Pauls Prison Epistles - Research Paper Example

Paul’s Prison Epistles Introduction Paul’s prison Epistles forms the basis for Christian belief. They show the ministry of Paul and his Christian belief, which is essential for all Christians who purport to serve Christ. The name Prison Epistles is derived from the fact that he wrote the letters while he was in prison. This paper will seek to explore the date the epistle was written, the audience and the occasion that lead to Paul writing the epistle, setting, purpose, major theme and any distinctiveness of the epistle. Ephesians a. Authorship Paul authored this epistle. The evidence is on the prescript, which is typical of Paul’s writing fashion. His fashion majorly credits his apostolic ability to Jesus Christ and the will of God. Evidence is in the wording and letter structure that is unique of all Paul’s writings. b. Date of Writing The epistle of Ephesians was written in Rome in A.D 60 (Walvoord & Zuck 434). This is well explained by the opening of the revelation of John of Patmos. The revelation shows that John was aware of Paul’s letters to seven centers of Christianity in which Ephesus was one of them. Another evidence is the letter known as ‘I Clement’ written in A.D 96 by Clement, Bishop of Rome to the church at Corinthian (Ackroyd 3). c. To whom the Epistles were written According to the salutation that Paul uses, the epistle was a general letter meant for several readers. In the opening greetings, Paul conveys his greetings to God’s people at Ephesus while in some manuscript like in the beginning of chapter three, the word Ephesus is omitted and instead the word Gentiles is used. This shows that this letter was meant to be read in a number of churches in the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was one of them. d. The occasion for writing The occasion for writing this latter is not clear since it does not have a specific audience. However, the book of acts brings out Paul as having spent a significant time on his last visit to Ephesus. In his time in Ephesus, he taught and baptized disciples, taught in the synagogue and the cities where he met a conflict with the pagans. It was in the same occasion that he did a speech of exhortation to the city elders. Therefore, the events mentioned could be suggested as the occasions that lead Paul to write this Epistle (BibleU 1). e. Setting for the Epistle This letter was written when Paul was in prison in Rome. The supporting evidence is that it was sent together with the letter to Colossae, Philemon, and Philippians, which were all written in a Roman prison. In this letter there is no evidence of who he was with while writing this letter. f. Purpose of the Epistle According to Bruce (245), the epistle was written as an encouragement to gentile Christians. They were being encouraged to appreciate their unique calling that is both heavenly and earthly originated. Like Colossians, in this letter Paul also intended to educate Christians on the conduct expected of them for harmonious living with each other that would serve as a good example to unbelievers. g. Major themes of the Epistle New humanity and divine creation is the main theme in this epistle. This theme introduces thanksgiving, the redeeming feature of God, incorporation of the gentiles in Christianity, intercessory prayer and the mystery of Christ as a part of divine creation. The theme also talks about exhortation to unity, confession, spiritual health, and growth (Bruce 247). h. Any distinctives of the Epistle This epistle has a character of a general epistle. According to Bromiley (707), this epistle unlike all others does not confine itself to a specific Christian community. The epistle stands out as the only epistle that does not mention any persons who could have been around Paul at the time he was writing the letter. Colossians a. Authorship Paul authored this epistle. He associates Timothy with him while writing the letter but this does not mean that they wrote the epistle together, they only were co-workers in the ministry. At the time of writing, Paul had other companions that include Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas (Bromiley 37). b. Date of writing Paul wrote this epistle in between A.D 60 and A.D 62 while he was still in Rome as a prisoner (Walvoord & Zuck 434). c. To whom the epistles were written The epistle was written Colossae church and by extension to Laodicea which by extension was near the church of Colossae (Ackroyd 1). Unlike the epistle of Philemon that was addressed to an individual in Colossae church, this letter was to the church congregation. d. Occasion for writing Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison. At that time, his movement was not possible hence, the reason behind him passing his massages to the Colossians church via a letter. was in prison when he wrote this letter. He therefore uses his letter as a preaching tool to educate the Colossians about important aspects of Christianity and warn them against false teachings. e. Setting for the epistle The setting in this letter as explained by the prescript was a Roman prison. In it, Paul had other companions who were Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. f. Purpose of the epistle According to Thompson (7), the purpose of this epistle was to explain at length the vision of truth as well as attack some religious and traditional practices and rules that Paul believed were wrong and misleading to the Church of Christ. The epistle also intended to show the Colossae church that Paul’s imprisonment did not limit his concern on their welfare. Through it he cautioned them against allowing any condemnation from anybody based on what they eat or drink or oven the observance of any festival. g. Major themes of the epistle One of the main themes of this epistle is the person and work of Christ. A second theme is Paul’s concern about Christians in Colossae and Laodicea, which also ties with his caution to them against false teaching. Another very important theme is about Christian life that serves as an example to unbelievers. In all that, he talked about Christ sufficiency that helps in guarding ones freedom against any condemnation. h. Distinctive of the epistle As Thompson (1) states, this epistle despite the fact that it is a good material for Christian life, lacks styles and theological formulation. This is because it relates growth and maturity to knowledge and Christian conduct. Another distinct part of this epistle is that it brings out the significance of the cross of Chris. In addition, as Thompson (3) says, “This letter lacks treatment of justification or the law, the role of the spirit and the overarching eschatological framework.” Philemon a. Authorship Paul wrote this letter where he associated Timothy with it one as a close brother and two as a co-worker in the ministry. As with Colossians, Paul was with Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke and Demas when he authored this epistle. b. Date of writing This letter was written in Rome between A.D 60 and A.D 62 (Walvoord & Zuck 434). It was written at the same time Colossians was written and was also written while Paul in Roman prison. This is shown very well by the prescript. c. To whom the epistles were written This letter was addressed to Philemon, his beloved and coworker who lived in Colossae. It also shows that it was also meant for Apphia, Archippus and the whole church at Colossae though Philemon was the main audience. d. Occasion for writing The occasion for writing this letter is similar to that of Colossian letter since they were written at the same time, to almost the same audience and by the same author. In addition to this, there was a request that Paul wanted to make to Philemon that is why he had to write this letter specifically to him in addition to the letter of Colossians. e. Setting for the epistle This letter is written in a Roman prison setting. One, how it starts two, the fact that it was written at the same time Colossians was written show this. As shown in verse 23-24, Paul was with other companions like Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demus and Luke when he wrote this epistle. f. Purpose of the epistle This epistle was a thanksgiving for the news of Philemon’s liberality. It also meant to strengthen Paul’s request to Philemon. g. Major themes of the epistle The major themes of this epistle are thanksgiving for the news of Philemon Liberality. This theme shows Paul’s concern for Philemon and his appreciation for his love and faith towards all saints. Another main theme of this letter is Paul’s request, which shows his concern for Onesmus. h. Distinctive of the epistle This is the shortest of all Paul’s letters. It is also the only letter among the prison epistles that was addressed to an individual. It has also very little teaching as it was meant to appreciate and request Philemon to do something. Philippians a. Authorship As shown in the beginning of the letter, it was written by Paul. Like Colossians and Philemon, in this letter, Paul also mentions Timothy in the prescript but this does not mean they wrote the epistles together, it just happened that Timothy was his favorite and a co-worker. b. Date of writing This letter was written in Rome between A.D 60 and A.D 61 (Walvoord & Zuck 434). According to Ramsay (156), the mention of Caesar’s guards makes it clear that the letter was written in Rome. In addition, the fact that the time coincides with the years when Paul was imprisoned in Rome makes it clear that it must have been written in this time. c. To whom the epistles were written As shown in the prescript of this letter, it was written to the Christians who were at Philippi together with their bishops and deacons. It was one of the letters written to a congregation and not an individual like the epistle to Philemon and Titus. d. Occasion for writing It was written at the time when the Jewish opposition was very strong in Philippians (Ramsay 156). It is also shown that this letter was written at a time when Philippians were undergoing persecution from their neighboring unbelieving society. e. Setting for the epistle This epistle is written in a prison setting when Paul was waiting his trial. The Philippians were also in a state of distress in the hands of unreceptive unbelievers around them. This is well shown by the content of the epistle. f. Purpose of the epistle This letter acted as a warning to Philippians not to succumb to the pressure like other churches had done instead they were to stand firm in one spirit for the sake of the gospel. It purposed to encourage them not to deviate from the teachings of the true gospel. In addition, the epistle thanked the Philippians for the good work they had done in supporting Paul in his Ministry and to commend their messenger Epaphroditus. g. Major themes of the epistle According to Thielman (12,) the Philippians challenges and the importance of standing united is a major theme. Another important theme is on the significance of Paul’s Imprisonment as a servant of Jesus Christ to the progress of the gospel. h. Distinctive of the epistle Unlike other epistles, this epistle has an autobiographical account of Paul’s early days in Judaism. It also stands out as a clear expression of the assumed righteousness under the law. The epistle is the only letter with mention of Jesus as Yahweh, a name only found in the Old Testament. Through the letter, the expression of Christ humiliation and the resultant exaltation gets to be understood better hence making the epistle unique. Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, the above four epistles are very rich in gospel truth and they assisted the early Christian a great deal in their lives. Paul’s condition in prison did not deter him from passing on a message when he felt like, instead his relationship with people and God kept on growing. Due to this, I recommend that any Christian who wants to improve his relationship with God and want to understand what God expect of him to take time in studying the epistle. They are a great insight to positive Christian living. Works Cited Ackroyd, Peter R. The Cambridge Bible Commentary, New English Bible. London: Cambridge University Press, 1967. Print. BibleU. Introduction to Ephesians. BibleU.net. Web. 28 March 2012. . Bromiley, Geoffrey W. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. 4th ed. Michigan: Wm. B. Eardmans Publishing Co., 1988. Print. Bruce, Frederick F. The Epistles to the Colossian, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. Michigan: Wm. B. Eardmans Publishing Co., 1984. Print. Ramsay, William M. The Layman’s Guide to the New Testament. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1981. Print Thielman, Frank. The NIV Application Commentary: Philippians. Michigan: Zondervan, 1995. Print. Thompson, Marianne M. The two Horizons New Testament Commentary: Colossian and Philemon. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing Co., 2005. Print. Walvoord, John F and Zuck, Roy B. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: an Exposition of the Scriptures. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1983. Print. Read More