Saul or Paul

The fact that the name "Saul" is found only in Acts and not in Paul's espistles stood out to me. Polhill observed that Paul never called himself by his Jewish name, Saul, but used his Roman name, Paul, in his letters. Luke is said to have written Acts and called him Saul; Paul wrote his espistles and refers to himself as Paul. Looking from Paul's perspective, I would not want to be known by who I was; but by who I am. For example, I was a Jehovah's Witness; now I am Baptist. I do not want to be know as a Jehovah's Witness; but a Baptist. Paul did not want to be known as a Christian killer but as a servant of the Lord Jesus.

Since Paul wrote the epistles, I can understand his use of the name "Paul". Paul's theology and practices were influenced by the cults of his day. Polhill states that Paul's teachings were derived from the contemporary mystery religions which where known as cults.

Vicky

The Meme of Faith

Although this was written as a response to Danny's post below, the subject matter variance between the two posts merits this format.

I'd like to respond to two quotes from Danny's post:

1) "I feel there is a need to be well versed in these subjects, so that – if needed – I might be able to defend my beliefs and doctrines."

I have genuine difficulty accepting this line of thought in any broad sense. Perhaps when you're debating things with other Christians, this is an accurate portrayal of the nature of the debate; but when you move beyond the scope of the Church you can no longer characterize the dialogue as a "defense" of the debated belief or practice. All debate between a theist and an atheist must irrevocably end (from a logical standpoint) at the impasse of differing presuppositions, and there is no difference between victor and vanquished when discussing presuppositions.

2) "I feel we have at the very least a moral prerequisite to defend our beliefs. We as Christians are dedicated to the Truth. Any time that we let a chance for professing the Truth pass by unanswered, we have failed. Our obligations to teach and make disciples cannot be fulfilled if we hold unto silence."

My objection here is related to #1. Although the sentiment above is common among intellectuals of the Christian faith, it nevertheless contradicts the basic nature of all faith. In The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins summarizes the evangelistic activity of religion with the following quote:

"Another member of the religious meme complex is called faith. It means blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence... Nothing is more lethal for certain kinds of meme than a tendency to look for evidence... The meme for blind faith secures its own perpetuation by the simple unconscious expedient of discouraging rational inquiry." (emphasis added)

I agree with Dawkins' assessment of the transaction of conversion; and therefore I disagree with your implication that rationality is key in "defend[ing] our beliefs." Professing the message of Christianity - like professing the message of any religion - is little more than an exercise in manipulation. Religion exists to soothe. For the intellectual, this is a highly cerebral comfort; for the person not concerned with the subtle nuances of esoteric debate, the comfort of religion is disproportionately emotional.

My second objection, therefore, might be stated like this: Given both that conversion by blind faith is the meme of religion, and that psychological comfort is the aim of religion, then a universal imperative toward apologetics - such as you have proffered in this post - is unjustified. Intellectual defense of one's faith is a tool of the replication process, nothing more; to build a broad imperative toward this activity is to ignore both the purpose of the religion and the natural differences among adherents of the religion that are necessitated by statistical reality.

Steve (the Christianized atheist)

Wrangling Words

In the reading for our first day, we are told "not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers (2 Tim 2:14 NASB)" and to "avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness (2 Tim 2:16 NASB)," yet we are in a Christian school – taking a Biblical Studies class. How do we not wrangle about with words? I have been in at least five or six theological discussions in the past week. I will admit that these two verses are troubling for me, because I talk all the time and theology, modern Western Christian philosophy, and modern Biblical Interpretation are my favorite subjects. I feel there is a need to be well versed in these subjects, so that – if needed – I might be able to defend my beliefs and doctrines.

I would take the idea of championing one’s beliefs a step further. I feel we have at the very least a moral prerequisite to defend our beliefs. We as Christians are dedicated to the Truth. Any time that we let a chance for professing the Truth pass by unanswered, we have failed. Our obligations to teach and make disciples cannot be fulfilled if we hold unto silence.

If we do speak are beliefs then we run the chance of offending the listener, even if that listener claims to be of the Way. Paul says, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled (2 Tim 4:3a NASB)." The discussion of doctrine will be what lead Christianity into a new age, because only out of discussion can new doctrines be formed and older doctrines sharpened.

May Peace Favor You,

Danny

Welcome to Pauline Epistles!

Greetings Class,

I am really looking forward to some excellent discussion on EUTHUS this Spring. The Apostle Paul and his writings are a significant part of our heritage as Christians.

Be patience with the blog, you will figure it out! Please remember that you need to post one paragraph a week. The paragraph should be a response to an item or issue discussed in class or in one of the reading assignments. In addition to this paragraph, you should also respond (a paragraph in length) to another students post. Please make these paragraphs substantive and not just a catalogue of likes and/or dislikes. AND please avoid "cheerleader" paragraphs! Try to critically react with the material to the best of your ability.

Please sign each post with your name, especially if your userid is odd. Remember that your paragraphs and responses are due each Monday by 3:00PM. Please remember the note bene in the syllabus (page 2). Finally, please remember to be analytical of your classmates and to respect them as well.

One more piece of advice from past experience with Blogger. It might not be a bad idea to type your paragraphs/responses in a word processor and then cut and paste them into the blogger gui. Some students in the past have had an occassional problem of loosing material that was not adequately backup. At the very least, you might use the "Save as Draft" feature that Blogger offers (you will see this feature below the window into which you type your material in Blogger).

And, finally (for real this time), remember that everyone in the class can see your paragraphs and responses, typos and awall!

peace,
RFoster

Better late than never (i hope)

I had car difficulties which made this even later than normal. Anyway, I really was not sure what to expect from this class. I had heard horror stories about everything from the seminar to how tough the paper would be. I admit it was challenging but I enjoyed getting a more indepth look at the gospels and how Jesus' life was during those times. I don't think I've been in a class where everyone was so willing to ask questions and start discussions. Nor have I ever really seen so much out of class discussion.

I feel like as a group we bonded closer together in our search to discover some more of the hidden mysteries of the Bible(a little gushy i know). I know that i will look back on these days during seminary and be glad that i was pushed academically and spiritually for I know it helped to prepare me. I will recomend this class to anyone I can but not without adding a few "horror" stories about it as well. It's been fun guys and I will miss this class(i can't belive i typed that) see ya'll around.

The Grand Farewell

Well, I finally got this thing to work again maybe. Had to create my account again. Well, to tell you the truth most of the words were well above my head. I really think that Greek is fasinating and I am really thinking seriously about taking the class just for fun, but then again I think it is kind of scary diving into a completely different language. It looks really cool though. I have thought about things in the New Testament that I really don't think I would've thought about had it not been for the fact that I am in Dr. Foster's class this semester. Dr. Foster, you are a great teacher and I was glad for the scheduling screw up so I could be in this class. They are definately a class of deep thinkers. So deep, in fact, that I thought about bringing waders to class sometimes. Sarcasm ain't it great! Thanks to my classmates for their grand advice at times it is greatly appreciated.

I am always that last one

Well I will finish this blog out a day late. Thought about not doing it after I forgot, but wanted to anyway. The question that was posed is, "What has this class taught me? What have a learned? What experience have i gained from this class?" This class was great. I remember my thoughts from the end of last semester after I pre-registered and I remember saying, "A Foster class....thats gonna be freakin' hard." Well, he lived up to his expectations. But it was an enjoyable discipline because it helped me in getting more precise in understanding text, and it gave me new insight on who Jesus truly was. The Gospels are some fascinating texts that I feel I have underminded for many years because I felt that they were not able to give me the meat that I desired, but they have done that and then some. I have learned a lot from this class about myself in particular. It has been a great help to me and I appreciate Dr. Foster for teaching this subject matter to us.

semester reflection

By far, I think this class is the climax of the Biblical study courses. So, maybe Life of Christ should be a 4000 level class. I enjoyed the challenge to read the synoptics over and over again. As a result, I know more about Jesus' ministry than I've ever known before.

My paper proved to be another climax for me. It was, by far, the longest one I've ever done, and it incorporated a little of everything I've been taught during my Williams career.

I also appreciated Dr. Foster's teachings more than before. Sometimes it seems as though the biblical training, I've recieved here, leads to a level of fatalism and stagnation of the biblical text. Dr. Foster, however, breaths life back in to it with excellent applications and a level of mysticism. By mysticism I mean that the scripture with proper application should lead to changes in people's life. After some of my classes, I walked out feeling that professors here doubt its power to change. They probably don't believe that, I just misunderstood them.

So, in conclusion, I'm glad I took the class and appreciate it.

The semsters closing and I have learned more than I'd expected from my time spent in Life of Christ. The group seminar that I missed out on was actually a favorite of mine. Although I missed the Friday night, I was able to make up the hours and compare or parallel the Antiochene Gospel to the Gospel of Mark. I was able to pick up on some passages that were left out from Mark.

I'm not saying that I could have remembered more, but there was alot of Mark missing in the Antiochene Gospel. I'm also very glad to have my first NIV commentary. I would like to complete the set one day because from Garland I was able to pick up on some things that I never thought of before. For instance, his take on Jesus blessing the children helped me realize that we should not hinder the young from accepting Jesus at an early age. I've really enjoyed reading the text and the lectures weren't too bad either. Just kidding. Dr. Foster's the best.

Happy Times!

The thing I enjoyed most about this class was ironically the thing I dreaded most. I really enjoyed the class seminar. I realized how important it is to not only read the gospels, but to learn them as well. If I had been in charge of writing the gospel account, I would have done a horrible job. But thankfully this class is full of really intelligent people, some more than others, so I was able to gain some of their insight.
I have also come to the realization that I will never even begin to understand who Jesus is. When I began this class, I literally thought: “I know Jesus, I have studied him my whole life. What else can there possibly be to learn?" How stupid was I. I have been looking at Jesus through my eyes all this time and this class has helped me view Jesus through they eyes of others.
On a side note: I realized how much I did not know about writing in Turabian until I tried to write for Dr. Foster.

Stay Home & Eat All The 'Freakin' Chips Kip!

First of all, a personal note to Dr. Foster--"You will never, never, never, never say bad things about my mother!!!" I have really enjoyed Life of Christ this semester. The atmosphere of the class is extremely laid back and easy to enjoy. I've laughed a lot. I've cried a lot...O.K. not really(only a little bit, when Billy and I pulled an all-nighter at IHOP studying for our first exam. it was terrible, lots of coffee gives me the runs). One thing I will certainly miss is the email of the weAk! Although we weren't consistent with handing them out, the one that I received for commenting on Charles' boogers has effects still rippling in my life. In evaluating the class, the email of the weAk is the only thing I would do different. For a word of advice concerning this issue, I have been forced to consult a very wise consultant, Pedro. In his words, "I would like to see more of that."

On a more serious note, studying the life of Jesus is the best study one could do. I have learned things I probably never would have if it were not for this class. I have been challenged to ponder passages in the Gospels that I have casually skimmed over in the past. My goal after taking this class is to make my life match up to that of Jesus' (within reason of course). I want to be more like Him. I want to do things He did for people. I think Dr. Foster did a great job at teaching such a profound subject as the life of Jesus Christ.

I'm Gonna Miss Adam Breckonridge and Dr. Foster's Mom

Tears come to my eyes when I think about the times in class that Adam and I laughed at Dr. Foster together, when we worked on our paper together, when I did every bit of his Turabian on his paper, and the times that we have come to the computer lab to do our Blog. Adam, friend, spiritual mentor, and brother, I love you and I will miss you.

Now about the class. I have enjoyed this class and the things I have learned about Jesus. We spent time on theories and different ideas about things, but I think my favorite part was the lectures through the Biblical text. I liked the way we sat down, opened the Bible, and listened to Dr. Foster. He does a great job at expounding on the text. I gained new insight on things like the history of events in the Bible, the disciples, the Pharisees, and Jesus' ministry. There is much more than that, but these are the ones that I realized the most about. I gained insights about my life, about IHOP at 2 in the morning, about chickens, about excrements, about Mrs. Foster's (Dr. Foster's mother) dislike of homosexuals, and about double-licks. It was a great year. I never got the email of the week, though, and that hurts.

Who is this man?

One of the greatest lessons I learned during my time in Life of Christ is that I can never even come close to understanding who Jesus is. When entering the class I was so excited thinking that I would learn many amazing things about Christ (and that I have). However, at the duration, I feel that I actually know a lot less about Christ than when I entered.

This is not troubling to me. In fact, it opened my eyes. I got the opportunity to look into the life of Jesus from the eyes of the disciples, the Pharisees, and the healed. I realized that Christ’s character has to be the hardest to classify because just as the Father he is infinite in a finite shell in the Gospels. This realization made through experiencing the Jewish cultural norms, mind frames, and customs has been the most enjoyable aspect of the class to me. I also thoroughly enjoyed Garland’s commentary, which not only brought out the message of Mark, but also reinforced it through application. The tool of the Contemporary Application has helped me to insert the teachings of Mark into everyday life.

It's over...(Teen Girl Squad voice)

There were many things I enjoyed about this semester. I will probably never forget the seminar. I realized the importance of reading the bible and scripture memorization because if I were asked to write an account of Jesus' life before this class it would have probably been a very poor account. Now if I were to write one, it would look a whole like the book of Mark. I wonder why? Oh now I remember because we had to read it 3 times and almost the complete NIV App. commentary on it. I am not complaining though. I got alot out of the readings. It helped to understand things better. Such as the time, customs, beliefs, etc... of the Second Temple Jewish world that Jesus lived in.

I also learned about the "person" of Jesus. I never looked at the Gethsemane agony as in Jesus didn't want to die. For some reason that never clicked with me until now. Another thing that Dr. Foster pointed out is the irony in the crucifixion narratives. They were mocking Jesus by bowing in front of him and calling him the King of the Jews when in fact that is really who he is. I really enjoyed this class, except for being in the dungeon at 2:00 in the afternoon. Overall it was a good experience and I'm sure that I will take what I have learned in this class about the life of Christ and present it in other ways during my ministry.

Looking Back

When I registered for this class during last semester, I was excited. I thought, finally I'm going to learn more about Christ and less about all the "other stuff" in and around the scriptures. But at the same time I was scared because it was an upper level Foster class, which I had previousley been warned to stay clear of. I have discovered that all that "other stuff" is what brings the Bible to life, so that we can understand more about Christ and other scriptures. Yes, I already knew that one must understand the context of that the scriptures were written in order to interpret them correctly, however, this class has helped me to realize this fact even more.


This class has been challenging, but I have learned alot. I had never studied any of the gospels at length, just certain passages. Studying Mark has been very rewarding and has helped me to gain a better knowledge of who Jesus was.

The seminar

I have really enjoyed this class. It has challenged me to where you really have to keep up with the reading in order to understand what is going on in the class. It is a shame that we are having to hurry through Matthew and Luke, because I really like reading and studying through the book of Mark.
My favorite part of the class was by far the seminar. My family was in town that weekend and I don't get to see them very often so I was a little upset about having to sit in a classroom for 7 hours. After I got there I became more interested in the task that was to be completed and those 7 hours flew by. I learned more here when we had to tell the stories by our memory. I would love to see something like this in my future ministry classes.

Research Paper Comments

Doing a paper on the history of the Jewish people prior to the time of Christ through the time of the apostles was one of the best learning experiences I have had since being at Williams. Prior to doing this paper I never really considered all the different things going on in the history of the time of Jesus outside of what we learn in the bible. The wonderful thing that can be learned when you look at history outside of the bible context is that you begin to understand the what is going on in the bible by leaps and bounds. I never took into consideration that Jesus was talking about anything other than messages being sent from God to the people, but when you understand all the historical references he uses and the predictions of what was to come for the Jews, it confirms that much more the vast amount of wisdom that Jesus had. It also confirms that Jesus was God, because only God could have known everything that has been and is to come.

The paper also help me to understand about other characters in the biblical text as well. The way in which Pontius Pilate governed and the paranoid behavior of Antipus can be understood that much more if viewed from a historical perspective. The actions of the Pharisees and other Jewish philosophies make more sense when you have studied the history of their groups and how they functioned amongst the people. The Jewish people are better understood in general when you look at the history of how they have been treated, misled by some of their own people, and their cultural beliefs. I have learned overall that if you do not study the history around the time of the scripture that you are looking at, you will never get the full scope of what is going on in the text. I have been taught this lesson out of books by teachers before, but doing it for myself has been by far a better learning experience.

Sweet It's Over

As this semester is coming to an end, and looking back at all that we have covered in this difficult but yet at the sametime very fun class. I have learned how to understand the context of the Bible better. I have more respect for the authors of the Gospels, and see where each one of them is alike but yet different at the sametim. Each Synoptic also has it's own main focal point.Thorugh the seminar I really learned how diffuclut it is to write the GOspels, and it also showed me how much I know but at the sametime, how much I don't know the Scripture and the order of the Scripture as well as I should.
It is kind of strange how you learn things about what you already knew and things that you didn't quite see before clearer. This class was very challenging and some of the readings were difficult for me to grasp at times, but the lectures were pretty straight forward. I learned so much about the disciples and their lack of understanding though they were with Jesus every single day. Through my research paper I learned that the whole point that Jesus is trying to make the whole time is that the Pharisees were not worshipping God with their hearts , but with their words and they only did this for show. It was the heart that defiles a man not food put into the body. I also enjoyed the dicsussion on the Last Week that we went through in class

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

This semster going into life of christ I went in expecting very little in my mind I thought I've been in church my whole life what more is there to learn. This class has shown me how wrong I was. Since I've been in this class I've gained further insight of Jesus and his life on Earth.

The things I learned in this class were in this class were, how we can use history of around the time to help us get a better understanding of the time. Books that I never thought would even relate to Jesus and his time I have know found insight in. Such as the Maccabee's these books I once saw as a waste of time to even read I know see as a tool to learn more about Christ.

Something else this class has made me learn is how little I realy knew about the Bible. When we had to retell the story of Jesus for our class project without using a Bible. I relized that without my Bible with me at all places I don't know half as much about the gospels as I thought. This class has encourged me to rego through the gospels and dig deeper and keep learning because you never will fully know everything.

Time to Move On

It is time to move on. I have really enjoyed this challanging class. It has not only brought me closer to my Lord, but also to my husband. All semester, I would read something assigned and run to him to say "Did you know?" and he would laugh and say "Why, yes.". The research has given me more courage to look for answers on my own. I had not used my husbands library much and was amazed to find ten books in it I could use in my paper. The class was far from boring, and the presentation to the point. My son said, "Mom, I thought I would take a nap. You know he would make a good Sunday school teacher. He's interesting." It takes a lot to keep James'attention.
The different veiws of Mark, Matthew, and Luke gave me insights about Jesus' humanity,love, and deity I had never considered before. Though the smallest details little light bulbs went off in my head. Critisms I agreed with and those I disagreed with brought new meaning to my own believes and afirmed my faith to a stronger stand.
I was lost at times, but it was nice to be able to ask questions and not be redicued for being a dumb woman. Thank you, Dr. Foster.