Prison Epistles: Paul s Letters from a Roman Prison BSNT 635 (3hrs) CCU: 2015FA (Monday 3.20 6.00pm) Dr. J. A. Smith T: 244-8621 E: jamie.smith@ccuniversity.edu Description This course is a study of those Pauline epistles typically thought to have been written while Paul was in prison: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. The course builds off the Life & Teachings of Paul course and continues the study of Paul by developing a more focused study on how his texts manifest the ways he thought about and understood his religion, how he carried out his mission to spread his religious beliefs, and the ways contemporary Christians understand and utilize the ideas within these documents. In-Class Chapter Discussion Due Dates 31 Aug: Rosner 1&2 14 Sept: Rosner 3 21 Sept: Rosner 4&5 28 Sept: Rosner 6&7 5 Oct: Rosner 8 12 Oct: Rosner 9 19 Oct: Rosner 10&11 26 Oct: Noel Intro & 1 2 Nov: Noel 3 (skipping class discussion of ch. 2,) 9 Nov: Noel 4 16 Nov: Noel 5 30 Nov: Noel 6 7 Dec: Noel 7 Other Due Dates 16 Nov: Gorman Critical Review 30 Nov: Gorman Interactive Personal Analysis 14 Dec: Handwritten Texts 14 Dec: Take Home Research Project Rationale Paul's epistles form a major section of the New Testament corpus and Paul's thought has been one of the most significant factors in the shaping of both good and bad Christian theology/practice. Paul's epistles comprise the most specific, extended treatments of the theological/ethical issues which play themselves out in the contemporary Church. Therefore, those who seek to relate the message of the Bible to their culture in a responsible fashion need to be able to understand the content and context of Paul's thought. The themes, ideas and agenda of the Prison Epistles represent a sufficient range of Paul s thoughts and actions so as to form a reliable context for developing a well-informed and well-balanced perspective of Paul. Through the study of the Prison Epistles, we come face to face with Paul's own world in a way that is different from his other epistles, so these texts provide a unique contribution to understanding Paul, even within the context of the lager discipline of Pauline studies. The particular nature of these epistles is that provides insight into Paul s cross-cultural engagements, and since the contemporary reading of Paul is a cross-cultural experience, then the Prison Epistles thus also provide a unique perspective on how contemporary Christians access ancient texts with reference to the development of contemporary theology. Objectives: 1. To be able to give an account of the social and historical situation in which the Prison Epistles were written, and that of the recipients. 2. To be able to give an account of how Paul contextually thinks about the Christian faith. 3. To be able to describe how Paul s thinking about Christianity may be appropriated for
contemporary Christian experience. 4. To be able to recite the basic theological value, content and structure of each epistle. Major Learning Experiences and Course requirements: 1. The sections of this course will take the student through (I) an introduction to the life and experiences of Paul, (II) the social and cultural aspects of Paul's culture which influenced his writing and thus help us to understand how, why and what he wrote, (III) an analysis and exegesis of the Prison Epistles with particular discussion given to the central themes, significant background/cultural issues for interpretation and critical issues, (IV) a summary of the content and contemporary relevance of the Prison Epistles 2. Each student is required to prepare for class by reading the biblical text under discussion before class convenes. 3. Each week, class will begin with a discussion of chapters from assigned reading (see class schedule). Description of Course Requirements: 1. Rosner, Greed as Idolatry. The title of the books is from a phrase in Colossians 3.5 Greed which is idolatry. The purpose of assigning the Rosner book is for you to engage in a ethical-theological-hermeneutical analysis, specifically, that you observe how subtle but fundamental or foundational concepts within the biblical text go ignored and glossed so that they are prevented from critiquing central values we ourselves as a culture hold dearly. It s a good example of the all too common tendency to factually privilege our cultural values over biblical values, while also holding to the assumption that biblical values take first place in our own values. The summary sentence in this book (p. 173) clarifies where we should be here: Greed is idolatry may be paraphrased as teaching that to have a strong desire to acquire and keep for yourself more and more money and material things is an attack on God s exclusive rights to human love and devotion, trust and confidence, and service and obedience. So what you need to do with this book is to read it carefully, study its ideas and values, especially its hermeneutical approach to dealing with a text that we prefer to ignore. Then, write a 2-page analysis of each chapter explaining exactly what Rosner is doing, and how he is doing it; along with a 2 3 page analytical summary of the entire book. The 2-page summaries will be due on a weekly basis (see above due dates): students read the chapter according to the schedule above, write the summary and come to class ready to discuss the chapter. 2. Gorman, Inhabiting the Cruciform God. This is a powerful book and Gorman is a wise and established Christian scholar. I love the idea of cruciformity as a profound label for the filter through which we come to understand ourselves and behaviors and values, etc. I want you to study this book and then write two 5 page papers: 1. The first will be a Critical Review of the book where you clearly analyze (a) what Gorman s objectives are, and (b) how he goes about achieving those objectives. 2. The second will be your own Interactive Personal Analysis of how cruciformity might
look in your own life or in pastoral or leadership contexts in which you find yourself. 3. Noel, Onesimus Our Brother. It s definitely the case that we all come to the Bible from our own social locations and it s usually, tyrannically, invisible to us. Onesimus Our Brother takes its leave from the situation of a slave in the NT ( Onesimus from Philemon) and considers both (a) traditional forms of exegesis that have inherent within them certain cultural realities that fail to take hold of the breadth of human experience and thus don t always achieve the goal of connecting a community to biblical truths (b) non-traditional, contemporary modes of exegesis that attempt to engage the biblical text in a manner that is confluent with the truth of Scripture and the needs of the world today. You should avoid thinking that traditional exegesis merely finds out the truth of Scripture, since the rational nature of exegesis with which we re most familiar is a post-cartesian structure that is not consistent with the mode of its (Scripture's) production. While traditional exegesis does produce a lot of interesting and important data, it is reading the text on scientific terms, and the text was not produced in that manner. So this book helps us to engage this breadth of reading and applying the Bible, and it is naturally looking at the issue through a particular feature of (largely) American experience of human slavery and its malignantly persistent legacy in our society even today. Importantly, don t be put off when the author of a chapter strays from analysis to indictment of a biblical author for not being progressive enough. One the one hand, it s a normal feature of contemporary literary and biblical analysis to bring yourself more clearly into the critical process the thinking is that the critic is always there anyway, but often hidden under a layer of 3rd person pronouns and a feigned distance evoking objectivity. On the other hand, the analysis is indeed the biblical text clashing with our realities, and there s human drama on both ends and it s good to see that rather than to pretend the whole process of production and reception is pearly white and unencumbered by human turmoil. The assignment here is to read the book carefully, study its ideas and values, especially its hermeneutical approaches to dealing with the text. Then, write a 2 page critical summary of each of the seven authors essays and a 2 3 page concluding summary. The 2- page summaries will be due on a weekly basis, students read the chapter according to the schedule above, write the summary and come to class ready to discuss the chapter. 4. Each student must write out the Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon) by hand. The objective here is to slow your life down, and to encounter the text at a speed similar to the one with which it was produced, to write each word and consider it s place in the sentence, and thus to encounter the biblical text afresh. I recommend strongly that you use a text other than the one you re used to, and absolutely a translation that is as close to verbal as possible (a good example is the New American Standard, an example of what not to use would be NIV, ESV, etc.) 5. Each student will complete research project in lieu of a final exam. This is essentially your main research product for the course where you will have occasion to (a) acquire relevant information, (b) organize that material, (c) clearly write about and document your subsequent thoughts. The specific research task is to analyze Phil 2.1 11. The requirements to
accomplish this are: to exegete the text, properly contextualizing it within structure of Philippians, as well as within the broader context of Paul s oeuvre, and personal mission (as per the L&T Paul course, etc.), and then within the scope of NT ethical exhortations as they relate to Christianity identity. Further, upon doing this, you ll then engage all of that material with the manner in which this text contrasts with contemporary social norms about ourselves as individuals. So you ll exegete the text, and then apply it to a specific social reality that is dominant in our culture and thereby allow the text to critique us and our ways. The length of this paper is up to you, but don t let it go longer than 20 pages. You ll be assessed in terms of the degree to which you accomplish the above stated requirements, and the degree to which you then convey them in a clear and organized way. However, note that this is indeed a research project, and that will mean that you must cite everything properly, using normal standards of citation (either MLA, SBL, Chicago, or APA). Finally, try to be interesting when you write. On the submission of assignments 1. The specifics will be discussed in class, but note that, at the very least, all research and writing requires standard documentation methods (MLA, SBL, CMS, APA, etc.). 2. No Internet sources other than those pre-approved by the research librarian. 3. No study Bibles. 4. All written assignments must use proper grammar and punctuation, have clearly constructed ideas, be typed in a Times/Times Roman 12pt font on US Letter sized paper, with only 1 inch margins all around (and if you use a word processor that automatically starts with a different margin size, then you must learn how to change that). 5. All assignments will be submitted via Canvas, except the handwritten assignment. Grading and Course Policy Rosner: 25% Gorman: 25% Noel: 25% Research Project: 25% Handwritten Texts (P/F) Attendance Policy: See school handbook. Required Texts: M. Gorman, Inhabiting the Cruciform God (Eerdmans, 2009) Brian S. Rosner, Greed as Idolatry: The Origin and Meaning of a Pauline Metaphor (Eerdmans, 2007) James A. Noel, Onesimus Our Brother : Reading, Religion, Race, and Slavery in Philemon (Fortress, 2012) Recommended:
Bruce, F. F. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. NICNT. Eerdmans, 1984. Fee, Gordon D. Paul's Letter to the Philippians. NICNT. Eerdmans, 1996. Course requirements may be changed at any time by the Professor for any reason for anyone.