{"id":7403,"date":"2010-08-30T00:33:19","date_gmt":"2010-08-30T05:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/?p=7403"},"modified":"2010-08-31T17:34:33","modified_gmt":"2010-08-31T22:34:33","slug":"paul-for-the-perplexed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2010\/08\/30\/paul-for-the-perplexed-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul for the Perplexed 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\"Paul.jpg\"<\/a><\/form>\n

If you\u2019ve ever taught Paul\u2019s letters you know the challenge: How does one put Paul together? Or the teacher asks, Where can I begin that makes the whole become clear? Where do I tap to make this diamond fall out?<\/p>\n

Tim Gombis\u2019s new book,\u00a0Paul: A Guide for the Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed)<\/a>\"\"<\/strong><\/em>, does this so well.<\/div>\n
For instance, in a sketch of Paul\u2019s letters, Gombis asks this question: Is Paul a theologian, a missionary or a pastor? Which of these would be your first choice? And what order would you put them in? How do you explain Paul to those who don\u2019t know him?<\/strong><\/div>\n
Frankly, many of us resort to teaching Paul as if he were a theologian \u2014 which he\u2019s not since his letters are not \u201ctheology\u201d but theologically informed and rooted pastoral guides \u2014 and that means we get to the core of his theology and then teach that. Thus, we focus on soteriology or ecclesiology or Christology, do a good job of sketching the depth of those themes, and then \u2026 well, then, we get to a letter like Philippians and it takes a good long while to get to where Paul\u2019s soteriology really starts digging deep.<\/div>\n
In short, there\u2019s a way to approach Paul that conforms to how Paul does things.<\/div>\n
So, Tim Gombis is saying \u201clet Paul be Paul.\u201d<\/div>\n

Chp 2 of this book sketches the substance of Paul\u2019s letters, and I want to say this chp is a fresh description. Take Romans. How does one say something about Romans in just a few pages without walking well-worn(out) paths.<\/p>\n

Gombis knows the issue with the emperor Claudius\u2019 edict that banned Jews from Rome, and then a few years later they returned when he died \u2014 and then issues arose in the church of Rome that had for five years been led by Gentile Christians and then Paul wrote, and he sees that context as significant for a constantly-ignored dimension of Romans: the appeal to unity, to Jews and Christians getting along, etc. Yes, Paul does theology but what he\u2019s doing first and foremost is pastoral work. He\u2019s heralding the kingdom for the church at Rome. He\u2019s showing that the gospel brings Jews and Gentiles together.<\/div>\n
It is about Christ and about faith for \u201call\u201d who believe, Jew or Gentile. Well, you get a taste of what Gombis does in this chp: he shows each of Paul\u2019s letters is pastorally focused by an apostle of Jesus Christ who is heralding the kingdom of God.<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever taught Paul\u2019s letters you know the challenge: How does one put Paul together? Or the teacher asks, Where can I begin that makes the whole become clear? Where do I tap to make this diamond fall out? Tim Gombis\u2019s new book,\u00a0Paul: A Guide for the Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed), does this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPaul for the Perplexed 2<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you've ever taught Paul's letters you know the challenge: How does one put Paul together? 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