Paul Barnett on Paul of Tarsus

Jerusalem to Illyricum is the geographical space and ca. AD 34 to 57 the time frame for Paul’s church planting mission. Acts includes this within its meta-narrative, and while historically accurate, it is not raw history like Paul’s letters. In this study Barnett is seeking references to Paul’s initial missionary “arrival” (eisodos) and the local cultural pushback. Of particular interest for history and theology is his encyclical to the Galatians and his account of the dispute with Cephas in Antioch. Paul’s success in his mission to the gentiles in Syria and Cilicia provoked the rise within the Jerusalem Church of those he calls “false brothers” whose colleagues travelled to “agitate” the Galatian believers and to drive the gentile believers in Antioch from the common meal. Some years later a band of preachers from Jerusalem sought to capture the church in Corinth, intending to then capture other churches in Macedonia and Asia. Paul’s missions and writings have been the subject of numerous large studies which, however, unintentionally imply that Paul’s mission years were longer than they were and that his mission writing occupied a lengthy time space. His nine missionary letters were written ca. AD 48 to 57, a mere decade, and all of which point to Paul’s astonishing energy and drive.