Life and Letters of Paul

A close examination of the first-century apostle Paul, often viewed as the founder of Christianity, whose letters, along with letters falsely attributed to him, comprise over half the Christian New Testament. Discussion of each of his undisputed letters, the pseudepigraphical Pauline letters, and early Christian stories about him. Special attention to his ethical and moral ideas, and consider the extent to which he reinscribes and/or refutes traditional values found among Greeks, Romans, and Judeans in the ancient Mediterranean. Consideration of his relationship to ancient Greek philosophical schools, and to pre-Rabbinic Judaism. Develops a strong understanding of Paul’s (ancient) cultural and religious context, as well as the critical skills to identify how his authority has been constructed, maintained, and reimagined over time. Formerly REL 0109.