introduction to sacred scripture...• galatians • ephesians • philippians • colossians • 1...

Introduction to Introduction to Introduction to Introduction to Sacred ScriptureSacred ScriptureSacred ScriptureSacred ScriptureNew Testament Part IIINew Testament Part IIINew Testament Part IIINew Testament Part III

Adult Faith Formation

St. Mark the Evangelist

New Testament Letters

The Letters of St. Paul• Romans

• 1 & 2 Corinthians

• Galatians

• Ephesians

• Philippians

• Colossians

• 1 & 2 Thessalonians

• 1 & 2 Timothy

• Titus

• Philemon

ALSO …

• The Letter to the

Hebrews

• Letter of James

• 1 & 2 Peter

• 1 – 3 John

• Jude

And …

The Book of Revelation

… also known as the

Apocalypse of John


In the New Testament canon, between

the Acts of the Apostles and The Book of Revelation, there are

twenty-one documents that take the

form of letters or epistles.


The form found in these documents is the way

of letter writing common in the ancient world.

The New Testament letters usually begin

with a greeting that identifies the sender(s)

and the recipients. Next is a prayer, usually

in the form of a thanksgiving. The body of the letter deals with some aspect of

Christian teaching. There often follows a

discussion of practical matters, such as the

writer's travel plans, and the letter concludes

with further advice and a formula of farewell.

IconiumIconium

Antioch (Pisidian)Antioch (Pisidian)

AntiochAntioch

LystraLystra

DerbeDerbe

Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea

CyprusCyprus

SeleuciaSeleucia

SalamasSalamas

PaphosPaphos

AttaliaAttalia

PergaPerga

1st Missionary Journey1st Missionary JourneyActs 13 & 14Acts 13 & 14

Modern Day TurkeyModern Day Turkey

Satellite Image - NASA

© EBibleTeacher.com

Paul-1st Mi ssionar y Jour ney

INDEX

Paul-2nd Missiona ry Jour ney

INDEX

2nd Missionary Journey2nd Missionary Journey

JerusalemJerusalemEgyptEgypt

Paul’s JourneysPaul’s Journeys

RomePhilippiPhilippi

CorinthCorinth

ThessThessAthensAthens

CaesareaCaesarea

EphesusEphesus

IsraelIsrael


Mediterranean Sea

Paul-3rd Mi ssiona ry Jour ney

Paul’s 3rd Journey

INDEX

3rd Missionary Journey3rd Missionary Journey

IsraelIsraelJerusalemJerusalem

EgyptEgypt

Paul’s JourneysPaul’s JourneysRome

AntiochAntioch

PhilippiPhilippi

CorinthCorinth

ThessThessAthensAthens

CaesareaCaesarea

EphesusEphesus


Mediterranean Sea

Paul’s Paul’s

Journey Journey

toto

CaesareaCaesarea

Acts 23:1Acts 23:1--3535

INDEX

Paul to Caesarea

JerusalemJerusalem

CaesareaCaesareaM

ed

iterr

an

ean

Med

iterr

an

ean

Sea of GalileeSea of Galilee

Dead SeaDead SeaJo

rdan

Riv

er

Jo

rdan

Riv

er

AntipatrisAntipatris

38 Miles

26 M

iles

© EBibleTeacher.com NASA Photo

Paul’s Journey

To Caesarea

Paul’s JourneyPaul’s Journey

To CaesareaTo Caesarea


Fourteen of the twenty-one letters are

traditionally attributed to Paul. One of

these, the Letter to the Hebrews,

does not claim to be the work of Paul,

and we know today from studying it’s

style and vocabulary that it isn't by

Paul.


The other thirteen identify Paul as the

writer, but most scholars believe that

some of them were probably written

by his disciples: Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians.

Most scholars also agree definitely

that Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy were not

written by Paul.


Four of the letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and

Philemon) are called the "Captivity

Letters" because in each of them the

author speaks of being in prison at

the time of writing.


Three others (1-2 Timothy and Titus) are known as the "Pastoral Letters" because they give advice to specific disciples about caring for the flock.

All the letters are arranged in roughly in order of length, from the longest, Romans, to the shortest, Philemon, with Hebrews added at the end.


The other seven letters of the New

Testament, after those of St. Paul,

are collectively referred to as the

"Catholic Letters." Three of them

(1-2-3 John) are closely related to

the John’s gospel.


The genuine letters of Paul were written

earlier than any of the gospels. The

dates of the other New Testament

letters are more difficult to determine

to date, but for the most part they

belong to the second and third

Christian generations rather than to

the first.


When was it written?

Where was it written?

Why was it written?

1 Thessalonians

When was it written? Probably in 50 or

51 A.D.

Where was it written? Probably from

Corinth.

Why was it written? The Thessalonians

were worried about those who had died

before Christ’s return.

Galatians

When was it written? Most likely date is

about 54 A.D..


Ephesus.

Why was it written? Confusion over a

different Gospels being preached by

some agitators, and who or what was a

true apostle.

Philippians

When was it written? Most likely date

is about 54-58 A.D.


end of Paul’s stay in Ephesus.

Why was it written? Three different

needs.

Philippians

The current letter was probably originally three separate letters that got stitched

together:

Letter A: 4:10-20 about money sent to Paul.

Letter B: 1:1 – 3:1a, 4:4-7, 21-23 internal divisions in the Christian community of

Philippi.

Letter C: 3:1b-4:3, 8-9 over keeping the whole of Jewish law.

First Corinthians

When was it written? Probably the Spring of 54 A.D., but possibly 57 A.D.

Where was it written? Paul himself says he is writing from Ephesus

Why was it written? He is responding to some question and confusion of the Christian message by the Corinthian

community.

Second Corinthians

Scholars believe that Second

Corinthians is actually pieced together

parts of between two and five different

letters written by Paul.

Second Corinthians

When was it written? Probably the

Spring of 54 A.D., but possibly 55 A.D.

Where was it written? In Macedonia,

Philippi or Thessalonica.

Why was it written? Paul’s authenticity

as a true Apostles is being challenged

by agitators.

Letter to the Romans

When was it written? Probably in the winter of 57-58 A.D.

Where was it written? Probably from Corinth.

Why was it written? Paul is planning to visit Rome. He presents his

understanding of the Gospel which he plans to preach when he reaches

Rome.

Letter to Philemon

When was it written? Sometime

between 57 and 63 A.D.

Where was it written? Depending on

date, Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus.

Why was it written? Paul is returning an

escaped slave to his Christian master,

calling for a new relationship for them in

Christ.

2 Thessalonians

When was it written? Probably in the 90’s A.D., but not by Paul.

Where was it written? Probably in Thessalonica, by someone who knew

the first letter.

Why was it written? Using Paul’s name, the writer tells them not to be over concerned about Christ’s Second Coming, but to always be ready.

Colossians

When was it written? Written around 70-80 A.D. by someone who knew

Paul’s teaching, but not completely in Paul’s writing style.

Where was it written? Perhaps in Colossae.

Why was it written? To bolster the faith of the Colossian church and correct

some errors in the Christian teaching.

Letter to the

Ephesians

When was it written? Because it relies

on a knowledge of Paul’s collected

writings, probably 80-100 A.D.

Where was it written? Unknown.

Why was it written? 1st half: an

extended prayer 2nd half: a theological

lecture urging unity by appropriate

conduct.

The Pastoral Letters

• 1 Timothy

• 2 Timothy

• Titus

Letters addressed to

Pastors/Pastoral leaders of

Christian communities that deal

with church life and practice.


When were they written?Scholars have proposed a date

from as early as 60 A.D. to 160

A.D. A date around 100 A.D. is

probably the best estimate.


Where were they written?Probably around Ephesus

because of its concern for the

church in the Aegean and Asia

Minor area.


When were they written? They are not “forgeries” but meant to extend Paul’s teaching to a later generation. They call church leaders to a renewed commitment and enthusiasm for Paul’s teaching; church leaders are urged to value and maintain tradition and order.

The Catholic Letters

• 1 & 2 Peter

• Letter of James

• 1, 2 & 3 John

• Jude

First Letter of Peter

When was it written? Most scholars suggest shortly before Peter’s death in 65 A.D.

Where was it written? Unknown

Why was it written? Addressed to Christians in a largely hostile pagan world. They are encouraged to respect government and emperor, and to stand firm.

Second Letter of Peter

When was it written? Unlikely to have been written by Peter, probably after 96 A.D.

Where was it written? Unknown, but written to a church community of mixed Jewish Christians and Greek converts.

Why was it written? Addresses God’s judgment and the long delay of the Second Coming of Christ

The Letter of James

When was it written? As early as 65 or 70 A.D. or as late as 90 A.D. to Jewish Christians living outside Palestine.

Where was it written? Possibly Jerusalem, but also possibly Antioch or Alexandria.

Who wrote it? Really a series of homilies, with a main theme of faith in action. Probably not by the Apostle James.

The Letter of James

Why was it written?James represents a type of early Christian

thought that emphasized sound teaching and responsible moral behavior. Ethical norms are derived not primarily from Christology, as in Paul, but from a concept of salvation that involves conversion, baptism, forgiveness of sin, and expectation of judgment. More a homily than a letter.

Letter of Jude

When was it written? Since material here is referred to in 2 Peter, probably written in the 90’s.

Where was it written? Unknown, but written all to Christian churches in general.

Why was it written? Addresses the ever-present issue of conflicting teaching within the community of faith.

Letter to the Hebrews

When was it written? Sometime between 60 AD and 90 AD … probably in the 80’s.

Where was it written? Unknown, but probably written to Christians of Jewish heritage.

Why was it written? Addresses fidelity to Jesus Christ as High Priest.

Apocalypse/The Book of

Revelation

Apocalyptic writing is unique in scripture, represented only by Daniel in the OT and Revelation in the NT. The word “apocalypse” comes from the Greek meaning “revelation.” Although we consider the whole of the Bible to be God’s revelation, the term ‘apocalyptic’ has come to narrower meaning. It means ‘revelation’ through visions of heavenly mysteries, often related to the end of the world. It would be a mistake to over interpret the apocalyptic messages of Daniel or Revelation to modern time.


Revelation

Apocalyptic writing appears in time of persecution … here in the early

Church. Using extraordinary imagery

and symbols it is critical of those who persecute, calls upon the faith to hold

firm to the end, that God’s salvation will triumph in the end for the faith few …

and evil will be conquered forever.


Revelation

Although often taken to be written by the Apostle John, it is unlikely. Nor does

its’ style match that of the Gospel or

letters of John. It is by an unknown author.

It was probably written during the later

part of the reign of Domitian, around

95-96 AD.


Revelation

The Book of Revelation is considered

the last writing in Christian Scripture,

and closes Divine Revelation.

The principal divisions of The principal divisions of The principal divisions of The principal divisions of

the the the the Book of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of Revelation::::

-Prologue (Rev. 1:1-3) Letters to the Churches of Asia (Rev. 1:4-3:22)

-God and the Lamb in Heaven (Rev. 4:1-5:14)

-The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes (Rev. 6:1-16:21)

-The Punishment of Babylon and the Destruction of Pagan Nations (Rev. 17:1:20:15)

-The New Creation (Rev. 21:1-22:5) -Epilogue (Rev. 22:6-21)

Book of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of RevelationBook of Revelation

• The author of the book calls himself John but never claims to be John the Apostle,

• He was so identified by several of the early church Fathers (Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Hippolytus.)

• This identification was denied by other Fathers, (Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom.)

• It is possible he was a disciple of John the Apostle.

• The date of the book in its present form is probably near the end of the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81-96.)

The Bible & the

Catholic Church

REVIEW

Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council

Dogmatic Constitution on

Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), [1965]

… the truth of scripture is not that of

natural science or profane history, but

rather

"Truth for the sake of our salvation."

Divine Inspiration …

… is a charism or

supernatural grace given to the

believing community

… is given to all who

collaborate in the production of

the inspired writings.

Divine Inspiration …

… involves two actions: first, it enlightens

the human mind to understand religious

truth & the resulting message; second, it

moves the human will to communicate

that message to the community by oral or

written means. It is a cooperative action

between God and human, not one of

operator and automaton.

The Bible is a documentary witness

authorized by God. All of what is stated or reported has a specific goal: to witness to the unfolding character of God's revealed Word and to the response of human beings. There is a progressive character to this unfolding both in the divine action and human faith.

The Bible exists to give the foundational understanding of faith. Its inspired and normative character is recognized by the believing community enlightened by God. In the Catholic community this recognition by the community is validated by the authoritative statement of the Magisterium or teaching office of the Church.

introduction to sacred scripture...• galatians • ephesians • philippians • colossians • 1...

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