NOTES FOR READING PAUL'S LETTERS

NOTES FOR READING PAUL'S LETTERS

EKKLESIA, ECCLESIA -- In Greek culture, the term ekklesia means an assembly of persons convened for political or entertainment purposes. Among Greek-speaking Jews, it came to mean the gathering of the covenant community in any place for purposes of information, instruction, or worship, as in Deut. 31:30, 1 Sam. 17:47, and 1 Kings 8:14. The early Christian community took over this term as a group designation, as is apparent in 1 Cor. 11:18; 14:4, 19, 28, 35. It is usually translated "church." There is direct evidence that originally the "assembly" took place in private homes (Rom. 16:5, 1 Cor. 16:19, Philem. 2, Col. 4:15). In Acts (14:23) and in the letters of Paul (1 Cor. 16:1) rules are laid down to be observed in each of the individual "assemblies." The assemblies of Christians throughout certain metropolitan areas or districts are referred to collectively as "the churches of..." (Gal. 1:2, 22; 2 Cor. 8:1). Occasionally, Paul uses the term in a comprehensive way to refer to the whole body of God's new people (as in 1 Cor. 10:32, 12:28; Phil. 3:6; and probably Gal. 1:13). Even when he addresses the "church of God," he sometimes adds "which is at," followed by the name of the city or province (2 Cor. 1:1, 1 Thess. 2:14). The blend of local assembly with comprehensive membership of God's people is explicit in 1 Cor. 1:2, where the letter is addressed to "the church of God which is at Corinth" but also to "all those who in every place call on the name of the Lord."

In the later writings attributed to Paul, ekklesia has come to mean the whole body of Christians, as in Eph. 1:22. Accordingly, the church is described in structural, organizational terms in Eph. 2:19-22, where the metaphors used are those of hierarchy, foundation, and temple. Similarly universal in implication is the most familiar reference to ekklesia in the gospel tradition, Matt. 16:16: "On this rock I will build my church." The generalized force of the term "church" is highlighted by the description of the totality of Palestinian Christians in the period after Pentecost as "the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria" (Acts 8:31). What began as a designation for a local fellowship of Christians had become by the end of the first century a title for the body of believers across the Roman world.

SAINTS -- The two Hebrew words often translated as "saints" have different connotations. One expresses faithful commitment to others with whom one has a covenant relationship (as in Gen. 21:22-4, 24:27-49), including God's fidelity to his covenant people (Exod. 20:2-6, 34:6-7; Jer. 33:11). The other term means set apart for God, in service and obedience, as when the priests approach the presence of the Lord (Exod. 19:22-3) or when David and his associates are sanctified in preparation for his anointing as king (1 Sam. 16:1-6). The faithful community who remain obedient to God in spite of pressures and threats from the pagan ruler are called "the holy ones (saints) of the Most High" (Dan. 7:22, 27).

In the New Testament the Greek equivalent term for "saints" is a favorite designation for the people of God. Paul addresses his readers as such in his letters (Rom. 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:2, Phil. 1:1), and it is a frequently used term for the church as a whole, as when Christ intercedes with God for his people (Rom. 8:27) or when several churches (Phil. 4:21-2) or all the churches are addressed ( 1 Cor. 14:33). The future destiny of God's people involves the prospect of martyrdom (Rev. 13:7, 16:6) and oppression of the "saints" (Rev. 20:9), although they will have a say in the final judgment of the world according to Paul (1 Cor. 6:2). The major connotation of "saint" is the special role and relationship of the new people to God.

Timothy -- Timothy is important in the New Testament, both as companion and coworker with Paul and as symbolic figure for the generation of leadership in the church following the death of the apostles. In Paul's earlier letters, Timothy participated with Paul and Silvanus in the work of the gospel (1 Thess. 1:1, 2 Cor. 1:1). He was sent by Paul back to Thessalonica to see how the church was faring under the persecution they were experiencing (1 Thess. 3:1-5) and brought back a hopeful report (3:6-13). 1 Cor. 16:10-11 indicates Paul's expectation of sending Timothy to the church in Corinth, when he pleads for acceptance of his emissary. Other details are found in Acts.

PAROUSIA -- This is the term used in the gospels and letters of the New Testament for the appearing of Christ in triumph at the end of the present age. Although it is usually translated as "coming" (Matt. 24:3, 1 Cor. 15:23, 1 Thess. 2:19, James 5:7), its basic meaning is "presence," "being there," or, in the case of a monarch, "public appearance." The parousia of Jesus Christ was understood to be God's public manifestation of him as the triumphant agent of defeat of the evil powers and vindication of his faithful community. The earlier New Testament writings expect this to take place within the lifetime of the first generation of his followers (Mark 9:1, 1 Thess. 4:15). In what is probably the latest New Testament book, 2 Peter, there is discussion of those who scoff at the promise of the parousia and a reminder that God does not calculate time as humans do: "With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day" (3:3-8).

GALATIANS -- Galatia was a region in north central Asia Minor where the dominant inhabitants were Gauls, a Celtic tribe. The Romans gave the name Galatia to a province which included this district and territory to the south. Scholars have debated without firm conclusions whether Paul's missionary activities were concentrated on the Gauls to the north or included the ethnically more mixed region to the south, as implied by Acts 16 and 18. In either case, Jews would have been a minority in this part of Asia Minor.

LOVE COMMAND -- Jesus' reply to the question of the Jewish scribes about which is the most important ("first") of God's commandments to his people is a combination of two texts from the law of Moses: the command to love God with all one's capabilities ("heart...soul...mind") from Deut. 6:5 and the call to love one's neighbor as oneself from Lev. 19:18. Luke links with this command the parable of the Good Samaritan, which defines concretely who one's neighbor is: one who is in need, regardless of what ethnic origin or physical condition. The only direct parallel in Paul's letters to the moral teachings of Jesus concerns love of one's neighbor (Rom. 13:8-10).

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