Category:Pauline Studies

Pauline Studies (Home Page)

Pauline Studies is a field of research in Second Temple Judaism, that specializes in the study of Paul of Tarsus and the texts attributed to him or written in his name.

Topics : Paul Reception History -- Paul's Life -- Paul's Theology -- Paul's Christology-- Paul's Letters -- Pauline Topics -- Paul & Jesus -- Paul & Judaism -- Paul & Torah -- Paul & Qumran -- Traditional Perspective on Paul -- New Perspective on Paul -- Radical New Perspective on Paul -- Jewish views of Paul

Texts : 1 Thessalonians -- Romans -- Galatians -- 1 Corinthians -- 2 Corinthians -- Philippians -- Letter to Philemon -/- Ephesians -- Colossians -- 2 Thessalonians -- Letter to the Hebrews -/- 1 Timothy -- 2 Timothy -- Titus

People : Paul -/- Peter -- James -- Jesus -- John -- Apollos -- Aquila -- Aristarchus -- Barnabas -- Demas -- Epaphras -- Epaphroditus -- Luke -- Lydia -- Mark -- Phoebe -- Priscilla -- Silas -- Timothy -- Titus the Disciple -- Tychicus

Events : Paul's Early Life -- Paul Persecuting the Church -- Conversion of Paul -- Paul's First Missionary Journey -- Council of Jerusalem -- Incident at Antioch -- Paul's Second Missionary Journey -- Paul's Third Missionary Journey -- Paul's Last Visit to Jerusalem -- Paul in Caesarea -- Paul's Journey to Rome -- Paul in Rome -- Martyrdom of Paul -- Relics of Paul

Timeline : 2030s -- 2020s -- 2010s -- 2000s -- 1990s -- 1980s -- 1970s -- 1960s -- 1950s -- 1940s -- 1930s -- 1920s -- 1910s -- 1900s -- 1850s -- 1800s -- 1700s -- 1600s -- 1500s -- 1450s

Languages : English language -- French language -- German language -- Italian language -- Latin language -- Spanish language

Scholarship : Martin Luther -- Antonio del Corro -- James Ferguson -- Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy -- Ferdinand Christian Baur -- Bruno Bauer -- Ernest Renan -- William Mitchell Ramsay -- Albert Schweitzer -- Claude G. Montefiore -- William D. Davies -- Samuel Sandmel -- Wayne A. Meeks -- Krister Stendahl -- Ed Parish Sanders -- James D.G. Dunn -- John G. Gager -- Mark D. Nanos -- Paula Fredriksen

Fiction : Pauline Fiction

Cognate Fields : Christian Origins Studies -- New Testament Studies -- Second Temple Studies

History of Research

The extant letters of Paul and the detailed account of Acts make Paul one of the best documented figures of Second Temple Judaism. Paul was a very controversial figure in his own time, both within Judaism and within the early Jesus movement. For centuries, Paul has been regarded as the major theologian of early Christianity and the Christian leader with greater responsibility for the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity. In recent years many scholars are trying to read his experience and thought more within Second Temple Judaism. "Paul the Jew" is becoming a very intriguing subject of research.

The "Old Perspective on Paul" saw Judaism as an inferior religion of legalism and interpreted Paul in sharp contrast to Judaism. This view was rooted in the traditional Lutheran opposition between grace and law and was given its modern scholarly shape by authors such as Ferdinand Christian Baur, Ferdinand Wilhelm Weber, Emil Schürer, Wilhelm Bousset, Rudolf Bultmann, Ernst Käsemann and Günther Bornkamm. In spite of the protests by scholars, such as Claude Montefiore, Salomon Schechter, and George Foot Moore, the "Old Perspective on Paul" remained unchallenged until the 1970s when a "New Perspective on Paul" began to emerge through the works of Krister Stendahl, E. P. Sanders, Heikki Räisänen, James Dunn, and N. T. Wright. The "New Perspective" offers a positive view of Judaism, while still establishing a well-defined distinction between Paul and Judaism. By contrast the Radical New Perspective (Lloyd Gaston, Peter Tomson, Stanley Stowers, Mark Nanos, Caroline Johnson Hodge, Pamela Eisenbaum, Carlos Segovia, and others) reads Paul as a figure within first-century Judaism. A "Neo-Traditional Perspective on Paul" is today advocated by authors such as Frank Thielman, Andrew Das, Simon Gathercole, and Stephen Westerholm.