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The New Testament Cover Image
The New Testament, 4/e
Stephen Harris, California State University - Sacramento
Unity, Freedom, and Christ's Return: Paul's Letters to Thessalonica and Corinth

Outline


I. Key topics/themes

  1. 1 Thessalonians
    1. Nearness of the eschaton
    2. Warnings against attempts to calculate date of Parousia
  1. 1 Corinthians
    1. Paul's aim to heal divisions in the church
    2. Paul's specific instructions concerning doctrine, ethics, and church order
  1. 2 Corinthians
    1. Overcoming apostolic opponents
    2. Paul's reconciliation with the Corinthian church

II. Introduction

  1. Paul's early letters dominated by eschatology
  2. Paul also battling opponents within and outside his churches

III. First letter to the Thessalonians

  1. The oldest surviving Christian document
  2. Appears to be primarily Gentile church
  3. Church members must prepare for the Parousia by abstaining from sexual sin
  4. The Parousia and the resurrection
    1. Concern at Thessalonica over eternal destiny of dead Christians
    2. Describes Parousia of Christ using typical apocalyptic language
  1. On not calculating "dates and times"
    1. Warns against speculating about timing of Parousia
    2. Christ's return as a "thief in the night"
  1. Role of the Spirit
    1. Presence of the Spirit in the church a sign of the impending End
    2. Warning not to "stifle inspiration" in the church

IV. First letter to the Corinthians

  1. Paul's year and a half in Corinth
  2. 1 Cor. not the first letter of Paul to Corinth
  3. 2 Cor. likely a composite letter
  4. Letters reveal two-way correspondence between Paul and the Corinthians
  5. The city and its people
    1. Large, prosperous, libertine
    2. Aphrodite the patron goddess
    3. Church members from diverse backgrounds
    4. Resulting strife in Corinthian church
    5. Paul's challenge: to bring unity
  1. Topics of concern
  1. Organization
    1. Chs. 1-6: helping the church overcome rivalries and factions
    2. Chs. 7-15: answers to specific questions from the Corinthians
  1. Paul's eschatological urgency
    1. Eschatology a guiding factor in the advice Paul gives
    2. Corinthians expected the Day of Judgment to come soon
  1. The necessity of Christian unity
  1. Church divided into cliques
  2. Avoiding competitiveness and cultivating divine wisdom
    1. Uneven social backgrounds created divisions
    2. Paul's attack on human "wisdom" an attempt to discourage human competitiveness
    3. God's strength revealed through human weakness
    4. The weakness and "foolishness" of Paul's Christian proclamation
    5. Not anti-intellectualism, but anti-elitism
  1. The limits of Christian freedom
    1. The need to excommunicate one guilty of incest
    2. The Corinthians' misplaced pride in their "freedom"
  1. Paul's discouragement of lawsuits among Christians
  1. Answering questions from the congregation
  1. Marriage, divorce, and celibacy
    1. Paul's preference for single, celibate life
    2. Stress upon the mutual obligations of marriage
    3. Believers to remain in whatever state they presently are in
    4. Advice predicated upon the imminence of the Parousia
  1. A problem of conscience
    1. The problem of eating idol meat
    2. The freedom of the intellectually advanced limited by the consciences of the "weak"
    3. Possible problems with this approach
  1. Regulating behavior in church
  1. The importance of women in the church
    1. Women with important roles in Paul's churches
    2. Corinthian women to worship with head coverings
  1. The communion meal (Lord's Supper or Eucharist)
    1. The communion meal turned into a drinking party
    2. Paul's quotes from the Jesus tradition about the Last Supper
  1. The need to regulate gifts of the Spirit in order to foster unity
  2. The hymn to love (agap_)
    1. Love the greatest spiritual gift
    2. Love the gift that most closely mirrors the divine nature
  1. Speaking in tongues as a less important spiritual gift
  1. The eschatological hope: Resurrection of the dead
  1. Reasons for opposition to the doctrine of resurrection at Corinth
    1. Belief that eternal life came with reception of the Holy Spirit
    2. Belief in the natural immortality of the soul, making bodily resurrection unnecessary
  1. The historical reality of Jesus' resurrection
    1. Paul quotes from Christian tradition regarding appearances of the resurrected Christ
    2. The futility of Christianity if there is no resurrection
    3. Adam the archetype of the means by which death entered the world
    4. Christ the archetype of the means by which death is overcome
    5. Paul's explanation of resurrection: a "spiritual body"
  1. Closing remarks: the importance of taking up a collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem

V. Second letter to the Corinthians

  1. Chs. 10-13 written before chs. 1-9
  2. The "severe" letter (chs. 10-13): Paul's defense of his apostolic authority
  1. Paul mocks the "superlative apostles" who oppose him at Corinth
  2. Paul mockingly "boasts" of his own spiritual achievements
  3. The nature of apostleship and the Christian ministry
    1. Apostleship dependent upon a leader's weakness and complete dependence upon God
    2. The "superlative apostles" base their authority on supernatural visions and revelations
  1. Need for the Corinthians to reform before Paul comes for a third visit
  1. The letter of reconciliation (chs. 1-9)
  1. Paul's real credentials: the Corinthians themselves
  2. Nurturing a spiritual body
    1. Paul's yearning to experience resurrection without tasting physical death
    2. Human renewal a part of God's plan for reconciling the entire universe
    3. The repetitive contents of chs. 8 and 9

VI. Summary

  1. 1 Thessalonians: overcoming misconceptions about the Parousia
  2. 1 Corinthians: overcoming church conflict to unite the church in a single body
  3. 2 Corinthians: God operates through "weak" human vessels
  4. Paul and his readers standing at the turning point of two ages








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