Week 29 Study Page - 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, & Philemon

Week # 29 Study Page

2nd Corinthians (1-13)
Ephesians (1-6)
Colossians (1-4)
Philemon (1)

About the Book(s)

2nd Corinthians

Date of Authorship: like 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians was written while Paul was on his third missionary journey, roughly 1 year after 1st Corinthians (56 AD).

Author: Paul is the author of 1st Corinthians, as he makes clear in 1:1. The listed co-author of this book is Timothy, a disciple of Paul, and the person charged with delivering 1st Corinthians. Timothy had spent time ministering to the Corinthian Church, so he is a well-suited co-author for this Epistle

Occasion: Shortly after Paul's letter that we now call 1st Corinthians was delivered to Corinth by Timothy, Paul received a concerning report about the Corinthian Church. It is possible that Timothy himself returned from Corinth with this disturbing report, but it prompted a visit from Paul - one he had warned them to avoid in his earlier letter (1st Corinthians 4:21). from Paul's perspective, this second visit was a complete fiasco and he was deeply insulted (hence the content of 2nd Corinthians - especially chapter 10). Although, Paul had planned on visiting Corinth twice in short succession (so a third time all-together), this disastrous visit led him to change his plans, and instead write a harsh and challenging letter (not* 2nd Corinthians but a letter in-between 1st and 2nd Corinthians that New Testament scholars refer to as "Corinthians C"). Paul's change of plans is the context of 2nd Corinthians 1:12-2:4. This harsh letter (Corinthians C) was delivered by Titus who also asked the Corinthian Church to prepare a financial gift for the Jerusalem Church during his visit. Meanwhile, Paul's ministry away from Corinth had dealt him additional struggles and persecution as evidenced by the humility and weakness expressed in this letter. It seems that - after the delivery of "Corinthians C" - Paul received an encouraging report from Titus when he returned (see 2nd Corinthians 7) and the reception of that encouraging report is the context of 2nd Corinthians - at least chapters 1-9, more on that below.

Purpose: In Corinth, Paul's authority and leadership has been directly challenged by malpracticing teachers who are calling themselves apostles and are engaged in a campaign of popularity for the hearts of the Corinthian believers. Paul's response in 2nd Corinthians is a defense of the validity of his ministry and lesson to the Corinthians about the importance of humility and personal sacrifice in the ministry of the Gospel. Additionally, this book contains the most explicit appeal for financial giving (offering) in the New Testament, because a purpose of this letter was to prepare the Corinthian Church for an offering to be collected for the Jerusalem Church.

Ephesians

Date of Authorship: While there are not excellent historical markers in Ephesians, it is likely that this book was written in 61-62 AD during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome. It appears that Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were all written by Paul during the same period and setting (isn't it exciting that we get to read them together!), more on that when we get to Colossians below. In Colossians and Philemon, Paul indicates that he expects to be released from prison soon. It is likely that Paul was released from prison in 62 AD which is why the above date is the most likely for the authorship of Ephesians.

Author: Paul is the Author of Ephesians - as indicated by verse 1:1 of this epistle. However, some of modern scholarship has contested this claim for reasons like:
a) the sentence structure is longer and language a little more magniloquent than the 'accepted' letters of Paul,
b) this letter does not reflect the intimate relationship that Paul had with the Ephesian Church, and
c) both that Ephesians is too much like Colossians to be written by Paul, and that Ephesians is not enough like Colossians to be written by Paul - seriously

However There are some really good reasons for accepting the traditional view - Pauline authorship of Ephesians - beyond the claim of the epistle itself:
a) there is an especially strong (relative to other New Testament books) attestation of Pauline authorship and acceptance of this work into the New Testament cannon by the early Church
b) there are a number of Pauline quirks and themes in this letter; examples include the pejorative use of the Greek word sarx ("flesh"), the theme of reconciliation, the place of Jews and of the Law, and the place of grace.
c) the author claims to be a prisoner which fits well into the biography of Paul around the time when we believe that he penned this epistle.

Genre: Above, it was noted that those who do not accept the Pauline authorship of Ephesians remark at the absence of Paul mentioning the intimate relationship that he had with the Ephesian Church within this letter - they are not wrong about that. Paul spent three whole years ministering in Ephesus, which is the longest he spent in any city during his missionary journeys. The reader can't recall the emotional exchange recorded between Paul and the Ephesian elders at the city of Miletus in Acts 20 and feel comfortable with the relative sterility of the book of Ephesians. However, this absence is not a problem if you accept a slight change to the genre of Ephesians. Carson & Moo, among others suggest that Ephesians could be a "circular epistle" - meaning that it was written by Paul for the purpose of circulation around to a number of different congregations. Interestingly, While the words "to God's holy people in Ephesus" appear in 1:1 of your English Bible, those words are missing from a number of ancient manuscripts of this book, including the best preserved copies (Carson & Moo page 488), and your bible should have a footnote indicating as much. This is likely a letter written by the imprisoned Paul to the Ephesian church for the purpose of* duplication and distribution to other burgeoning congregations in the Roman world- especially those in Asia Minor. This consideration would explain five important factors

the impersonal nature of this letter despite it being addressed to Paul's closest Christian brothers and sisters
the strange absence of "in Ephesus" from 1:1 of many surviving ancient (anti-Nicene) manuscripts of this letter
the 2nd-century heretic Marcion mistaking this letter as the "Epistle to Laodicea" (another city in Asia Minor)
the abundance of extant ancient manuscripts containing text from Ephesians in the archaeological record
the abundance of magniloquent theological proclamations in the text compared to noticeably absent occasional remarks (ie Paul is using less-personal remarks and a generally more artistic, impressive rhetoric)

I'm afraid that previous paragraph will seem exceedingly boring to you, but i think it is really important. If Ephesians is Paul's circular message to all the Churches than it is the only Pauline letter in that genre, and then incredibly important to understanding his understanding and proclamation of the Gospel. If we accept that Ephesians is a circular Epislte, then it become the keystone of Pauline theology.

Purpose: Ephesians reads like a blanket instruction to Gentile believers about God's plan for their salvation from before time began, according to His grace, through the work of Jesus Christ, which allows them to be "brought near" (2:13) to the people/family of God and receive salvation as a result. After God's provision has been explained, Paul then goes on to explaining to these new believers their part in God's plan for the world through the body of Christ which is the Church.

Colossians

Date of Authorship: 61-62 AD. Paul is writing from prison, and the cast of personal references he makes in his letter seems to narrow it down to his first roman imprisonment (60-62 AD). Paul was likely nearing the end of his imprisonment as it seems that Philemon was written on the same occasion, and in that letter he requests that a guest-room be prepared for him in advance of his release. The date of the Colossian epistle has a hard "no-later-than" date, because a terrible earthquake destroyed this city early in the 60's AD. the Roman historian assigns the date of 61 AD to this calamity, while the Church father and historian Eusebius records it occurring in 64 AD. The city was mostly abandoned to ruin after this event, so this letter was certainly written before it occurred

Author: Paul is the author of Colossians, and, unlike Ephesians, there widespread consent to this claim among modern scholars.

Occasion: Colossians is unique in that - like Romans - Paul had never been to Colossians before in his missionary journeys (he had been to the cities of all his other letters) and - unlike Romans - we have no reason to think that Paul ever made it there. The Colossian Church was founded by Epaphras who was probably sent there by Paul. Interestingly, Colossi is seriously unimportant and small city in Asia Minor; it was dwarfed by Laodicea ten miles to the west, and Hierapolis sixteen miles to the northwest. This explains why Paul never visited there, and it makes the circumstance of Paul's letter to this small town all the more remarkable.
Paul had learned of false teaching that was threatening the Colossian believers, so he writes to them - because he has the authority of an apostle - to make certain that they are rejecting what is false. The nature of the heresy which Paul is confronting in the Colossian Church is a matter of debate and not settled by the letter itself, but i prefer the reading of N.T. Wright who believes that the false teachers in Colossi were primarily Judaizers (Christians who wished to require all gentile converts to obey the Mosaic Law) with a uniquely mystical flavor (The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon, TNTC, 27).

Purpose: In Colossians, Paul establishes the nature and supremacy of Christ, explains his (Paul's) ministry in the Lord, and teaches how the believer's new life has freed them both from sin, and from the harsh lifestyle that the false teachers were promoting. Because of this death and resurrection that each believer experiences in Christ (at baptism - more on that below) they are to live a life with Christ to the glory of the Lord, Christ.

PHILEMON

Date of Authorship: 61-62 AD. The identical personal remarks shared between this book and Colossians indicate that they were written in the same time and setting. Because Colossians and Philemon both speak of Onesimus's return from Paul's company in Rome, it seems likely that they were delivered at the same time, with Colossians being delivered to the congregation, and this letter being delivered to Philemon (the individual) nearby.

Author: Paul the Apostle

Purpose: Paul writes this letter to instruct his friend Philemon in how he is to receive his run-away slave Onesimus. The best reconstruction of this setting has Philemon's slave Onesimus running away from Philemon's household and possibly stealing from Philemon as he left (Philemon 18). Onesimus then came to the company of Paul during Paul's Roman imprisonment. It is incredibly unlikely that the slave of Paul's friend randomly stumbled across Paul in Rome, so we must assume that Onesimus fled from his life as a slave in Philemon's household to Paul and we're left to wonder why. It is possible that Onesimus considered Paul's company to be a place of refuge where he would be protected from punishment, or it is also possible that Onesimus desired to join Paul's missionary team. Paul's instructions to Philemon are to receive Onesimus as a "dear brother" rather than as a slave which he (Paul) says is of greater use to Philemon. Note that - as an apostle - Paul has the right to tell Philemon how to treat Onesimus, but instead of invoking his own authority, Paul asks Philemon to act in love and grace.

As You Read Notes

2nd Corinthians 10-13: 3rd Corinthians?

If you're reading straight through 2nd Corinthians - especially if you're doing it all in 1 day. You will notice an explicit change of tone and tenor between chapters 1-9, and chapters 10-13. It seems like the Church that Paul is writing to in chapters 10-13 is in much worse shape - being much more antagonistic to the ministry of Paul and his companions - than the Church of chapters 1-9. Just compare the rhapsodic joy of chapter 7 to the fierceness of chapter 11.

This dramatic change of tone and the suitableness of chapter 9 for an ending of a letter, has led may - a majority - of New Testament scholars to consider chapters 10-13 as a separate work of Paul. It appears that the malpracticing apostles condemned in "Corinthians C"(presumably) and 2nd Corinthians were continuing to oppose Paul's ministry and do harm to the Corinthian Church. It is possible that chapters 10-13 were written later and then attached to the text of the previous letter (chapters 1-9) or, alternatively (the theory i subscribe too), Paul may have received a discouraging report about the Corinthian which while writing (just before sending) 2nd Corinthians. The latter theory has gained much popularity recently and is the position D.A. Carson & Doug Moo support in their An Introduction to the New Testament, which i am using as my primary reading companion for these notes.

Ephesians 6:5-9, Colossians 3:22-4:1, Philemon : Slavery and the Gospel

It is unsettling for many modern readers to find that that the New Testament does not explicitly confront or condemn the institution of slavery. In this week's reading, Paul has three really good chances to do so, as he gives instructions to both slaves and slave masters in each of our final three books, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Instead of Paul encouraging slaves to serve their masters well, we might expect him to call on slaves, and all the rest of the church to rise up against the institution itself.
It should be noted, that slavery - in the time of the Bible - was a dramatically different enterprise than the kind of slavery that marred the latter half of the second-millennium AD. However, even with that caveat stipulated, 1st century slavery was bad as well. It robbed the slaves of their individual liberties and was often based on wealth, class, or race. So why does Jesus and the rest of the New Testament seem to accept it? there are a few things that i would like to point out in response:

the seeds for the end of the practice of slavery are sown by the New Testament
Paul's message to slaves is ultimately that their master is Christ, and his message to masters is that they themselves are slaves to Christ just like their subjects. The humbling and leveling effect that the Gospel has (see Galatians 3:28) makes clear that the kind of oppression and injustices which accompany the practice and institution of slavery are incongruent with the Gospel of Christ. The Church in history which embraced or permitted vile and wicked forms of this practice deserves an enormous amount of criticism and our disappointment. Thankfully, people of faith - like William Wilberforce (article) in England - were enormously involved in seeing the institution abolished in the western world.
While the New Testament does not explicitly confront the practice of slavery, it certainly, also, does not endorse it. I think it is instructive to see the remedy which the New Testament prescribes for this social injustice. God's word instructed slaves to serve* their masters. The response to their own oppression and possibly mistreatment was humble service, and work dedicated to Christ. I'd love to see the Church apply this same style of challenge to the forms of social evil that we recognize in society today. How can we out-serve the evils in our culture?

The book of Philemon is the most instructive New Testament passage concerning slavery as the relationship between a Christian slavemaster and his slave are the subject of the epistle. Paul makes clear that the conversion of Onesimus has put him into an entirely new relationship to his owner, Philemon, who is to welcome him "no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother" (v. 16). The nature of slavery - the ownership of one human being by another - would appear to be incompatible with the equality that is to mark Christian fellowship- therefore Paul tells Philemon to no longer consider Onesimus a slave at all. I Howard Marshall concludes, "the fuller implication of Paul's teaching here is that the Christian faith is incompatible with the ownership of slaves." (The Theology of the Shorter Pauline Letters, 188-190), F.F. Bruce writes that the letter of Philemon "brings us into an atmosphere in which the institution of slavery could only wilt and die. (Paul, 401). D.A. Carson remarks on these quotes with the following: "That it took so long for this to happen is a sad chapter in Christian blindness to the implications of the gospel" (An Introduction to the New Testament, 594).

Baptismal Teaching in Colossians

The message of the letter of Colossians deals first with a pastoral introduction, a teaching about the nature and supremacy of Christ, and a testimony from Paul about his own ministry in the Lord. A second section of the epistle begins in 2:6 of this book which continues through until the concluding personal remarks. This section is a teaching about the Christian life for the purpose of opposing the false teachers in Colossi, that is all organized around a singular sacrament and its implications - baptism

First, Paul explains that baptism is "a circumcision... (where) your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off" and emphasizes the reality of death and resurrection which the believer experiences upon their baptism. Then, connecting statements throughout the remainder of this section refer back to this sacrament as a rationale for the teaching that Paul is providing.

First - this is the passage where Paul introduces the subject of baptism and death and resurrection of the believer effected therein.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (2:9-12)

Second - note the organizational statements in this section which connect Paul's teaching to this main theme

"Since then you died with Christ" (2:20)
"Since then you have been raised with Christ" (3:1)
"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (3:3)

Reading Colossians 2:6 - 4:6 well, will require you to read this section as a teaching centered on the Christian sacrament of baptism and its significance in the life of the believer. Sadly, there are theological systems with an a priori commitment to diminishing the pace and importance of baptism in scripture. Those commitments are the the reason why this glaring feature of Colossians is not mentioned in the Bible Project video above or in my primary New-Testament reading companion for this study series (An Introduction to the New Testament by Carson and Moo). for a really detailed look at baptism in Colossians, read this article by Dr. Jerry Sumney, Professor at Lexington Theological Seminary, which was adopted from his 2011 presentation at North American Christian Convention.

https://www.lextheo.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/LTS-Quarterly_Vol.45_No.-12_Sumney_37-47.pdf

Colossians 4:10, Philemon 24: John Mark Reconciled to Paul

John Mark (usually just called Mark) was the cousin of Barnabas and an assistant to he and Paul. He set out with them on their original missionary journey from Antioch, but left them while they were in Perga in Pamphylia, and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Paul regarded this departure as an act of desertion and it created such a conflict between he and Barnabas (because Paul did not want to take John Mark along with them again) that they split company (Acts 15:37-38).

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story. We're not told how this happens, but somehow John Mark is reconciled to Paul and rejoins him in ministry. we know this because of two passages that we're reading this week (Colossians 4:10 & Philemon 24) as well as this passage in 2nd Timothy 4:11

"Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry."

There are good reasons to believe that Mark's role in the ministry of Paul was as a historian, scribe, and a copyist. More on that when we get to his Gospel. His reconciliation to Paul is an encouraging account of fellowship in the Church. God's forgiveness given to us in Christ when we least deserve it, is to be a model for how we treat our Christian brothers and sisters. Let Paul's willingness to accept Mark back into his ministry, and Marks desire for that restoration be an encouragement to you when you experience interpersonal strife as a Christian.

Joel NielsenJuly 11, 2018