionary journey, intending to leave Jerusalem for Rome and Spain. Persecutions by the Jews hindered him from accomplishing his purpose. After two years of imprisonment at Caesarea he finally reached Rome, where he was kept another two years in chains.
We can describe the geographical background briefly (cf A Fuentes, A Guide to the Bible, Maps 10 and 11).
- Thessalonica, now known as Salonika, was a flourishing centre of trade in St Paul's time, one of the most important cities of Macedonia. It was a typical pagan city, basically ignorant of religious truth. St Paul preached first to the Jewish community there.
- Galatia was an inland region of Asia Minor, surrounding present day Ankara. The Galatians were of Celtic stock, descended from people who had migrated there in the 3rd century BC. Many of them were shepherds, honest, upright people, warm and affectionate. Paul made contact with them on his first missionary journey.
- Corinth was one of the most important commercial cities of the ancient world. Situated in a privileged position it boasted two ports. It was an obligatory stop on the journey between Asia and Italy. It was a port city with a cosmopolitan population representing many different religions, but with the problems associated with ports -including moral decadence. Among the problems the first Christians there faced was the worship of Aphrodite and the thousand "priestesses" dedicated to the goddess, who practised so-called "sacred prostitution".
- The Christian community at Philippi was made up mainly of retired legionaries, who had been assigned lands and employment by a grateful Empire. Retired army men had settled there with their families; their background gave them a sense of discipline, loyalty and dedication, proud of their Roman citizenship. The Jewish community, on the other hand, would have been small, not even enjoying a synagogue.
- The Christian community at Colossae had been founded by Epaphras, a disciple of St Paul. The motive for St Paul's letter to them was that they had been affected by early instances of Persian and Mesopotamian Gnosticism that had come via Jewish travellers. Thus they were infected by dualistic ideas.
- In the time of St Paul Ephesus was the leading city of Asia Minor, close to the Aegean Sea. From ancient times the religious allegiance of the city was given to the eastern goddess of fertility, Artemis for the Greeks (Diana for the Romans) with a magnificent temple in her honour. The city was also famous for magic and occultism and its inhabitants were notoriously superstitious.
The other pauline letters are (Cf Navarre Bible, Romans and Galatians, Introduction, pp 19ff):
- The Captivity Letters: These date from Paul's first house arrest in Rome, probably 61-63 AD. These epistles are: Philemon, in which he touches on the equality of all in Christ. Philippians, containing the important "Christological hymn" (Phil 2:6-11). Colossians, where the Apostle tackles the problems for the faith caused by Eastern Gnosticism. Paul writes in depth on the mystery of Christ's being, as well as moral and disciplinary matters. Ephesians: this letter marks a climax in St Paul's spiritual and doctrinal discussion of the mystery of Christ's nature and personality; the meaning of Redemption; and the theology of the Church.
- The Pastoral Letters: The two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus are given this general title. Written between 65 and 66 or 67 (depending on the date of his martyrdom), these epistles serve to guide and help the two disciples in their work as Paul's assistants in the pastoral government of various churches. Here he is concerned about ecclesial order (hierarchy) and discipline, which were taking shape at the time. Paul's main concern here is the consolidation of those churches already founded. The epistles contain both theological concepts and practical advice.
- Letter to the Hebrews: no longer unanimously attributed to St Paul, it is at least of his "parentage". Probably written around 65 AD, it seems to be addressed in the first instance to a group of Christians of Jewish origin, perhaps containing a large number of convert priests and Levites. It focuses on the Temple, and the Priesthood and Sacrifice of Christ.
7. Sub-apostolic age: consolidation of right doctrine and ministry
The consolidation of the early Church can be sketched out as follows (cf J Orlandis, A Short History of the Catholic Church, p 19):
In its expansion in the ancient world Christianity adapted itself to the institutions and lifestyle of Roman society. Wherever it went, classical Rome, by policy, promoted city life: municipalities and colonies developed over all the provinces of the empire. Christianity was born in this historical context, and it was in the cities that the first Christian communities established themselves, as local churches. Their surroundings were pagan and hostile--which had the effect of giving them greater internal cohesion and made for solidarity among their members. Yet these churches were not isolated nuclei: there was a real communion and communication among the churches, and they all had a keen sense of being components of one and the same universal Church.
Many of the churches of the first century were founded by Apostles, and as long as these Apostles lived they remained under their authority, being managed by a "college" of presbyters (priests or "elders") who were in charge of their liturgical life and good order. As the Apostles died, monarchical local episcopacy -which had been introduced from the very start of some churches- became the general system. The bishop ('inspector', 'superintendent') was the head of the church, the shepherd of the faithful, and, as successor of the Apostles, he had the fullness of the priesthood and the authority necessary for governing the community.
Doctrine was also safeguarded through the teaching of the successors to the Apostles--the bishops (cf P Hughes, A Popular History of the Church, p 17):
One of the principal ways of governing and instructing the Church was through the preaching of the bishop. Doctrine was all-important. To keep it pure and unalloyed is a chief function of the Church, to pass on what she has received from the Master. The bishop's teaching was given to the general body of the faithful in the weekly assembly, held every first day of the week, at which the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist was offered and the whole Church received the sacrament. The sermons or instruction were preceded by the reading from the books of the OT and NT. There was also systematic instruction given to the newly converted in preparation for baptism, the catechumenate followed by the mystagogical catechesis after baptism during the Easter ceremonies.
- J Orlandis, A Short History of the Catholic Church. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1993.
- P Hughes, A History of the Church, vol. I. London 1961.
- HW Crocker III, Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church. A 2,000-Year History. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001