Week 5- Introducing Paul

Paul’s textual homeland: Jewish Scriptures in Greek

Paul’s social homeland: multiethnic/ multi-religious Greco-Roman City

Paul’s activities triangulated with jews, proximate pagans, and pagan gods

Paul visited Jerusalem, and is claimed to have studied under Gamaliel

Luke tells of Paul’s home (Tarsus), his Roman citizenship and his missionary practice of teaching in synagogues

Paul letters are instances of Greco-Roman Rhetoric

The goal of ancient rhetoric and its purpose was persuasion

Spirit and Flesh: two of Paul’s favorite pairings

Spirit: Positive (Gospel/ benefits of being in Christ)

Flesh: sometimes Negative connotation (views of his competitors/ idolatry & sins associated with it/ negative moral force)

Paul begins to couple “circumcision” with “persecution”

Pagan outsiders sought inclusion to society by “conversion”