Paul of Tarsus and His Communities

(Fall 2004)

Course Description:

The course will examine the life and legacies of Paul of Tarsus through looking at his own letters, the letters of his followers, and primary literature about him. We will especially be concerned with placing Paul, the communities he addressed, and the literature by or related to him within their religious and social-historical contexts in the Greco-Roman world. This will include attention to archeological evidence concerning the specific contexts in which Paul and other Christians lived. The course will employ social-historical, literary, rhetorical and other methods. We begin with introductory issues, work chronologically (and regionally) through the letters of Paul and his circle, and conclude by looking at the narrative depictions of Paul and his life.

Required Textbooks:

Bible, preferably with Apocrypha (NRSV, RSV, NEB, Jerusalem, or other modern version).
Wayne A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul. 2nd edition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003 [1983, first edition].
Calvin Roetzel, The Letters of Paul. 4th edition. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1998.
Dennis MacDonald, The Legend and the Apostle: The Battle for Paul in Story and Canon. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983.

Course Requirements and Evaluation:

GRADUATE STUDENTS:

Ongoing class attendance/participation and presentations (40%)
Book review paper, due September 29 in class (5 pages, no longer; 20%)
Proposal for research paper with bibliography, due October 20 (2-3 pages; 10%)
Major research paper, due in final class (20-25 pages; 30%)

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:

Ongoing class attendance/participation and presentation (25%)
Book review paper, due September 29 in class (5 pages, no longer; 15%)
Proposal for research paper with bibliography, due October 20 (2-3 pages; 10%)
Major research paper, due in final class (12 pages; 25%)
Final take-home exam, due 12 noon the Monday after final class (25%)

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Discussion schedule:

Unit I: Orientation and Context

Week 1 (Sept 8)

Paul and the academic study of religion

Paul and the Greco-Roman world: Judaism, Greco-Roman culture, and the civic context

Readings: Meeks, intro and ch. 1; Roetzel, intro and ch. 1

Week 2 (Sept 15)

Locating Christians and Christian groups in the Greco-Roman world: Perceptions, self-understanding, and status

Readings: Meeks, chs. 2-3; Robert L. Wilken, "Pliny: A Roman Gentleman" (pp. 1-30 in The Christians as the Romans Saw Them)

Discussion: Models of community and Greco-Roman perceptions of Christianity (Meeks, ch. 3; Wilken; Christians through Greco-Roman eyes handout)

Week 3 (Sept 22)

Problems in the study of Paul's life: Early Christian conflict and the nature of our sources

Readings: Meeks, ch. 4; Roetzel, chs. 2;

Discussion: The Jerusalem meeting (Galatians 1:13-2:14; Acts 15:1-35)

Week 4 (Sept 29)

Early Christian belief and practice in Paul: An Overview

Approaches to Paul's letters: Historical, epistolary and literary-rhetorical

Readings: Meeks, chs. 5-6; Roetzel, ch. 3

Discussion: Early Christian belief and practice (Meeks, chs. 5-6)

**Book review paper due September 29 in class**

Unit II: Paul's letters in context

Week 5 (Oct 6)

Thessalonica: The apocalyptic worldview and the Thessalonian situation

Readings: 1 and 2 Thessalonians (and Acts 17:1-15); Roetzel, ch. 4; Meeks, pp. 171-180

Discussion: Paul's Jewish apocalyptic worldview (1 Thess 4:13-5:11)

Presentation: Moral exhortation among Greco-Roman philosophers (see 1 Thess 4:1-12)

Book review presentation: Jewett 1986

Week 6 (Oct 13)

Corinth: 1 Corinthians - Paul's rocky relations with a divided community

Readings: 1 and 2 Corinthians (and Acts 18:1-17); Meeks, pp. 94-103

Discussion: Idol-food and Christian attitudes towards Greco-Roman culture (1 Corinthians 8-10; Acts 15:22-35)

Presentation: The Lord's Supper in tradition and practice (1 Cor 11:17-34)

Book review presentation: Winter 2001 or Martin 1999

Week 7 (Oct 20)

Galatia: Paul, the Jewish Law, and "Judaizers"

Readings: Galatians; Roetzel, ch. 5; E.P. Sanders, "The Law is Not an Entrance Requirement" (pp. 17-64 in Paul, The Law, and the Jewish People)

Discussion: "Faith", "works" and "law" in the thought of Paul (Galatians 3:1-4:7; also James 2:14-26)

Presentation: Proselytism in first-century Judaism (see Galatians throughout)

Book review presentation: Sanders 1983

**Proposal and bibliography for research paper due October 20 in class**

Week 8 (Oct 27)

Philippi and the Lycos valley: Paul and the conventions of Greco-Roman society (patronage/benefaction, slavery)

Readings: Philippians (and 2 Corinthians 10-13); Philemon; Article TBA

Discussion: Views of slavery (Philemon; 1 Corinthians 7:17-24)

Presentation: Paul and debates about financial support (patronage; see esp. Philippians 4:10-20; 2 Cor 8-9)

Book review presentation: Martin 1990

Week 9 (Nov 3)

Rome: Jews, Gentiles, and "God's people"

Readings: Romans; Philip F. Esler, "Israel and the Christ-Movement (Romans 9-11)" (pp. 268-307in Conflict and Identity in Romans)

Discussion: Israel within Paul's worldview (Romans 9-11)

Presentation: Ethnic tensions at Rome: the "strong" and the "weak" (see Romans 14:1-15:13)

Book review presentation: Walters 1993

Unit III: Perceptions and depictions of Paul - Pauline traditions and narrative sources

Week 10 (Nov 10)

Re-presenting Paul: The Pauline circle

Readings: 1-2 Timothy, Titus; Ephesians and Colossians; Roetzel, ch. 6; MacDonald, chs. 1-3

Discussion: Importance of the household for church organization in post-Pauline Christianity (1-2 Timothy, Titus; Ephesians 5:21-6:9; Colossians 3:18-4:1)

Presentation: The purpose and nature of pseudonymous ("false name") writings in antiquity

Book review presentation: Kidd 1990

Week 11 (Nov 17)

Film

Week 12 (Nov 24)

Paul in the Acts of Paul: "Radical" Paul

Readings: Acts of Paul; MacDonald, chs. 4-5

Discussion: Women and leadership in the Pauline tradition (Acts of Paul; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 4:7-8; 5:13-16; 2 Timothy 3:4-9)

Presentation: The Phrygian ("Montantist") movement and women prophets in early Christianity

Book review presentation: Macdonald 1996

Week 13 (Dec 1)

Paul in the Acts of the Apostles: "Respectable" Paul

Readings: Acts 9-28; Article on Acts TBA

Discussion: Acts' depiction of Paul: Trial narrative (Acts 21-28)

Presentation: Acts as ancient historiography ("history writing")

Book review presentation: Walaskay 1983

**Final research paper due in the final class, no later**

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Outline of Assignments

Assignment 1: Book Review Paper (5 pages double-spaced, 1" margins, 12 point font, no longer)

Carefully read the chosen book (from the list below), taking note of the author's main points or arguments. Write a review of the book (in the form of an essay), which entails:

- Summarizing the main argument (or point) of the book and how the author builds up this argument throughout the chapters (citing relevant page numbers in parentheses).

- Discussing the author's methods (or approach) and the types of evidence she uses to support her points.

- Providing an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the book. Does the author achieve what she/he sets out to do? Is the argument convincing or not, and in what ways? Where do you agree or disagree with the author's assessment of the evidence and why? Be sure to provide concrete examples (citing page numbers in parentheses) of the problems or strengths you discuss.

- Addressing how the book makes a contribution to the study of Paul. The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with early feedback concerning your writing and critical skills so that you can work on problematic areas. The review paper should have a clear thesis statement (concerning your evaluation of the book) which is supported throughout the paragraphs. The paper should be clearly written and structured with no spelling or grammatical errors. Be succinct and do not exceed the prescribed length.

Assignment 2: Proposal and bibliography for major research paper

Choose a topic relating to the course that interests you (you may speak to me to get some ideas and pass your topic by me). Write a 2-3 page proposal, which entails:

- Stating your topic, its relevance to the course, and the sort of material you expect to cover.

- Outlining your tentative thesis or main argument and how you expect to structure the paper.

- Discussing primary and secondary sources that will be useful in research. Provide a bibliography (following an accepted academic style of bibliography correctly).

Your mark on this assignment is an indication of what you might expect on the final research paper if you continue on the same path (at least in terms of the appropriateness of the topic/content and your thesis). If you are not happy with your performance on the assignment, you may resubmit the assignment (addressing the shortcomings of the former attempt).

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Books for Review

You may choose to read and assess any one of the following books for your first assignment (the book review paper). Though some of the books may use technical vocabulary or foreign terms, you should be able to follow the main arguments nonetheless. (You may also consult with me if there is another book, not listed, which you would like to review.)

Graduate student choices (also for presentation):

Jewett, Robert. The Thessalonian Correspondence: Pauline Rhetoric and Millenarian Piety. Foundations and Facets. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986.

Kidd, Reggie M. Wealth and Beneficence in the Pastoral Epistles: A 'Bourgeois' Form of Early Christianity? SBLDS, vol. 122. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990.

MacDonald, Margaret Y. Early Christian Women and Pagan Opinion: The Power of the Hysterical Woman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Martin, Dale B. Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in Pauline Christianity. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.

Martin, Dale B. The Corinthian Body. Yale University Press, 1999.

Walaskay, P.W. 'And So We Came to Rome': The Political Perspective of St Luke. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.

Walters, James C. Ethnic Issues in Paul's Letter to the Romans. Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993.

Winter, Bruce W. After Paul Left Corinth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

Undergraduate student choices: