Composed in the mid-60’s A.D. when Nero was persecuting Christians, these letters by Peter speak of suffering and offer hope. The second letter sounds like a farewell address done to warn of dangers coming from within the church.

Here are some key verses with questions:

See 1:3-11. How does this summarize his teaching?

Peter anticipated the objections of false teachers in 1:16-21, 2:3-10, 3:5-10. Explain.

The passage in 3:3-13 is considered apocalyptic. Explain.

What were the characteristics of the false teachers? See 2:1-19.

We can use references inside letters to help date them. See 3:15-16. How would that help us date 2 Peter?

See 2:2-17 and compare to Jude 3-18. What’s the same? What’s different? Who borrowed from whom? Any way to tell?

The paragraphing here is very clear. See how each idea is separated into paragraphs—outline key points for the first ten paragraphs.

There is much contrast in 2 Peter. What is the major contrast?

1 Peter

Composed in the mid-60’s A.D. when Nero was persecuting Christians, 1 Peter speaks of suffering and offers hope. He tells of the identity of Christians as a reason why they suffer– they are strangers in this world. As God’s special people, they are to live lives of holiness and to be submissive to authorities.

Here are some questions to consider as you read this letter.  What should the behavior of God’s people be like? See 2:11-3:12. There is much on duties here. See what the duties are of free citizens (2:13-17), slaves (2:18-25), wives and husbands (3:1-7). Read 3:13-17. It indicates some suffering is self-inflicted. Can you think of examples? This letter was written to those being persecuted. What encouragement does he offer in 1:3-9, 1:10-12, 1:18-21, 1:22-25, 2:4-10, 2:22-25, 3:18-22, 4:17-19, 5:10-11? What is said about Christians in 2:5, 9-10? How would that strengthen a persecuted people? What do these passages refer to—1:5, 1:7, 1:13, 4:13, 5:1, 5:4? The section 3:18-19 and 4:6 puzzles many readers. Your thoughts?

This is an early letter written by James, the brother of Jesus, who was the leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem. He is mentioned by Josephus, a famous Jewish historian, so we have no doubt of his existence and his relationship to Jesus. It may have been composed as early as 48 A.D. James is the first of seven letters (James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude) called general epistles because they are for a general audience, not for a specific church.  Contrast these with the letters sent to particular churches–1 and 2 Corinthians, for example. James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament as the author focuses on the practices of a Christian as opposed to the beliefs of a Christian. In the letter are all sorts of practical advice regarding anger, boasting, patience, and prayer.

Some questions to consider: Does this seem more like a letter or a sermon? Many see 1:22 as the key for the overall theme. Do you agree? See 4:13-5:4. What does James attack? No other letter of the New Testament has as many references to the teachings of Jesus as James does. He often uses phrases and ideas from Jesus. See the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) or Luke’s Sermon on the Plain (chapter 6). Where do you see echoes of these in James? Where do you see echoes of Proverbs in James? How would you describe his tone (emotional attitude)—warm? witty? sarcastic? impersonal? shocked?

In my previous post, I covered the discussion over the author of Hebrews. Let’s take a look now at the content of the book.

In the late 60’s A.D., persecution of Christians was under way. For Jewish converts the troubles were causing some to wonder if it was all worth it. The author of Hebrews, an unknown person, used this letter to argue for the supremacy of Christianity over the Jewish faith so many had come out of. As part of this argument, he presents Jesus as superior to any Jewish prophet or priest. Some have called Hebrews the fifth gospel; the other four told of the earthly ministry of Jesus while Hebrews explains his heavenly ministry.

Jesus is shown as superior to different things here. See 1:4-2:18, 3:1-4:13, 4:14-10:18. What things is he superior to? What else is Jesus shown to be superior to? See 8:1-9:10. How is Jesus shown to be the best high priest? See 4:14/7:4; 4:15/7:26; 7:27; 10:10-14.

Regarding his organization, the author is careful to use key announcements as he shifts from one point to another. See 1:4, 2:17, 5:9-10, 10:36-39, 12:12-13. See how each is a transition that reflects on the previous passage and introduces a new passage.

Critics note the author linked Jewish and Greek thought. Plato, a Greek, believed there were two parallel worlds—a perfect eternal world of spirit and an inferior changing world of earth. What we do here is but a reflection of the invisible heavenly reality. See where the author uses this concept in Hebrews.

One final point–The book is full of exhortations. Note places you see “let us.”

First, we have a mystery here, and who doesn’t like a mystery? Who wrote Hebrews? For a long time people said it was Paul, but there are a few reasons this may not be true. For one thing, the book of Hebrews quotes extensively from the Old Testament. Paul, as a Pharisee, would have been familiar with the Scripture in its original Hebrew language. In other letters, Paul either quotes the Masoretic Text (the original Hebrew) or paraphrases it. However, all of the quotes in this epistle are taken out of the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), which is inconsistent with Paul’s usage.

If not Paul, who might have written it? The most plausible suggestion is that this was actually a sermon Paul gave and it was transcribed later by Luke, a person who would have had the command of the Greek language that the writer shows. Barnabas is another likely prospect, since he was a Levite (one who performed subordinate services of worship) and would have been speaking on a subject that he knew much about. Martin Luther suggested Apollos, since he would have had the education the writer of this letter must have had. Priscilla and Clement of Rome have been suggested by other scholars.

But the majority of scholars still believe Paul was the author. The most compelling reason comes from Scripture itself. Remember that Peter wrote to the Hebrews (that is, the Jews). Here’s what he had to say in 2 Peter:  “Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” In that last verse, Peter is confirming that Paul had also written a letter to the Hebrews! In addition, the theology presented in Hebrews is consistent with Paul’s. Paul was a proponent of salvation by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8, 9), and that message is strongly communicated in this epistle (Hebrews 4:2, 6:12, 10:19-22, 10:37-39, and 11:1-40), indicating that either Paul wrote the epistle or the writer was trained by Paul. One more thing–although it is a small detail, this epistle makes mention of Timothy, and Paul is the only apostle known to have ever done that in any letter.

OK, this is an important book, so I will save details about it for the next blog entry.

Written in the period between 59-61 A.D., this letter of Paul’s deals with an unusual situation. Apparently, a slave had run away from a friend of Paul’s. This slave, Onesimus,  then became a Christian due to Paul, who then composed this letter asking for the owner, Philemon, to take back his slave even though it was the right of the owner to severely punish any runaway slave. This letter required all of Paul’s literary skills to defuse a potentially serious situation.

Again, here are questions to consider. See a reference in verse 2 to a typical church setting. How was it different from church today? Paul had to use great persuasive skills here. Note each of the following sections and see what tactics Paul used—verses 4-10, 11-19, 20-21. Paul can be playful at times. See verse 11. If you know “Onesimus” means “useful,” does it help you see Paul’s word game?

Paul doesn’t speak against slavery. Should he? Are there any principles here that might eventually undermine slavery? Keep in mind the Christian idea is to change the heart of one person at a time instead of trying to change society from the top down. What negative results might have come about if Paul urged all slaves to throw off their masters? Also, it helps to know that the slavery here and in the Old Testament is different from the slavery in the American South before the Civil War–it wasn’t based on skin color, many slaves could gain their freedom (all could in the Old Testament where slavery was much more like indentured servitude), many slaves had their own businesses.

Read the text carefully one more time. How are all three people (Paul, Onesimus, Philemon) taking a risk and making a sacrifice stemming from their allegiance to Christ?

A Gentile and  friend of Paul’s, Titus went on some of his missionary journeys and helped settle problems at the church of Corinth. See references to him in Galatians 2:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:10, 2 Corinthians 2:13; 7-8; 12:18. He was a leader of the Christian church on Crete. Like 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul wrote him a pastoral letter to help explain pastoral and church duties. Remember that Paul wrote general letters to churches (like the letter to the Romans) as well as pastoral letters to key leaders in churches (like 1 and 2 Timothy).

Here are some key questions to help understand this letter. Why was Paul writing Titus? See chapters 2 and 3—there is a key verse in each of these chapters. Paul told Titus there was opposition for him. See 1:5-16. What was the opposition and what was the solution? What are the characteristics of the false teachers? See 1:10, 1:11, 1:14, 1:16, 3:8-9. Some of Paul’s typical beliefs are here in Titus. See 1:2, 2:11,  2:14, 3:5-7. Does 2:1-10 challenge the status quo or strive to live by its norms? One moving passage is 3:3-3:8. Explain the contrast he sets up. See 3:1. Does this leave any room for disobedience? See Acts 4 as part of your answer.

Key themes in Titus include an emphasis on sound doctrine and good deeds. Titus shares a list of qualifications for church leaders with 1 Timothy–see Titus 1:6-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-13. Many churches use these lists for choosing church leaders today.

The second letter to Timothy was written during Paul’s last imprisonment, in which he was treated much more harshly by the authorities. You can see  what his prison environment was like–Google “Mamertine Prison.” Pretty grim.

Paul discusses women in 2:9-15. Do you think this is only for Paul’s time or for all time? Does this conflict with 1 Corinthians 11:5? This has become a big issue in Christian circles–the role of women in the church. In 2 Timothy chapters 1, 2, 4 Paul describes his personal circumstances. What are they like? Paul’s second letter to Timothy is described as a very personal one. Where do you see that? Critics have found 2 Timothy 4:1-8 very powerful. Your thoughts? Paul makes a prediction in 2 Timothy 3:1-9. Does this seem like a specific prediction of the future or more of a general nature? False teachers are described in 2 Timothy like they were in 1 Timothy. What do you learn about their beliefs in 2 Timothy? See 2:14, 16, 23; 2:18; 3:2-4; 3:5; 3:6; 4:4.

1 TIMOTHY

Confused by all the letters of Paul’s and the order they are in? Well, after Corinthians, you’ve got Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Some remember that by this phrase: General Electric Power Company. Then you have alphabetical order–Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus. OK, then it gets tough with Philemon. But at least I hope there is some hope with the above help.

Most critics believe Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Timothy between 62-66 A.D. The recipient, Timothy, was with Paul on his second missionary trip (see Acts 20) and later became leader at the church of Ephesus. Because Paul mentions details concerning pastoral duties, 1 and 2 Timothy, as well as Titus, have been called the pastoral letters, written to specific leaders rather than to churches in general.

Why did Paul write 1 Timothy? See 1:3 and 3:14, 15. Paul complains about false teachers. Since we get only one side in the issue, we have to read Paul’s complaints to see what he was opposing. What seems to be their beliefs? See 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 4:1-8; 6:3-5, 20-21. Explore 1 Timothy 2:1-15 to see what the church looked like. How organized was it? Was it more tightly organized than the church we saw in Acts? What are the qualifications for church leadership Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and 5:17-25? Are any qualifications left out that you feel should have been included?

1 and 2 THESSALONIANS

 Another town in Macedonia, Thessalonica, was visited by Paul during his second missionary tour (see Acts 20). After he left, Paul heard the people were confused about his teaching regarding the return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. The first letter to the Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest, probably written in 51 A.D. Six months later he wrote the second letter, apparently having heard the people in that church were expecting the return of Jesus very soon or thought they were already living during the troubled last days.

The key to 1 Thessalonians is the fate of dead Christians who had expected to live until the return of Jesus. See Paul’s response in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. Explain what he said. Compare his answer here with 1 Corinthians 15—does he say anything different here? Read chapter 1 of 2 Thessalonians. What can you guess about how things have gone since he sent the first letter? What does Paul have to say about those who preached that Jesus was coming back very soon? See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17. What does he say must happen before the return of Jesus? How might the problem in the previous question account for Paul’s comments in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15?