Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and

the Deutero-Pauline Epistles

Intergenerational SeminaryNew Testament

Session #3

Christological Hymn of Philippians 2

• Christology– Bottom-up, or– Top-down?

• How do we view Christ?

Romans

Background

• Longest letter in the New Testament• More reflective than any other Pauline letter

– Also most liturgical (language of Jewish worship: 3:25, 12:1, 15:16)

– Paul’s last letter

• More reasoned than Galatians– Compare Romans 3:1-2 and Galatians 5:2

• Spurred debates that led to the split in Western Christianity– First textbook of Protestant systematic theology

(Melanchthon’s Loci communes, 1521) organized according to the structure of Romans

Context

• Written in the winter of 57/58 from Corinth– On the eve of Paul’s trip to Jerusalem

• Apprehensive: 15:30-31• Tension with James (Acts 21:17-25)• Romans not as bold re: Judaism as was Galatians

– Planning a major move toward the

• Written to the church in Rome (a city Paul had yet to visit)– Had to speak more gingerly than to the

churches which he founded, such as at Corinth

Outline• 1:1-15 – Address and greeting• 1:16 – 11:36: Doctrinal section

– Part I (1:16 – 4:25): Uprightness of God revealed through the gospel

– Part II (5:1-8:39): God’s salvation & justification by faith

– Part III (9:1-11:36): God’s promises to Israel

• 12:1 – 15:13: Hortatory section– Part I (12:1 – 13:14): Advice for Christian living– Part II (14:1 – 15:13): The strong owe love to the

weak

• 15:14-33: Paul’s travel plans and blessing• 16: Recommendations for Phoebe and

greetings to Romans, concluding doxology

Paul and the Law

• Positive– He upholds it (3:31)– The Law is holy (7:20) and fulfilled (8:4)– He insists on the commandments (13:8-

10)• Negative

– No one is justified by it (3:20)– The Law brings wrath (4:15)– The law increases sin (5:20)

• Solution: Paul upholds the ethical commands, but not the cultic ones

The law and grace

• Natural law (1:18-24)– Everyone is guilty/responsible– The law is available to all (2:12-16)– “All have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God.” (3:23)• Faith is the key

– Uses Abraham as an example• Bottom line

– Even Gentiles are held to the Law– Even Jews are justified by faith

The Righteousness of God

– Divine virtue: the righteous God who

punishes sinners• Haunted Martin Luther

– Active attribute of God: the God who justifies

– Source/origin: righteousness as a gift from God (Philippians 3:9)

Justification

• Justification through Christ takes the place of justification through the Law– Christ died for sinners (5:8)– Christ was “raised for our justification”

(4:25)• Not a new theme, but one that Paul

expanded– Justification by grace through faith (3:24-

25)• Forensic (declared upright) or

causative (made upright)?

The Deutero-Pauline Epistles

• Colossians• 2 Thessalonians • Ephesians• Pastoral Epistles

– 1 and 2 Timothy– Titus

Mark Matthew/Luke-ActsJohn

Chronology of Paul’s letters

50 60 70 80 90 100

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

Philippians

Philemon

1 & 2 Corinthians

RomansGalatians

Colossians

Ephesians

1 & 2 Timothy

Titus

Colossians• How do we know Paul didn’t write it?

– Colossians says believers share Christ’s resurrection (2:12-13; 3:1), but Paul says that believers died with Christ but have not been raised

– Colossians says that Christ is the head of the church, His body (contra Romans 12:4-5)

– Colossians says that in Christ there is “forgiveness of sins,” whereas Paul speaks of “freedom from sin”

– Colossians (and Ephesians) are full of long, complex sentences

Important elements in Colossians

• Likely written from Ephesus ~80 CE• Christ hymn of 1:15 – 20

– Similarities to John’s prologue– Personification of Wisdom

• Proverbs 3:19, 8:22• Wisdom 7:26

• First of 5 household codes (3:18 – 4:1)– Others are Ephesians 5:21 – 6:9;

Titus 2:1 – 10; 1 Timothy 2:8 – 15 & 5:1 – 2 & 6:1 – 2; and 1 Peter 2:13 – 3:7

2 Thessalonians

• Likely written late in the 1st century• Whereas 1 Thessalonians spoke of

the Second Coming as imminent (4:13 – 5:11), 2 Thessalonians says it’s not (2:1 – 2) and many things need to happen first (2:1 - 12)

Ephesians

• Called the “crown of Paulinism” (Dodd)– Likely written in the 90s

• Emphasis on the church universal– 2:11 – 22, relationship to Romans– Baptismal covenant: 4:4 – 6

• Household code (5:21 – 6:9)– Longer than the one in Colossians– Begins with a call to “be subject to one

another” (5:21)– Obligation of husbands to love is more

detailed than obligation of wives to be subject

To Read for Next Week• James

– Luther’s “epistle of straw”