The Structure Of Pauls Letters

The letters of the Apostle Paul are central witnesses to the Christian faith and to the earliest history of Christianity. And yet, when students, preachers, and others turn to Paul, they find many things “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16) in these ancient writings. James Prothro’s new book aims to help readers see the Apostle’s faith and hope at work as he evangelized the nations. Steeped in up-to-date scholarship and a passion for the gospel Paul preached, Prothro draws readers into Paul’s life and letters in order to help them hear the Apostle’s voice. The book’s chapters offer introductions to Paul’s background, life, and legacy; an introduction to ancient letter writing; a guide to understanding Paul’s theology across the letters; a survey of the portrait of Paul in the Book of Acts; separate treatments of each letter’s background and purpose; treatments of key theological topics in each letter and a thorough outline of each letter showing its arguments and how they make sense. Prothro introduces complex matters with clarity, balance, and an inviting style. He not only offers answers but models how to ask questions, helping us reason through Paul’s letters as ancient documents and as Christian Scripture. This book will prove a valuable introduction for those who study, teach, and preach these biblical books.

Since Charles Puskas first published The Letters of Paul, it has proven to be a reliable text and reference tool. It is an exemplary guide to the basic issues surrounding the Pauline letters-who really wrote each letter; when it was written; the letter's social context, audience, and literary characteristics-and also includes discussion of the worlds of Paul, the letter genre, and the rhetorical arrangement of each letter. Working with noted Pauline scholar Mark Reasoner on this new, second edition-with more than 40 percent new and revised material-the authors have taken account of a host of diverse cultural, historical, sociorhetorical, literary, and contextual studies of recent years and critically reexamined several issues of authorship, date, historical situation, literary form, and rhetorical structure. They have addressed new and pressing issues, filled certain lacunae, and generally updated the book for a new generation of readers.

The 4th edition of this widely used guide to reading and interpreting the New Testament This revised edition of Gundry's survey of the New Testament goes beyond providing background information and technical introductory material and leads students to read the New Testament itself. Whenever possible general questions of introduction and background are tied to assigned readings covering the entire New Testament. In addition, comments on these readings help students with interpretation and follow the flow of thought from one passage to another. Features include: * New design with four-color format and more photos and improved maps * Chapters begin with list, of study goals and end with summary, overview and of people, places, terms to remember, and review questions * Outlines, section headings, subheadings, and bolded items make it easy to follow structure of discussion * Phonetic pronunciations for unfamiliar names and terms * Breakouts with illustrative quotes from ancient, nonbiblical literature * Discussion questions on the contemporary relevance of the New Testament * Updated bibliographies * Conservative evangelical theological perspective also notes other positions and literature

This Greek-English synopsis of parallel passages in the Pauline corpus and the Acts of the Apostles is an essential tool for studying the New Testament. "It has become fashionable in recent years to lay out parallels to Paul's writings. The value of being able to examine such parallels so conveniently--without having to use fingers, thumbs, spare pens, and bookmarks to maintain access to multiple passages at the same time--hardly needs to be stressed. This volume, however, provides also the Greek, with some indication of variant readings, which is much better for those who can handle the Greek and who don't want to be confused by varied translations or misled by any hidden agendas of translators." --James D. G. Dunn, University of Durham "We have long needed a thorough and up-to-date synopsis of the Pauline letters. The synopsis edited by James Ware does not limit itself to parallels in content but also explores parallel texts in terms of literary form and epistolary structure. This immensely practical tool is a vital resource for the study of the Pauline letters." --Thomas R. Schreiner, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "Ware has produced an invaluable tool for beginning and more advanced students of Paul. Synopsis of the Pauline Letters in Greek and English provides a user-friendly way to view how Paul addresses similar concerns in different contexts, allowing ready access to how Paul formulates the ramifications of the good news as he addresses the needs of diverse congregations. When turning to the study of Paul, you will want to keep this volume within easy reach." --Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary "Synopsis of the Pauline Letters in Greek and English provides students, pastors, and scholars with a powerful tool for comparing the Pauline letters. While there are other Pauline synopses, this is the only one that employs the Greek text with a critical apparatus as well as an English translation. By bringing together groups of related passages, Ware's synopsis enables readers to see how the Pauline letters treat similar themes. This synopsis, which fills a long-standing need, is destined to become a standard tool for Pauline exegesis." --Frank J. Matera, The Catholic University of America (emeritus) "A wonderful resource that will delight and inform students and scholars alike. Simply reading it is an education in Paul's letters and theology! Using it carefully will provide endless opportunities to make connections and see new things. Every serious student of Paul should own it." --Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary's Seminary & University

Biblical commentaries generally treat the Pauline letter closings in a cursory manner and are typically at a loss to explain how a particular closing section relates in any meaningful way to the rest of the letter. In this ground-breaking study the author aims to rectify the imbalance that exists in the epistolary analysis of Paul's letters by providing a comprehensive, detailed study of his letter closings. By first surveying the history of epistolary analysis and examining the conventions used in ancient Hellenistic and Semitic letters, the author's examination of the Pauline epistles reveals the closings to be carefully constructed units that relates directly to, or even summarize, the major concerns and themes present in the bodies of their respective letters. Author Abstract: see at left

These studies guide you through Paul's first six letters - leaving you a much deeper and personal understanding of what God was doing.

We increasingly recognize that Paul did not write his letter to the Romans primarily out of doctrinal concerns. Paul B. Fowler presses that insight home in this attentive, yet eminently readable, study of the letter’s structure. The principles of Fowler’s reading are that rhetorical questions in Romans 3‒11 structure the argument, not as responses to criticism but as Paul’s careful guiding of the reader, and that these chapters, like the paraenesis in Romans 12‒15, address specific circumstances in Rome. Careful attention to the rhetorical structure of the letter points to tensions between Jew and Gentile that aggravate the already precarious situation of the Roman congregation. In the course of his argument, Fowler explodes the common conceptions that Paul employs diatribal technique to answer objections and that he is primarily engaged in a debate with Jews. In short, Fowler demonstrates that the apostle is not writing defensively, but responding with sensitivity to the volatile atmosphere caused by Claudius’s expulsion of some Jews from Rome. The book includes an appendix on rhetorical devices and another on epistolary formulas in Paul’s letters.

The author provides the most extensive analysis available of ancient Jewish letter writing from the Persian period until the early rabbinic literature. In addition, he demonstrates the significance of Jewish letters for the development of early Christian letter writing.